Bangladesh has held a meeting with Facebook, now Meta, at the highest level to engage the technology platform to counter the misinformation and disinformation during the forthcoming general elections and the referendum slated for February 12.

Chief Adviser's Special Envoy on International Affairs Lutfey Siddiqi held the meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting last week in Davos, Switzerland.

"On the sidelines of the WEF meeting, I held a meeting with Facebook, now Meta, at the highest level, particularly focusing on how Meta can act against disinformation and misinformation ahead of the upcoming elections," Lutfey Siddiqi said. 

He was briefing media about his engagements in the WEF meeting in Davos at the Foreign Service Academy here this afternoon. Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam was present at the briefing. 

Siddiqi said they discussed what anticipatory measures Meta can take before the elections and what actions can be taken during live situations, including the possibility of shutting down specific pages if they are found to be inciting unrest. 

Noting that a high-level protocol is already being developed on this matter, he said Meta has begun coordinating with the Election Commission. 

The envoy said that further detailed discussions on this issue are expected to take place in an upcoming meeting with Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser for the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb.

The importance of the issue is fully understood by Meta at the highest levels, with complete awareness across its senior leadership, he said, adding, the company's enforcement mechanisms, particularly those related to real-time disinformation control and election-related tools, are being actively coordinated with the Election Commission. 

Workshops on these tools have either been conducted or are in the process of being completed, Siddiqi said.

Apart from Meta, he also held a meeting with PayPal seeking their engagement in Bangladesh.

Siddiqi clarified that PayPal has expressed interest in Bangladesh and is going to start internal processes to enter the market, but stressed that this remains a lengthy procedure and "should not be misreported as immediate entry as they follow a long procedure to enter any market". 

He said PayPal officials indicated that improved governance, stronger central bank leadership, and banking sector reforms have significantly reduced Bangladesh's risk profile.