Bangladesh has banned the use of Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, and YouTube following a ten-day internet outage, which was restored at 3 p.m. local time, The Daily Star has reported.

Quoting sources, the news outlet said that the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), in a meeting on Friday, directed mobile operators to block these applications.

The state minister for post, telecom, and ICT, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, was reported to be at the meeting, which was attended by telecom operators and some government agencies.

Speaking at a media briefing Friday, Mr Palak disclosed that letters have been sent to the affected social media companies.

The blocking of these apps is expected to lead to a significant reduction in data usage.

The ban is connected to the recent violence caused by the quota reform movement, with social media platforms being accused of spreading rumours and fake news, which led to the shutdown of the internet on July 17, 2024.

On July 24, Mr Palak accused social media platforms of not complying with the country’s laws.

He said, “They are also not taking into account the situation on the ground, violating their policy guidelines. Amid this, who will take the risk of opening the social media platforms?”