Cyber crime goes on unabated

Propagandist active at home and abroad

Golam Mostafa Jibon: An organized syndicate involved with various cyber crimes has become active again to carry different types of propaganda based on rumors against the father of the nation, the Prime Minister and the incumbent government with a view to create instability across the country, experts said.
They are creating myth one after another and spreading those everywhere silently.
They have set up dens at different countries in the world including London and New York with huge budget with the aim to create anarchy in the country. As long as Sheikh Hasina’s government is in power, they are ready to spread rumors and tense. In addition to embarrassing the government, people at various levels of society and the state have also been targeted. The anti-government quarters in Bangladesh are helping to spread all propagandas of this cycle.
It is learned that the propagandist clique is involved with spreading the rumors by opening various pages, groups and events on social media including so-called YouTube channels, IP TV and online portals. Various rumors are being made in the name of breaking news from foreign dens at morning and afternoon. Those unseen news are being made and spread through the agents instantly. The ugly propagandas are spreading and publishing via unauthorized online channels, pages and groups.
Concerned people said, the clique is spreading rumors one after another and trying to make the government illegal in various ways. Their aim is to create instability by blaming the government for any incident. The clique started its propaganda targeting father of the Nation Bangabandhu, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her family members, but now it is trying to hold the government accountable for political, apolitical and even local level incidents.
Several government-affiliated officials said, most members of the propaganda ring had been identified. They are based in several countries including London in the United Kingdom, New York in the United States, Sydney in Australia, Malaysia and the Middle East. They have been publishing and disseminating various myths by opening IDs of various YouTube channels, Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Their local partners are sharing various dramatic stories of fake information and reaching thousands of online users.
At the moment, they are not hesitating to create all kinds of panic by spreading outright false rumors. Sometimes they are attacking Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her family members freely. They are running anti-government propaganda; sometimes they are running anti-government propaganda to create anti-government public opinion. Teachers, intellectuals, journalists, businessmen, industrialists, political personalities and people of any profession are not spared from their information terrorism and cyber attacks.
All the abominable language is degraded through the application of insignificant language. Everyone is emotionally devastated. This anti-government cyber cycle is not excluding the country’s judiciary, law enforcement agencies, police, RAB and the armed forces.
In London, under the auspices of an anti-government political organization, the process of creating, supplying and spreading rumors has become institutionalized. Alleged journalists and online activists who have fled the country for various crimes have chosen to spread rumors as a fancy way to survive in a life of unemployment.
It has also been alleged that the Bangladesh High Commission and the ruling party leaders are not able to play the desired role against these propaganda.
Sources said that, for more than two months, the country’s intelligence agencies have been monitoring the anti-government cyber propaganda. Multiple agencies are being forced to open these unannounced wings to monitor the speed, nature and involvement of those involved. According to the concerned wing, more than 450 rumors have been spread in the last two months targeting the state, the government and Bangabandhu’s family. Of these, about two and a half hundred rumors have been spread from London. At the same time, members of the New York-based ring provided about a hundred rumors.
In addition, residents of Sydney, Australia, and various cities in Malaysia and their domestic collaborators have been trying to provoke more than one and a half hundred controversies. The rumor mongers are spreading such nonsense around a number of MPs and intellectuals all over the world.
There are so-called IP TV, online channels, YouTube channels, web portals, fake online magazines all over the country to spread the propaganda of these cyber fighters born abroad against the government.
Anyone who buys a domain, hosting is giving birth to so-called TV channels and online magazines overnight. They are writing whatever they want without any hindrance. The anti-government online clique is occasionally engaged in anti-state propaganda while spreading propaganda against the Prime Minister.
In the wake of the recent visit of the Prime Minister of India to Bangladesh, the organized clique has carried out such heinous propagandas on social media that many have been forced to turn a blind eye.
On the other hand, although BNP, Awami League and Jatiya Party do politics in their own name in New York, Jamaat works behind dozens of organizations under different pseudonyms.
The rumored online portals in London and New York are published under the auspices of Jamaat. As a result, Bangladesh embassies in Washington and New York have not been able to play an effective role in preventing anti-national propaganda. No one is facing any obstacle in spreading anti-government rumors inside the country.
On social media, innumerable aggressive posts and videos are being uploaded from different parts of the country in various obscene languages with nude scenes. None of the concerned ministries are playing any role in finding those propagandists. There are allegations that the officials are not even monitoring the comments of illegal IP TV, online channels, Facebook Live and Twitter.
Assistant Inspector General (media) of the Police Headquarters Md Sohel Rana said, “Several teams of police are working in this regard to find out the propagandists. Drastic action would be taken against them through proper investigation.”