WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Banned in This Country; Know Why?

New Delhi: The social media platforms including WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have been banned amid the ongoing student protests demanding reforms in the quota system for government jobs in Bangladesh.

Reportedly, this government move has restricted its citizens from using popular social media apps. Access to these social media apps will be limited throughout Bangladesh, as Global Eyes News first reported the ban through its official X account.

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The Bangladeshi government has banned Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, and YouTube in the country. pic.twitter.com/ct12j8QPyn — Global Eyes (@Global__Eyes) August 2, 2024

The decision to ban social media apps comes shortly after a similar action by Turkey, which also announced a ban on Instagram earlier the same day. This is not the first instance of Bangladesh banning Meta platforms. 

The latest prohibition follows a suspension of Meta's platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, in July. Meanwhile, the broadband services were partially restored on July 23, mobile networks remained offline until July 28. The earlier shutdown was in response to widespread unrest witnessed in the country over quota reforms.

On the other hand, the country’s internet speed had returned to normal levels on August 1, according to reports. However, with millions of mobile network users impacted by the Facebook restriction, a surge in the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) is expected, which could potentially slow down overall internet speeds.