Bangladesh Govt to 'expose' online porn viewers

Dhaka [Bangladesh], Dec. 13 (ANI): The Bangladeshi government has plans to develop a mechanism to expose people who are viewing porn websites. State Minister for Posts and Telecommunication Tarana Halim said the government is planning to develop a mechanism to reveal the internet pornographic consumers in Bangladesh, reports the Dhaka Tribune. Halim said fear of being outed as a porn viewer will act as a deterrent. The Minister made the statement while inaugurating the e-file tracking system on Monday that aims to ensure accountability, transparency, honesty. She said internet service providers (ISPs) should take an active role to block websites hosted in Bangladesh. "We couldn't block 100 percent of the porn sites, but if we could block 80 percent, it would be huge accomplishment for us," she said. She reiterated the government's stance on pornography which she alleges is contrary to the country's social norms and values. However, on Tuesday, the Minister backtracked on her statement and clarified that the government will not list porn site visitors as it is bound and committed to protect privacy of its citizens. "I have never mentioned that the list of names of porn website visitors will be published. Technically it is not possible. We're bound and committed to protect private information and identity of people," she said in a Facebook post. Earlier on November 28, the government formed a committee to restrict access to pornography and objectionable content on the web from Bangladesh. Access to such websites will be blocked after the committee submits its report to the telecom division within seven working days. The committee would make recommendations to restrict access to the porn sites. (ANI)