113 misinformation involving Bangladesh spread from India
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Fact-checking organisation Rumor Scanner detected a record 2,919 pieces of false information in 2024 related to Bangladesh, with the highest number—727—related to politics, mostly spread through social media platforms.
The report, published on the organisation’s website on Wednesday, highlighted a concerning rise in sectarian disinformation since last August, following the political transition, as various Indian media outlets and social media platforms, especially X accounts (formerly known as Twitter) started spreading sectarian propaganda about Bangladesh after the interim government assumed power.
A total of 181 instances of sectarian disinformation involving Bangladesh were spread, including 118 originating from India, with 113 disseminated in the past five months of the year.Ìý
In 2023, the organisation identified 1,915 instances of misinformation, reflecting an about 52 per cent increase in false information within a year.ÌýÌý
The 2024 report said that disinformation/misinformation began spreading with the 12th national parliamentary elections held in January 2024.Ìý
It said that 2024 witnessed various issues alongside a steady flow of disinformation, with the historic months of July and August marked by the student-led quota reform movement for civil service jobs, which sparked a mass uprising and led to the ousting of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5.ÌýÌý
Following the end of 15-year AL rule, an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus assumed power on August 8. After the transition, various Indian media outlets and X accounts, formerly known as Twitter, began spreading sectarian propaganda about Bangladesh, it added.ÌýÌý
The report revealed that in 2024, Facebook, the most popular social media platform in Bangladesh under Meta, saw 2,330 instances of false information, with an average of more than six pieces of misinformation being spread daily.
YouTube ranked second with 565 instances of misinformation, followed closely by TikTok, which recorded 509 cases within just six months. On X, a significant number of misinformation campaigns targeted Bangladesh, with Rumor Scanner identifying and reporting 201 such cases.
Traditional media outlets also played a role in spreading misinformation, with 151 cases of false information identified in reports published by the national media.
During the 12th national parliamentary elections, Rumor Scanner identified 91 instances of false information, with political disinformation increasing both before and after the fall of the Awami League government in August.
In July and August, 128 cases of political misinformation were detected, while disinformation was relatively lower in the earlier months, it surged after August, with the month itself seeing the highest number of false claims, totaling 386 cases.
The report revealed 135 instances of false information related to the interim government.
Sheikh Hasina was the individual most frequently associated with false information past year, with 208 instances, followed by Muhammad Yunus in the second place with 116 instances, and Shakib Al Hasan in the third with 98 instances.
