For security concerns, Bangladesh blocks messaging apps including WhatsApp, Viber and all VoIP applications. It is to thwart protests from terrorists.

Bangladesh has blocked five leading messaging and VoIP applications. This includes WhatsApp and Viber and some other apps for security concerns from terrorists.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has put an end to the services of the messaging apps. They had shut off traffic to Viber, Tango, WhatsApp, mypeople and Line, the major messaging apps.

For the protests, BTRC Secretary Mohammed Sarwar Alam said “We’ve asked for temporarily blocking these applications at the home ministry’s request.”

Many of the International Internet Gateway institutions were told to block messaging applications that were mentioned earlier till the midnight of January 21.

Terrorists and militants are using these instant messaging apps for the sake of communication. As we know that it is impossible to keep a record of such messages. Hence the security and intelligence agencies said for blocking.

Ziaul Ahsan, the Additional Director General of the Rapid Action Battalion recommended for blocking the messaging applications.

It is said that some of the social networking sites including Facebook are observed by the security and intelligence agencies. This is because that criminals had stopped using cell phones.