Asia Internet Symposium (AIS), Dhaka 2015
Main Theme – Responsible Uses of Social Media
The Internet and social media sites can be a very powerful tool to engage the community and celebrate freedom of speech in a positive way, however, they can also be open to misuse and abuse.
In recent years, Internet use in Bangladesh has jumped exponentially, and according to figures from Bangladesh’s Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, subscribers now stand at nearly 51 million – 49.2 million are using mobile Internet.
A similar growth pattern is observed in the usage of social media; for example, Facebook is adding a new user in Bangladesh every 20 seconds, already reaching a user base of around 3.3 million. Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest are rated as other popular social media channels in the country.
Another analysis of online media that have given the country’s Internet users a distinct character is the Bangla blog sites. A local study analysis reveals that from this part of the world “blogging” mainly represent community than personal blogging, bloggers are actively expressing their opinions on contemporary socio-political issues.
However, abuse over social media is also on rise in the country. A very number of incidents show fake account holders sending trolls, uploading objectionable pictures and videos, and even posting hate messages. Women and girls are quoted as the major victim of such harassment over social media. The Bangladesh Computer Security Incident Response Team (BD-CSIRT) said to receive around 2,000 such complaints over the last 18 months.
Parents are now questioning about safe use of social media and how to prevent their kids from cyber bullying, similarly, employers are chatting about social media norms and impact of this media on work productivity of their employees.
The Internet Society’s (ISOC) Asia Internet Symposium Dhaka will bring together Government, Businesses, Civil Society and Social Media Activist to deliberate on issues related to responsible use of social media.
The following dimensions will be addressed:
– What should we be most concerned with when it comes to mistreatment of social media in Bangladesh?
– Are we telling our young generation that social media comes with a great responsibility?
– How to delimit the difference between freedom of expression and crowding false information through social media channels?
– How to educate the end-user, what could be the best approaches?
– What are the observation from regulator and service provider?
Program Details:
Morning Session:
9.30 -10:00 Registration / Participants to be seated
10.00-10.30 Welcome and Event highlights by Rabiul Alam, ISOC Bangladesh Dhaka
10.30-11.30 Opening Plenary: Online Child Safety
Panelist members;
Speaker 1: Mr. Jabed Sultan Pias, Community Manager, GDG Bangla & Assistant Manager-Brand and Activation at Prothom Alo
Speaker 2: Ms. Luna Samsudoha, President , Bangladesh Women in Technology (BWIT)
Speaker 3: Ms. Suparna Roy, Local Development Expert, Access to Information (A2i) Program, Prime Minister Office
Speaker 4: Ms. Sabila Enun, Senior Sector Specialist, BRAC Education Programme & Communication Specialist, DCASTALIA
Speaker 5: Ms. Laila Karim, Manager-Advocacy and Communication, Child Protection Sector, Save the Children in Bangladesh
11:30 – 12:00 Questions / Answers Session
12:00 – 12.30 Coffees / Networking Break
12:30-13.30 Global/Regional update for Participants/Members from ISOC BD Dhaka Chapter
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF): Dr. Shabbir Ahmed
Internet Governance Forum (IGF): Md. Jahangir Hossain
Internet Corporation for assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN): Md. Jahangir Hossain and Mohammad Kawsar Uddin
Internet Society/APNIC Community grants: Mohammad Kawsar Uddin and Md. Abdul Awal
13:30-15.00 Lunch / Prayer Break
Evening Session:
Main Theme “Responsible Uses of Social Media”
15:15 -15:30 Registration / Participants to be seated
15:30–15:45 Welcome and Event highlights by Dr. Shabbir Ahmed, ISOC Bangladesh Dhaka
15:45 – 16:00 Opening Remarks: Mr. Naveed Ul Haq, Chapter Development Manager, Internet Society (ISOC) Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau
16:00 – 16:10 Key Notes 1: Mr. Hasan Benaul Islam, Communication Expert, Access to Information (A2i) Program, Prime Minister Office
16:10 – 16:25 Key Note 2 : Mr. Sumon Ahmed Sabbir, Chief Strategy Officer, Fiber@Home & Co-Chair,Policy SIG, APNIC
16:45 – 17.00 Speech by Chief Guest: Prof. Dr. Nasreen Ahmad, Pro-vice Chancellor- Academic, University of Dhaka
17:00 – 17.30 Coffees / Networking Break
17:30 – 18:30 Closing Plenary: Responsible Uses of Social Media
Panelist members;
Speaker 1: Emeritus Professor.Dr. Lutfor Rahaman, Daffodil International University
Speaker 2: Professor. Dr. Rokon Zaman, North South University
Speaker 3: Mr. Sumon Ahmed Sabbir, Chief Strategy Officer, Fiber@Home & Co-Chair, Policy SIG, APNIC
Speaker 4: Mr. Hasan Benaul Islam, Communication Expert, Access to Information (A2i) Program, Prime Minister Office
Speaker 5: Mr. Md. Emdadul Hoque, Secretary General, Internet Service Provider Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB)
Speaker 6: Ms. Sabila Enun, Senior Sector Specialist, BRAC Education Programme & Communication Specialist, DCASTALIA
18:30 – 19:00 Questions / Answers Session and Note of Thanks
19:00 – 21:00 Dinner
Venue:
Goldwater Convention Center
Level: 17, Bashundhara City, Panthapath, Dhaka 1215 Bangladesh