Ban on Facebook to be lifted soon: Palak

State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak today said that the ban imposed on Facebook on security grounds would be lifted very soon for ensuring access to those who use the social networking site.

“I don’t know the exact time and date but I can say the ban will be lifted very soon,” Palak said while talking to reporters at a press conference held at the National Press Club this afternoon.

On November 18, the government blocked social media network Facebook, online messaging and calling services WhatsApp and Viber.

The order came immediately after the Supreme Court pronounced its verdict maintaining its previous ruling that upheld the death penalty of two war criminals Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed.

A letter sent from Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) asked different telecom operators and all Internet Service Providers to stop the services immediately.

State Minister for Telecom Tarana Halim on December 1, said the Facebook authority will visit Bangladesh on December 6 to discuss a proposal about signing a deal with the government to combat cybercrimes in the country.

She said the Facebook Asian Regional authority will visit Bangladesh and hold meetings with different ministry officials concerned on December 6.

The government on November 30, wrote a letter to the Facebook authority showing interest to sign a deal with the social networking site in order to attain information about its users.