In March, the Bangladeshi fact-checking organization Rumor Scanner identified 472 instances of misinformation circulating on the internet. These findings were published across 449 fact-check reports on their website.
Analysis shows that political issues were the most targeted, with 250 cases of misinformation—accounting for nearly 53% of the total. Additionally, the organization identified 46 cases related to national issues, 145 international, 5 sports-related, 6 religious, 6 entertainment, 2 educational, and 8 fraud-related instances of misinformation last month.
The majority of these incidents involved data-centric errors (229), followed by video-based misinformation (181) and image-based falsehoods (62). Among the identified cases, 385 were classified as completely false, 51 as distorted, and 36 as misleading.
Further analysis by Rumor Scanner revealed that 247 cases of misinformation targeted or involved men, while 97 cases involved women. These were further categorized by age: among men, 77 cases involved youth, 71 involved middle-aged individuals, and 99 involved the elderly. For women, 32 cases involved youth, 45 involved middle-aged individuals, and 20 involved the elderly.
Facebook was the primary platform for spreading misinformation with 383 cases, followed by TikTok (144), Instagram (86), YouTube (41), Threads (22), and X (12). Mainstream media was not immune either, as Rumor Scanner found 34 instances where various national news outlets promoted misinformation. Furthermore, communal propaganda regarding Bangladesh remained a concern; two such cases were identified in March, traced back to accounts and pages appearing to be Indian.
Regarding the BNP government, 67 instances of disinformation were identified, with nearly 75% presenting the government negatively. During this period, 37 disinformation targeted Tarique Rahman as Prime Minister (65% negative) and 24 targeted the Cabinet. Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed were the most frequent targets, with 4 negative reports each.
Analysis of Rumor Scanner’s March fact-checks reveals that 71 instances of disinformation targeted the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), its affiliates, and its members. Out of these, 14 cases specifically targeted the BNP as a party, with nearly 78% designed to spark negative sentiment. Additionally, 5 reports of disinformation were found involving the party’s chairman, Tarique Rahman—80% of which presented him in a negative light. The youth wings were also targeted, with 6 cases involving Chhatra Dal and 2 involving Jubo Dal identified during this period.
In March, 49 instances of disinformation were tracked involving Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, its affiliates, and its members. Out of these, 27 cases targeted the party itself, with roughly 74% designed to incite negative sentiment. During the same period, 4 reports of disinformation were identified regarding the party’s Ameer, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman—about half of which were negative. Additionally, 7 cases of disinformation were found targeting the student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir.
Additionally, Rumor Scanner identified 40 instances of disinformation involving the National Citizen Party (NCP) and its members in March. Interestingly, no disinformation was found targeting the NCP as a political party; however, 5 specific pieces of disinformation were identified regarding the party’s convener, Nahid Islam—all of which were negative in nature.
In March, 96 instances of disinformation were spread regarding the currently banned Bangladesh Awami League, its affiliates, and its members. Out of these, 33 cases specifically targeted the party itself, with nearly 97% of them designed to create a positive image. Additionally, 18 pieces of disinformation were identified involving the party’s president, Sheikh Hasina, roughly 89% of which were also found to be positive in nature.
State forces also faced scrutiny, with 9 rumors targeting the Bangladesh Army, including 2 involving Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman and 16 cases involving the Bangladesh Police.
Technological manipulation played a significant role, as Rumor Scanner identified 93 pieces of AI-generated fake content, including 6 deepfakes.
In March, misinformation campaigns in the country centered around seven major events or issues. Leading the list was the Iran-Israel conflict with 145 cases, followed by the energy crisis with 14, and Eid-related topics with 11. Additionally, 7 instances of misinformation were tied to the arrest of Faisal Karim Masud, while 5 cases were recorded surrounding Independence Day.
The spread of disinformation using the names, logos, and headlines of mainstream media—along with the use of forged or fake “photo cards” is on the rise again. In March alone, 81 such fake reports were identified across 80 different incidents, involving the impersonation of 21 national and international news organizations.
Issued by
Tanvir Mahatab Abir
Senior Fact Checker,
Rumor Scanner Bangladesh
[email protected]