A new study released in Dhaka highlights the serious threats posed by disinformation and hate-driven campaigns to electoral integrity, social cohesion, and the involvement of women and marginalized communities in the upcoming national election. Conducted by Digitally Right with support from The Asia Foundation, the report, titled ‘Tackling election disinformation in Bangladesh,’ reveals that Bangladesh’s online information landscape is increasingly fragile and fragmented due to the efforts of political parties, religious groups, and foreign influencers to shape public opinion through artificial intelligence, organized propaganda networks, and commercially driven content creators.
Disinformation is undermining public trust and deepening communal divisions, particularly affecting women and minority groups through the use of fabricated videos, synthetic images, and doctored materials, increasing risks of harassment and voter suppression. Alarmingly, the study points out that Bangladesh has only 40–50 professional fact-checkers for a population of over 170 million, with few mainstream media outlets having dedicated verification capabilities.
The lack of access to modern tools for fact-checkers and journalists, along with minimal civil society and election observer presence in digital monitoring, exacerbates the situation. There is a significant gap between the risks posed by disinformation and the country’s capacity to counter it. Participants at the report’s release event stressed the need for stronger collaboration between regulators, media outlets, and technology companies to ensure information integrity. Experts emphasized the importance of adapting fact-checking methods to modern challenges and ensuring that new regulations protect human rights while addressing online misinformation.
