Facebook is reading your reported messages. Will it keep them secure?

The notification came as a bolt from the blue! I have been banned from Facebook's Messenger. The reason given for the three-day ban is – I send a lot of messages, and my messages violate the community guidelines of Facebook.

It was a surprising development and equally, a matter of concern. I exchange many types of messages via Messenger. I often ask for books to be sent from Bangladesh and share my address. I share information about my bank account in Messenger when I need money or a laptop. I had a high-level discussion with the government to find help for a sick friend. I also share the whole itinerary before I travel anywhere. These are sensitive information in terms of personal safety and are supposed to be confidential. If these end up in the wrong hands, it could hurt me in a variety of ways. All my confidential information and documents can be cloned and used against me in a way that could put my life in jeopardy.

More surprisingly, Facebook banned me from Messenger after decrypting my encrypted messages and reading it following a report filed by the person I had the conversation with.

Facebook seems to be slanted against non-communal and pro-Liberation War activists in Bangladesh, who have long been silenced on the platform for no apparent reason. It has come to a point where it may seem the activists have been enlisted to suffer harassment, such as a ban on Facebook. If you write against communal forces or religious fanatics, your post will be deleted and you will be banned. If you post a photo of the massacre of intellectuals during the 1971 war, it will be deleted. If you post a photo of armed freedom fighters, it will be marked as violent and deleted.

Expatriate artist and freedom fighter Tajul Imam started an animation series called the 'Golpo Buror Asar' on his timeline. He would use pictures to tell children the story of the Liberation War. He was banned on Facebook for that series. The posts were also deleted. Poet Akhtaruzzaman Azad has been banned for writing against fundamentalism! Then there is the blow of having the organic reach of posts reduced deliberately by Facebook. For example, I have some 90,000 followers and more than 4,000 friends on Facebook. But a post reaches a maximum of 500 people at a time. To this end, Facebook has seemingly weaponised its community guidelines or social policies to harass certain users by limiting the reach of their posts.

Community guidelines are good things and in fact very much needed for Facebook. Under this policy, you can't spread hate on the platform, you can't harass anyone, you can't write whatever you want for the sake of freedom of speech, and so on. But are these regulations being followed at all? Whenever such a situation arises, Facebook allows a review. For different countries, Facebook has tasked natives with reviewing the posts for a better understanding. That is also the same for Bangladesh.

But are these people carrying out their responsibilities impartially?

Thousands of examples can be given (as the screenshots provided show) to prove that they are biased towards radical forces. If you go to the comment section of any news publisher's Facebook page, you will feel the intensity of communal hatred. One commenter threatened to slaughter a TV News presenter. After the comment was reported to Facebook under its community guidelines, the social media company replied that the comment did not violate its policy. Who is making this decision? It's the Bangla-speaking officials of Facebook who have been tasked with reviewing Bangla posts.

To use another example, a few days ago, the Facebook ID of one of my doctor friends was 'cloned' by using all the images of his profile exactly the way he uploaded them. People on his friend list got a request to add the new profile. From that new ID, the fraudster(s) posing as my friend asked for money saying he was in danger. Many of his Facebook friends responded too. When he became aware of the scheme, he warned his friends. He also complained to Facebook to have the fake ID blocked. Facebook told him that it found no breach of its guidelines in this case! So, who are you patronising?

Let me tell you my personal experience. I have been active on Facebook for 15 years. After trying for the last seven years, I did not get the blue verification badge, which is easily available to anyone with ordinary IDs without any social engagement and activities. Facebook has deleted a lot of albums about the Liberation War and put a sensitive content warning on the images. Since the beginning of this year, there is an ongoing attempt to ban me from the platform. I have been banned four times in a row on various excuses. Every time, I took a review and then Facebook admitted its mistake, withdrew my ban and reactivated the post. Then again, I was banned for sharing a post that was originally posted by another page. A Facebook page spread communal hatred with its post and I shared it to let others know about the matter. And for that, Facebook banned me for 30 days. But the original post on that page is still there. No action has been taken against that post or the page. The fault is mine because I shared the post! When I asked for a review, I was told that our Bangladeshi Help Team have confirmed that I was at fault. So the punishment remained in effect. A few days after the end of that one-month ban, I was again banned for another 30 days. I wasn't given a chance to seek a review this time. They simply told me that I had broken community guidelines several times before. What a judgment! I have been accused of violating community guidelines five times this year. Out of these, Facebook unblocked my posts four times by admitting its mistakes. And on the other occasion, I was banned for sharing someone else's post – I have no choice but to accept this arbitrary one-month ban.

So, who has been appointed to the Bangladesh chapter of Facebook? In the course of the COVID-19 crisis, Facebook has dismissed many professionals and hired freelancers. Who are they? Has anyone from the Jamaat-e-Islami or sectarian or militant group infiltrated Facebook? If any of them get a chance, they will serve on Facebook for free for the information that will bring them huge funds from their radical organisations. What would be their aim other than promoting and patronising communal forces by eliminating the pro-liberation and progressive activities? What will be the consequences in future? Who will control the social media giant's Bangladesh chapter? Who will rule there? And who will take the responsibility?

We, the activists who are at risk, have sat in Zoom meetings with Post and Telecommunication Minister Mustafa Jabbar several times in the last few months. He has promised to look at our issue. He said he would talk to the Bangladesh chapter of Facebook. Then I saw his post waxing lyrical about Facebook's Bangladeshi representative. Tellingly, he wrote that "she is helpless against Facebook's community guidelines". And so is the minister in truth.

Religious zealots have been harassing me for writing on Facebook for so long, using the community guidelines as an excuse. But now, even Messenger is not safe and secure. This app is banning me for allegedly violating community guidelines. That means people hired by Facebook have access to my confidential information, at least to some extent.

It is clear that Facebook is jeopardising a user's safety in Bangladesh by letting the Bangladeshi Help Team, which is apparently biased towards radical forces, read secret conversations.

How can I be sure that this information will not be revealed to my enemies and radical forces? How do I know my life is not in danger after my confidential messages are read by Facebook officials? Do I have to seek justice in European courts for my protection? Do I need to seek legal support for criminal activity and compensation for harassment? What is your suggestion, honourable minister? What is the advice of the representative of Facebook's Bangladesh chapter?