Govt to buy content filtering system for internet security

The government is close to establishing a filtering system to check contents that circulate on the social media.

The internet safety solution will allow the government to weed out 'objectionable' posts from any website without having to close it down, to help the government avert any untoward situation in future and allow for greater internet security.

The system will be launched as soon as equipment and processes can be established, which is taking time because the government procurement system is slow, Tarana Halim, state minister for telecom, said on Saturday.

“Content that is used to instigate violence against women and inspire cyber crimes will be filtered,” she said.

Senior officials of the telecom division said the telecom regulator initiated the move about two years ago, but it is yet to receive procurement approval from the government.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission has selected MetroNet for the job and will have to pay Tk 29.99 crore to the company for a five-year internet solution package, if the deal gets through. The payment will be made in 20 equal instalments. MetroNet was chosen from seven companies that submitted proposals to the regulator in 2013 to filter international internet gateways contents. 

If the government had established the system earlier, Bangladesh could have avoided banning social media services such as Facebook, Viber and WhatsApp, according to an industry expert.

The government blocked Facebook, online messaging and calling services WhatsApp and Viber on November 18, immediately after the Supreme Court upheld the death penalties of Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, who were later executed for war crimes.

Many countries have used different mechanisms to regulate social media platforms successfully, and did not have to block them, said Mostafa Jabbar, former president of Bangladesh Computer Samity.

“We need to establish the system as soon as possible, and re-open Facebook and other social media platforms.”

The government has also directed all international internet gateway operators to install deep-packet inspection systems, another way for the government to monitor internet usage and filter content, or their licences could be cancelled, said the state minister.

The BTRC will also create a database of internet service providers and their clients, to be able to regulate the industry better, she added. 

On Monday, Tarana also wrote to Facebook, seeking a legal agreement empowering the government to access client information.

Meanwhile, the Information and Communication Technology Division is also working to set up a digital forensic lab to track cyber criminals, officials said.