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Govt blocks Twitter, Skype, Imo

Three days after lifting a 22-day ban on Facebook, the government today blocked the social networking sites Twitter, Skype and Imo.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) this evening sent a letter to the country's all mobile phone operators and telecom service providers asking them to suspend the services immediately.

Talking to The Daily Star, a senior official of a mobile phone operator said they received a letter from the telecom regulator around 7:00pm asking the company to halt services of Twitter, Skype and Imo.

Asked about the reason behind the move, BTRC Chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood told The Daily Star that they have taken the step following instructions from the government.

Earlier on Thursday, the government unblocked Facebook after a 22-day restriction on the popular social networking site. However, the government did not give any decision about the ban on WhatsApp and Viber.

The Bangladesh authorities on November 18 blocked Facebook and online messaging and calling services WhatsApp and Viber immediately after the Supreme Court pronounced its verdict maintaining its previous ruling that upheld death penalty to war criminals Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed.

A letter sent from the BTRC asked different telecom operators and all internet service providers to stop the services immediately.

Earlier on January 18 of this year, the regulators blocked mobile applications Viber, WhatsApp, Tango, Mypeople and Line in the country for security reasons. The services were unblocked four days later.

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Govt blocks Twitter, Skype, Imo

Three days after lifting a 22-day ban on Facebook, the government today blocked the social networking sites Twitter, Skype and Imo.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) this evening sent a letter to the country's all mobile phone operators and telecom service providers asking them to suspend the services immediately.

Talking to The Daily Star, a senior official of a mobile phone operator said they received a letter from the telecom regulator around 7:00pm asking the company to halt services of Twitter, Skype and Imo.

Asked about the reason behind the move, BTRC Chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood told The Daily Star that they have taken the step following instructions from the government.

Earlier on Thursday, the government unblocked Facebook after a 22-day restriction on the popular social networking site. However, the government did not give any decision about the ban on WhatsApp and Viber.

The Bangladesh authorities on November 18 blocked Facebook and online messaging and calling services WhatsApp and Viber immediately after the Supreme Court pronounced its verdict maintaining its previous ruling that upheld death penalty to war criminals Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed.

A letter sent from the BTRC asked different telecom operators and all internet service providers to stop the services immediately.

Earlier on January 18 of this year, the regulators blocked mobile applications Viber, WhatsApp, Tango, Mypeople and Line in the country for security reasons. The services were unblocked four days later.

Comments

অন্তর্বর্তী সরকারকে নিয়ে হাসিনার সমালোচনা সমর্থন করে না ভারত: বিক্রম মিশ্রি

বিক্রম মিশ্রি বলেন, বাংলাদেশের সঙ্গে ভারতের সম্পর্ক ‘কোনো একক রাজনৈতিক দল’ বা একটি সরকারের মধ্যে সীমাবদ্ধ নয়। ‘বাংলাদেশের জনগণের’ সঙ্গে সম্পর্ককে গুরুত্ব দেয় ভারত।

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