Bangladesh plans cyber law to curb online abuse, protect journalists
Proposed cyber law targets bullying, disinformation and online abuse while promising protections for women, youth, journalists and free expression
DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Bangladesh is preparing new cyber legislation aimed at curbing online abuse, ccyberbullying,and organized disinformation while strengthening protections for women, young people and journalists, as digital harassment becomes an increasingly prominent concern in the country.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said that the proposed Cyber Security (Amendment) Act 2026 was intended to restore what he described as decency in Bangladesh’s digital space while ensuring cyber laws could not be misused against journalists or legitimate criticism.
“The government is highly conscious of citizens’ freedom of expression and personal security,” Ahmed said during talks in Dhaka with representatives of the International Republican Institute, or IRI, a U.S.-based organization that works on democratic governance and political participation.
Bangladesh has spent past two months consulting journalists, senior editors, civil society representatives and international and domestic stakeholders as it seeks to refine legislation. Ahmed said government remained open to recommendations before proposed changes were finalized.
Central to that effort is an attempt to distinguish legitimate criticism from targeted online harassment and reputational attacks. Ahmed said Bangladesh’s Constitution protects citizens’ right to express opinions and engage in constructive criticism, subject to restrictions permitted under Article 39.
But he argued that those protections should not extend to character assassination or abusive language deployed for political purposes.
Proposed legislation comes as social media and other digital platforms play an increasingly influential role in Bangladesh’s political and public life, bringing greater opportunities for participation but also concerns over cyberbullying, coordinated disinformation, and attacks targeting individuals.
IRI Resident Program Director John Fluharty told Ahmed that young Bangladeshis and political activists were increasingly encountering online harassment, reputational attacks and organized disinformation.
Fluharty called for legal protections developed through broad political consensus and applied equally to governing and opposition political groups, an important consideration in ensuring measures designed to combat online abuse are not turned into tools against political rivals.
Ahmed said government wanted stronger digital security alongside what he described as violence-free political activity and would consider recommendations from both Bangladeshi and international stakeholders.
Proposed safeguards for journalists and free expression could prove particularly significant because cyber legislation can give governments extensive powers over online speech.
How Bangladesh defines prohibited conduct and limits authorities’ ability to invoke those provisions against criticism will therefore be central to whether new framework can combat genuine digital abuse without restricting legitimate expression.
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