The government constituted a 5-member committee on Sunday, headed by the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Information to bring the content and revenue of social media and OTT platforms under its regulations.
Speaking to the media through video conferencing in Dhaka on Sunday, the Information Minister of Bangladesh Dr. Hasan Mahmud said that the OTT platform is a fast growing field with their business running into thousands of crores which is taxable. However he pointed out that the government is not getting tax-revenue from the business carried out by platforms like Netflix, YouTube etc. in the country.
Citing the example of India, the Minister said that Facebook has been registered in India to run its business and regulate the content on OTT platforms but it is not yet registered in Bangladesh.
Referring to the recent controversy about uncensored content being aired on these platforms, Dr. Hasan Mahmud said that the content of social media is reaching people in large numbers through their mobile and Internet. He said aht it has the capacity to build a society but it can also destabilise society through rumours and communal riots.
Speaking on this occasion Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Mustafa Jabbar said that the social media and OTT platform operators should have a sense of responsibility in all areas, including social and cultural values, state security and law and order in the country.