Lift ban on social media

As the social media ban reaches its third week, perhaps it is high time the government  re-evaluated the prohibition which has all but cut off Bangladesh from the rest of the world. The ban, supposedly imposed to ensure national security, has been defended by the government – in the face of widespread criticism by experts and users alike – as instrumental in "saving lives". While we applaud the government's intentions to protect the populace, we are left wondering the extent to which the ban has been successful in achieving its desired goal.  

Despite repeated government warnings that those accessing the banned sites and apps through other means will be held to account, social media users have continued to use proxy sites to communicate with the outside world. What is the point of a rule, we wonder, that is not enforceable? Besides, should miscreants wish to misuse these platforms, would they also not find ways to circumvent the ban, including using services that cannot be so easily tracked? In the end it is the ordinary and not so tech-savvy citizens who are losing out.  This may give a feeling of self satisfaction to the government but it is ultimately self defeating 

The ban is hurting e-commerce, particularly small businesses that rely exclusively on Facebook. At the same time, it is sending a wrong signal about the country. 

Technology has long outgrown restrictive measures, and it is well-recognised that outright bans are not effective in countering terrorism. In today's ditigised world, we, as proponents of Digital Bangladesh, simply cannot afford to adopt such a myopic outlook. We urge the government to lift the ban immediately and take more suitable steps to regulate abuse of social media.