Popular instant messaging service Viber and Tango has been blocked in Bangladesh. Authorities said that the block has been imposed amid ‘security concerns.’
Internet-based newspaper bdnews24.com cited a senior BTRC official who, on condition of anonymity, confirmed the block of two services. Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission ordered Viber and Tango to be shut down, according to the International Gateways who are responsible for channeling internet traffic in Bangladesh.
Earlier Sunday, people began posting on Facebook that they were having issues logging in to Viber. Initially it was thought that Viber was having connectivity issues. But the news agencies later confirmed that it was BTRC who had ordered the block.
Services like Viber and Tango are enormously popular all over the world as they provide free messaging and calling service over the internet. WhatsApp is still the most popular messaging service, but it doesn’t allow voice calling features.
It wasn’t immediately clear when the applications may be unblocked, but the officials indicated that it might be unblocked at Sunday midnight. However, they also indicated that the block maybe extended ‘if necessary’.
Law-enforcing agencies said the primary reason for blocking Tango and Viber was to disable criminals from using the services for communicating with each others. They said criminals were using the service and it wasn’t possible for the authority to monitor Viber or Tango communication like regular phone calls where they can keep tabs.
Apparently they forgot thousands of non-criminal people also use Viber for their messaging needs. Facebook was seen full of posts from frustrated Viber users who criticized the move. They demanded that Viber needs to be unblocked as soon as possible.
As we can’t confirm for how long Viber and Tango blockade will continue, we will just have to wait and see.
Are your regular messaging communication is interrupted due to the Viber and Tango block? Let us know your comments below.
