In the first three months of 2025, Rumor Scanner detected 837 pieces of misinformation circulating in Bangladesh. This is about 28% more than the same period last year, when 654 false claims were identified. Due to major national and political events and various religious issues, the rate of misinformation spread has increased significantly in early 2025, about 21% higher than the last quarter of 2024 (October–December). Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was removed from power, was the most targeted individual, with 80% of the misinformation supporting her. Also, there was a notable rise in discussions around rape-related issues, with the highest number of false claims tied to this topic. Among political parties, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami faced the most misinformation attacks. These findings are based on an analysis of reports published by Rumor Scanner over the past three months.
Facebook: The Breeding Ground for Misinformation
In Bangladesh, Facebook remains the most popular and widely used social media platform. In the first three months of 2025, 748 false pieces of misinformation were detected on Facebook. This means, on average, more than eight false claims were spread daily on the platform.
After Facebook, the second highest number of false claims came from the micro-blogging site X (formerly Twitter), with 162 cases. YouTube had 124 false claims, and both TikTok and Instagram each had 67 cases. Beyond social media, media outlets in Bangladesh have also contributed to misinformation. In the last three months, 42 false or misleading pieces of information (including fake images and videos) were found in news media. Additionally, Indian media outlets mentioned Bangladesh in at least 20 incidents of misinformation during the same period.
By analyzing the reports published by Rumor Scanner in the first quarter of this year, it was found that 507 pieces of misinformation were based on completely false or fake events. Besides this, 226 pieces were rated as misleading, and 102 were marked as altered. Two incidents were fact-checked where sarcastic or humorous posts were wrongly presented as real incidents. To detect these pieces of misinformation, Rumor Scanner verified 333 information posts, 163 photos, and 341 videos.
Relentless Spread of Political Disinformation
As the next national election gets closer, the political situation in Bangladesh is heating up. This was clear in the first three months of this year. New political parties have started appearing, and there is a lot of discussion about leaders and leadership. The former ruling party, Awami League, is also making its presence known through small protests and quick gatherings. During this time, the spread of misinformation was very noticeable. A review of Rumor Scanner’s fact-checks shows that in these three months, the highest number of misinformation (346 cases, about 41%) was related to politics. There was also a regular spread of misinformation about national issues, which made up about 29% of the total. Apart from politics and national matters, misinformation about religion has been growing since last year. In these three months, religious misinformation made up around 9% of the total false information found.
Compared to the previous quarter, the spread of misinformation in religious topics has decreased in this quarter. In the last quarter (October to December of last year), 116 cases of religious misinformation were identified, which has now reduced by about 38%. However, the spread of misinformation in political and national matters has increased by 47% and 44% respectively.
Jamaat-e-Islami and Sheikh Hasina: The Highest Victims of Disinformation
In the first three months of 2025, the political disinformation in Bangladesh mostly targeted Jamaat-e-Islami. Rumor Scanner identified 81 disinformation about the party, its affiliates, and its leaders. Among them, the party’s leader, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, was the most targeted, with all the disinformation portraying him negatively.
After Jamaat, the next political party to be most affected by disinformation is Bangladesh Awami League, which was ousted in August. Rumor Scanner identified 28 pieces of disinformation related to the party, and 115 false pieces of disinformation about the party’s various allied and associated organizations and leaders. During this period, the party president, Sheikh Hasina, was the most targeted by disinformation, with 80% of the disinformation being presented in a positive light about her.
In the first quarter, Rumor Scanner identified eight pieces of disinformation related to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Additionally, 46 pieces of disinformation were identified about the party’s various allied and affiliated organizations and leaders. Among them, the party’s General Secretary, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, was the most targeted, with 78% of the disinformation presented negatively about him. Regarding the Acting Chairman, Tarique Rahman, six pieces of disinformation were spread, with 83% presenting him positively.
On February 28, a new political party, the ‘National Citizens Party’ (NCP), was formed with former adviser Nahid Islam as the convener. Two pieces of disinformation were spread about the party in the first quarter. Additionally, 20 pieces of disinformation related to the party’s leaders were identified during this period.
Last year, during the quota reform movement and the fall of the government, a student organization called “Anti-Discrimination Student Movement” played a leading role. Since then, misinformation targeting this group continued to appear regularly. In the first quarter of this year, 20 pieces of misinformation were identified involving the organization. Rumor Scanner also found 30 pieces of false information targeting leaders of the movement. Among them, Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam were each targeted with 10 false claims. Khan Talat Mahmud Rafy and Nusrat Tabassum were each linked with three false claims. Hasib Al Islam, Tilottama Iti, Umama Fatema, and Abdul Hannan Masud were each mentioned in one false claim.
Continuous Disinformation Against the Interim Government
After the fall of the Awami League government on August 8 last year, following a student and public uprising, Nobel Laureate Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus took charge as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government. Generally, in Bangladesh, whoever holds power becomes a target for rumors and disinformation. Similarly, after taking office, the interim government also became a regular target.
Last year, Rumor Scanner identified 135 pieces of disinformation related to the interim government and 110 false claims about Chief Adviser Dr. Yunus. In the first quarter of this year alone, 44 pieces of disinformation targeted the interim government, with 93% of them presented negatively. In the same period, Dr. Yunus was the subject of 51 false claims, 90% of which portrayed him negatively. Overall, from the time of taking office until March 2025, the interim government faced 179 pieces of disinformation, and Dr. Yunus was linked to 161 false claims.
Additionally, a total of 34 pieces of disinformation were spread in the past three months involving nine advisors of the government and Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam.
Law Enforcement Agencies Becoming Frequent Targets of Misinformation
In the first quarter of this year, Rumor Scanner found that law enforcement and armed forces in Bangladesh became regular targets of misinformation. A total of 60 pieces of misinformation were identified. Among them, the Bangladesh Army was the most targeted, with 42 cases. The current Army Chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, was directly mentioned in 11 pieces of misinformation.
Additionally, misinformation also spread about other forces. Bangladesh Police was linked to 12 false claims, the DMP Commissioner Sheikh Md. Sajjat Ali to one, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) to one, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to three, and Bangladesh Air Force to two cases. This shows that misinformation surrounding security forces remains a major concern.
Misinformation Decreased in Religious, Entertainment, Sports
Religious topics are not escaping from the spread of misinformation. Rumors about religion continue to spread regularly. In the first three months of this year, 72 pieces of religion-based misinformation were identified. During the holy month of Ramadan in March and the Muslim festival Eid-ul-Fitr in April, there were 18 and 6 cases of false information found, respectively.
In the category of sports, Rumor Scanner identified 28 cases of misinformation in the first quarter. Among athletes, Tamim Iqbal was the most targeted, with six false claims made about him. Nazmul Hossain Shanto followed, with four pieces of misinformation linked to his name.
The category of entertainment is always filled with rumors and confusion. However, compared to the past few years, the spread of misinformation in this sector seems to have decreased this year. In the first quarter of 2025, Rumor Scanner identified 26 pieces of misinformation related to the entertainment industry. Among the celebrities, film actor Shakib Khan and Ilias Kanchan were the most targeted, each facing two false claims.
Misinformation Surrounding Various National and Political Issues
On March 6, an eight-year-old child was allegedly raped while visiting her sister’s house in Magura, and later died while receiving treatment. Following this incident, at least eight pieces of misinformation related to the case were spread during the first quarter of the year. Additionally, throughout the first three months, there was a significant amount of misinformation about sexual assault, with the issue being the most discussed topic, as at least 36 pieces of misinformation were spread on this subject.
On February 5, following the announcement of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s statement, angry students and the public vandalized and set fire to the historic residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at 32 Dhanmondi in Dhaka. At one point, an excavator was used to demolish the house. This incident led to the spread of at least 11 pieces of misinformation in the first quarter of the year. This was the highest number of false information identified on a single political issue during this period.
Throughout the first quarter of the year, various issues kept the internet buzzing, with 195 pieces of misinformation identified across 23 different topics.
In Bangladesh, disinformation involving foreign heads of government and senior officials at various levels of government is being observed, particularly on political issues. In the first quarter of this year, there were 21 pieces of misinformation linking U.S. President Donald Trump, 8 pieces involving U.S. National Intelligence head Tulsi Gabbard, 4 pieces related to Elon Musk, the head of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and 1 piece about former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Additionally, 7 pieces of misinformation were found linking Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 1 involving India’s Home Minister Amit Shah. Apart from political figures, there were also 7 pieces of misinformation involving the United Nations, 1 related to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and 1 piece connecting the European Union to false information.
The Rising Threat of AI-Deepfake Misinformation
In 2024, the spread of misinformation through artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfake technology was significant. This trend continues into the current year. In the first three months, eight deepfake videos were identified, targeting individuals from political and entertainment sectors. The misuse of AI technology has been particularly notable, with 32 instances of misinformation involving AI technology identified in the first quarter.
Indian Media’s Disinformation Campaign Continues Unabated
Since last year, the rate of disinformation involving Bangladesh has increased from Indian media and various social media accounts operated from India. This trend continued in the first quarter of this year, as observed by Rumor Scanner.
From January to March, 38 pieces of disinformation related to Bangladesh were spread across 23 Indian news outlets, covering 20 incidents. Among them, Aaj Tak Bangla leads the list with the highest number of disinformation (8 instances)
Additionally, 15 incidents involved the spread of disinformation about Bangladesh through Indian social media accounts and pages. The issue of communal propaganda has been a topic of discussion for the past few months. In the first quarter of 2025, Rumor Scanner identified 78 pieces of communal disinformation. In 48 cases (61 percent), evidence was found that accounts and pages with Indian identities spread disinformation on social media. Altogether, Rumor Scanner found Indian involvement in the spread of 83 pieces of disinformation during the first three months of the year.
Media is being Continuously Targeted
Over the past few years, another major concern has emerged with the use of media in spreading misinformation. What the media does not report is being spread on social media in the media’s name. In the first quarter of this year, 135 instances of misinformation were spread, involving 39 domestic and foreign news outlets using media names, logos, headlines, and fake photo cards. Among these, the mainstream media outlet Jamuna TV was most frequently targeted, with its name being used in 21 instances. Amar Desh came in second with 11 cases, and Prothom Alo and Janakantha jointly took third place, each with 10 cases.
