The disappearing act

In what appears to be the latest example of digital censorship in Bangladesh, internet users across the country were denied access to a news exposé implicating a high-ranking state official with the disappearances of three businessmen. On 20 March 2019, hours after Al Jazeera published a story titled 'Exclusive: Bangladesh top security adviser accused of abductions' on their website, many readers in Bangladesh could no longer open the news organisation's website. The chairman of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), the state telecom regulator, denied government involvement in blocking the website and offered to look into the matter if they received a formal complaint from Al Jazeera. But there was no explanation from the government on why one website in particular was suddenly inaccessible throughout the country.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh's internet users, such blocks on particular websites, or the entire world wide web, have increased over the past few years. In 2017, the government blocked Indian news website The Wire after it carried a story alleging the country's military intelligence of abducting an academic. Ahead of the December 2018 elections, the BTRC blocked access to 58 news portals, claiming they were circulating fake news. The same month, the regulators also ordered telecom providers to shutdown 4G and 3G internet services for several hours.