As Bangladesh pursues its “Smart Nation” ambitions, questions of digital inclusion, online safety, misinformation, and access in Bangla are becoming central to its development agenda. Amrita Choudhury, an internet governance expert and recipient of the 2026 Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Community Excellence Award, said in an interview with The Daily Star that Bangladesh can strengthen its global digital voice by enabling meaningful participation from civil society, women, young people, journalists, and the technology community.
Choudhury chairs the Asian, Australasian and Pacific Islands Regional At-Large Organisation (APRALO), and the Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF). She also co-founded the India School of Internet Governance (inSIG) and serves as director of the Cyber Cafe Association of India (CCAOI).
Amrita Choudhury: Bangladeshi civil society groups and technology communities need to move beyond attending meetings and engage more meaningfully in global internet governance discussions. The first step is to join mailing lists, follow policy debates, and understand the issues shaping the future of the internet.
This requires time and preparation. People need to understand domain name policy, digital inclusion, cybersecurity, and internet accessibility before they can contribute informed local perspectives. Students, young professionals, civil society representatives, and the technology community should take part in ICANN’s multistakeholder model so that policies reflect the realities of developing countries.
AC: Both inSIG and bdSIG aim to build the capacity of communities to understand internet governance and participate in global policy discussions. inSIG has also benefited from the participation of non-Indian fellows, including several from Bangladesh, helping participants exchange local experiences and identify common priorities.
A completely unified South Asian voice may be difficult in the current geopolitical context, but collaboration on shared issues is both practical and necessary. Greater cooperation between the two schools can build informed regional leadership and strengthen South Asia’s presence in forums such as ICANN and the Internet Governance Forum (IGF).
AC: The first step is encouraging more women to participate actively in forums such as the Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum, APrIGF, and other regional and global platforms. But participation alone is not enough. Women need to understand the issues, speak confidently, and share their experiences of online challenges.
Misinformation, online harassment, and trolling often affect women disproportionately. Their perspectives are essential to shaping safer digital spaces. Capacity-building programmes, mentorship, and regional networking can help women become policy contributors and make Bangladesh’s digital policy ecosystem more inclusive.
AC: This challenge is not unique to Bangladesh. Many regions face a shortage of locally relevant technical content because English still dominates the digital ecosystem.
Translated and locally relevant content must be expanded. Artificial intelligence (AI) tools can make this faster and more scalable, but human oversight remains essential for accuracy and cultural relevance. For native-language domain names, a key barrier is Universal Acceptance, which ensures that browsers, search engines, and applications recognise internationalised domain names, including Bangla. Governments, regulators, and industry should also demonstrate practical uses for native-language domains.
AC: When cybercafés and Common Service Centres were introduced in India nearly 17 years ago, the focus was on expanding digital access. Today, India and Bangladesh are largely mobile-first societies, but assisted digital services remain important.
Many people still need help booking transport tickets, using government platforms or completing citizen transactions. Bangladesh should strengthen existing centres as trusted and secure access points rather than only creating new ones. Operators need continuous training in cybersecurity and data protection. These centres can also support health, finance, and public services while serving as hubs for digital literacy, online safety, and misinformation awareness.
AC: Bangladesh’s Kids Internet Governance Forum is commendable because very few countries have such initiatives. Afghanistan had a similar effort, but it could not be sustained.
ICANN’s mandate is limited to names and numbers, and it generally does not directly engage with participants under 18 because of legal and ethical considerations, including parental consent and data protection. Most ICANN youth programmes, such as NextGen, begin at 18. Broader spaces such as the IGF offer more direct opportunities for younger voices, including initiatives on children’s rights in the digital environment. Youth engagement must include strong safeguards and responsible data practices.
AC: Misinformation is a global challenge, made more complex by AI-generated content and deepfakes. It often intensifies during elections and spreads quickly across languages and platforms.
Governments, technology platforms, and civil society are all responding, including through discussions on takedown timelines for harmful or manipulated content. But there is a delicate balance between swift action and freedom of expression. South Asia would benefit from regional learning through shared best practices, policy frameworks, and response mechanisms. News organisations, fact-checking networks, and misinformation coalitions can also work together. There is no single solution; sustained cooperation and long-term media literacy are essential.
AC: Bangladesh must ensure inclusive and meaningful participation in global internet governance and digital development processes. Governments will lead WSIS+20-related discussions, but the multistakeholder model must be applied in practice, not just acknowledged in principle.
Civil society, the technical community, academia, and the private sector should all help shape and monitor outcomes. Implementation remains a concern because many operational details are still being developed. Bangladesh should stay engaged in these processes while strengthening national platforms that allow diverse stakeholders to contribute. This is essential if Smart Nation benefits are to reach marginalised communities.
AC: Journalists often remain on the margins of internet governance discussions, even though many issues directly affect their work. Regional platforms such as APrIGF provide immediate entry points. Journalists and media organisations can propose sessions on artificial intelligence, copyright, misinformation, freedom of expression, and content regulation.
The IGF also offers limited media fellowships, allowing journalists to observe and engage more closely. But journalists should move beyond reporting on internet governance. They should participate in shaping the debates that will influence the future of their profession and the wider public interest.
