The right to information, not misinformation
In a country where rumours can spread faster than facts, what does our right to know actually mean?
My mother once asked me to check out a Facebook page claiming that its products or treatments could “cure” diabetes. She has been living with diabetes for more than a decade, so she knows it cannot simply be cured and must instead be treated and managed. But dramatic claims on Facebook feeds and WhatsApp messages can sway anyone.
WhatsApp groups, Facebook feeds and family chats are constantly filled with health tips, warnings, breaking news and “important” government information. Some of it is true. A lot of it is not. So, some discourage their parents from using Facebook. Some say children shouldn't access the internet. And many believe people in villages shouldn’t be given access to the internet.
But guess what? Access to information is a fundamental human right. And Bangladesh even has a Right to Information Act since 2009. But what exactly are we getting to know these days? Information or misinformation?
Panic fuels misinformation
Rumor Scanner identified 2,919 pieces of false information in Bangladesh in 2024, with Facebook accounting for 2,330 of them. Dismislab’s 2025 review reported another 30% rise in false information.
In the nervous, post-July revolution outcome, when nobody really knew what was coming next, many decided to pour gasoline on the fire. Rumor Scanner tracked 50 accounts on X pushing communal narratives in a single week of August, with over 154 million views.
The same happened during the 2024 floods. Videos from India, China and Ecuador were circulated as footage of floodwaters entering Bangladesh. One video from China alone was shared thousands of times.
After the November 2025 earthquake, fact-checking organisations identified 113 misleading claims in one week, including 45 about the earthquake. Twenty-four of those involved misleading AI-generated images or videos. One AI-generated video falsely showed a flyover collapsing in Dhaka’s Diabari and was also circulated as an Ashulia incident. No such collapse had happened.
It’s easy to laugh at how ridiculous it sounds after the fact, but in the moment? It’s sinister. When you’re sitting in the dark trying to figure out how dangerous the situation is and if it's time to grab your family and run, fake news is a direct threat to your life.
Echo chamber
Yes, the internet is swimming in nonsense, but deep down, we kind of love the nonsense when it agrees with us.
We like to think of ourselves as logical, free-thinking people who demand hard evidence. But most of the time we’re also looking for an ego boost. When we stumble across a claim that validates our pre-existing opinion, our brain doesn't hit pause to fact-check.
Confirmation bias is the people’s tendency to process information by looking for, or interpreting, information that is consistent with their existing beliefs.
Social media algorithms exploit this exact flaw. We follow people who share our politics, join groups that mirror our lifestyle, and like posts that make us nod along. The algorithm takes notes and feed us exactly what we want to be fed. As a result, we’re trapped in a digital echo chamber, listening to the same three opinions until repetition starts feeling like truth.
This is why bad information travels so fast. We share things because they make us feel right, and being right feels good. Fake news is winning because it tells us precisely what we want to hear, and we’re all too unwilling to argue with ourselves.
AI makes the misinformation crisis worse
We used to look at a shady picture and ask, “Is this Photoshop?” Now we’re stuck wondering if the entire event ever existed in the first place. Ahead of Bangladesh’s election earlier this year, UNESCO Dhaka brought together digital platforms, fact-checkers, and civil society groups to figure out how to handle misinformation, disinformation, and hyper-realistic deepfakes. AFP also AI-generated political videos floating around social media.
This is why basic media and AI literacy isn't some academic buzzword anymore. People need to learn how to reverse-search an image, question where a quote actually came from, and spot the AI-generated voice.
If we teach kids how to read, write, and use a computer, we need to teach them how not to get fooled by the internet, too. Media education belongs in the classroom, right alongside math and science, because dealing with the real world now means knowing when the digital world is lying to your face.
The gaps in our right to know
We are not being given enough reliable information in the first place. When facts are nowhere to be found, whatever is lying around on Facebook fills the void.
If the authorities take hours to drop an update, and official data is buried five links deep on a broken government website, a random screenshot suddenly becomes "proof." And if the people in charge don't bother setting the record straight, the rumor feels like the truth.
Bangladesh has a Right to Information Act. But how many people actually know they have this right, let alone know how to use it? A 2021 study of 706 young people across eight districts found that 78% did not know about the Act. Even among people who are aware of the law, awareness does not necessarily mean understanding.
Government bodies do publish reports, budgets, statistics, project information, and other documents. The Information Commission itself maintains annual reports, while individual agencies publish RTI reports and lists of information they proactively disclose.
But dumping a 200-page PDF on a portal isn't the same as informing people. If the average person can’t find the data, comprehend the jargon, or figure out what it means for their daily life, it might as well not exist at all. The right to know is not simply the right to receive information. It is the ability to access reliable information when we need it.
Making the right to know work
This year, UNESCO's Right to Know Day theme puts information integrity at the centre of access to information. That means timely and reliable official information, proactive disclosure, and media and information literacy.
In Bangladesh, we’ve somehow defaulted to a system where everyday citizens are expected to investigate everything. But the government needs to step up and practice proactive disclosure. This means publishing important data before people have to file formal requests, making official information easy to read, and actually addressing fake news.
At the same time, the media must not chase clicks and shares. Journalists must do their job of verifying every wild claim, and they need to have the spine to admit and correct mistakes. Repeating an unverified claim just because it’s trending isn't reporting.
Sure, citizens still have a part to play. But telling people to “just fact-check everything” isn’t the solution. The right to know should mean getting accurate, clear, and trustworthy information right when you need it.