Interim Govt: Content Takedown Requests to Google Plummet Post-AL Era

The interim government of Bangladesh issued a statement via the Chief Adviser's official Facebook page on Friday, November 28, clarifying the number and nature of content removal requests sent to Google between January and June 2025.

The government explicitly assured citizens that it did not request the removal of any news, social media posts, videos, articles, or any other political critical content—unless the content was centered on misinformation, propaganda, or illegal, defamatory information targeting an individual's character or law enforcement agencies.

The statement highlights that the number of requests sent to Google during the January-June 2025 period was significantly lower compared to the previous Awami League (AL) government:

January-June 2025 (Interim Govt): 279 requests. June-December 2022 (AL Govt): The current number (279) is less than one-third of the requests sent during this AL period. July-December 2024 (Interim Govt, previous 6 months): Only 153 requests, which is less than half of the AL period's maximum request volume and less than half of the June-December 2023 period. The government emphasizes the current low request volume is "not significant" compared to the former AL government.

According to Google’s Transparency Report, 65% of the recent requests were categorized as “Not Enough Information,” suggesting the issues lacked sufficient objectivity. Since Google's report lacks a separate category for "Misinformation" or "Propaganda," these reports are often grouped under the "government's criticism category," though the government notes its number is less than one-fifth of the AL government's.

The requests were necessitated by an "undesirable rate" of internal and external misinformation and propaganda campaigns against Bangladesh, including reports against the platform, a campaign started by neighboring country media, and continuous misinformation launched by the Awami League after it was banned under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The government states its daily responsibility includes keeping the country's cyberspace safe, maintaining political stability and communal harmony, and protecting religious, ethnic, and community groups online and offline. Some takedown requests were also made regarding online gambling.

The statement explicitly denies that the current government runs any "Awami League's CRI or any such bot force" to control social media. It also clarifies that no local agency (BTRC or NTMC) has the power to directly take down content; requests must be officially informed to the tech platforms.

The government proudly noted that Bangladesh has seen remarkable progress in international rankings for freedom of speech and internet index.

The Freedom of the Net 2025 report recognized Bangladesh for achieving the highest progress in the world as a single country in internet freedom, with its score increasing from 40 to 45—the highest improvement in seven years.

This improvement is attributed to the removal of the previous government following the August 2024 student-led movement and the interim government's actions to stop internet shutdowns and implement positive reforms in cyber security.