In January of this year, Bangladesh’s fact-checking organization Rumor Scanner identified 577 pieces of misinformation circulating on the internet—the highest number ever recorded. Through 452 reports published on Rumor Scanner’s website, fact-checks of this misinformation were released.
Analysis shows that in January, political misinformation was the most prevalent, with 469 cases, accounting for nearly 81 percent of all misinformation. In addition, 56 cases were related to national issues, 14 to international issues, 14 to sports, 12 to religious matters, 9 to entertainment, 1 to education, and 2 to scams.
Among these incidents, information-based misinformation was the most common, with 332 cases. This was followed by 192 video-based and 53 image-based cases. Of the identified misinformation, 419 were classified as false, 123 as distorted, 34 as misleading, and 1 as partially false.
Further analysis shows that during this period, 405 cases of misinformation involved men, while 171 cases involved women.
During the same period, the misinformation was categorized into four age groups for both men and women. The analysis shows that among men, 2 cases involved children, 97 involved youth, 38 involved middle-aged individuals, and 70 involved the elderly.
Among women, 5 cases involved children, 59 involved youth, 38 involved middle-aged individuals, and 69 involved the elderly.
In terms of platforms, Facebook was the largest source of misinformation during the month, with 529 cases. This was followed by 73 on Instagram, 34 on YouTube, 26 on X, 74 on TikTok, 1 on LinkedIn, and at least 19 on Threads.
The spread of misinformation was not limited to social media platforms alone; Bangladesh’s mainstream media were also involved. Rumor Scanner observed 17 incidents in which misinformation was published by multiple domestic media outlets. Additionally, 5 cases of disinformation involving Bangladesh were identified in Indian media.
The spread of communal propaganda centered on Bangladesh has been a topic of discussion over the past several months. In January, Rumor Scanner identified 29 instances of communal propaganda. Among these, 23 cases showed evidence of disinformation being spread from Indian-identified accounts and pages on social media.
Observations by the Rumor Scanner team indicate that in January, four pieces of misinformation were circulated involving the current interim government. To better understand their nature, Rumor Scanner categorized these cases into two separate groups. Misinformation that appeared to favor the government was classified as positive, while misinformation that went against the government was classified as negative. The analysis found that all of these cases portrayed the government negatively.
In January, 13 pieces of misinformation were circulated involving Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser of the interim government, and all of them portrayed him negatively.
In addition, 6 cases of misinformation involved government adviser Dr. Asif Nazrul, 4 involved Syeda Rizwana Hasan, and 2 cases each involved M. Fouzul Kabir Khan, Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, M Sakhawat Hossain, and Sheikh Bashiruddin.
Furthermore, 1 case each of misinformation involved advisers Md. Touhid Hossain and Sharmeen Soneya Murshid. One case involved Shafiqul Alam, the Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, and 2 cases also involved Professor Ali Riaz, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser (with the rank of adviser).
The 13th National Parliamentary Election is set to be held this month, and it has become a topic of widespread discussion. Over the past several months, the spread of disinformation surrounding the election has increased. In January alone, 271 pieces of election-related disinformation were identified. During the same period, 17 pieces of disinformation related to referendums were also detected.
An analysis of January’s fact-checks by Rumor Scanner found that 238 instances of disinformation in January involved Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, its affiliated organizations, and its leaders and activists. Of these, 153 pieces directly involved Jamaat-e-Islami as a party. In nearly 89 percent of these cases, the disinformation created scope for generating negative sentiment toward the party. During the same period, 25 pieces of disinformation were identified involving the party’s Ameer, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, 96 percent of which were negative. Additionally, 20 pieces of disinformation were spread involving Chhatra Shibir during this time.
During this period, 238 pieces of disinformation were identified involving the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), its affiliated organizations, and its leaders and activists. Of these, 86 pieces directly involved the BNP as a party, and in approximately 62 percent of the cases, the disinformation created scope for negative sentiment toward the party. Additionally, 60 pieces of disinformation were circulated during this time involving the party’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, with 72 percent portraying him negatively. During the same period, 9 pieces of disinformation involved Chhatra Dal, and 1 piece involved Jubo Dal.
Furthermore, in January, Rumor Scanner identified 53 pieces of disinformation involving the National Citizens Party (NCP) and its leaders and activists. Of these, 9 pieces directly involved the NCP as a party, and all of them created scope for negative sentiment toward the party. Nine pieces of disinformation (all negative) were also identified involving the party’s convener Nahid Islam.
In January, 98 pieces of disinformation were circulated involving the Bangladesh Awami League, its affiliated and allied organizations, and its leaders and activists—a party whose activities are currently banned. Of these, 29 pieces directly involved the Awami League as a party, and in approximately 96 percent of the cases, the disinformation created scope for positive sentiment toward the party. During the same period, 41 pieces of disinformation involving the party’s President Sheikh Hasina were identified, 90 percent of which portrayed her positively.
State security forces have not been spared from the surge of disinformation. In January, Rumor Scanner observed 14 pieces of misinformation involving the Bangladesh Army, including 2 cases related to the Army Chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman. In addition, 18 pieces of misinformation involved the Bangladesh Police, including 1 case concerning Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam, and 2 pieces involved the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
An analysis of the misinformation identified in January shows that 141 pieces of fake content created using artificial intelligence were detected during this period. Among these, 11 were deepfake contents.
In January, misinformation spread around six major incidents or issues in the country. These included 18 cases related to the Dipu Das murder in Mymensingh, 9 cases regarding the death of Khaleda Zia, 10 cases concerning Mustafizur Rahman’s exclusion from the IPL, 8 cases related to the DUCSU election, 5 cases involving the arrest of Tahrima Jannat Surovi, and 5 cases centered on the gas crisis.
The use of media names, logos, headlines, and fabricated or fake photocards to spread misinformation has once again increased. In January, this method was used in 207 incidents, resulting in the spread of 239 pieces of misinformation involving 34 domestic and international news outlets.
Issued by
Tanvir Mahatab Abir
Senior Fact Checker,
Rumor Scanner Bangladesh
[email protected]