Sri Lanka passes new law to regulate online content
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A man protesting against the social media regulation Bill near Sri Lanka's Parliament on Jan 24.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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COLOMBO – Sri Lanka’s lawmakers on Jan 24 passed a Bill to regulate online content, the Speaker of the Parliament announced, a law that opposition politicians and activists allege will muzzle free speech.
The Online Safety Bill proposes jail terms for content that a five-member commission considers illegal, and makes social media platforms such as Google, Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter, liable for those posted on their platforms.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government says the Bill is aimed at battling cybercrimes including child abuse, data theft and online fraud.
Introducing the Bill on Jan 23, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles said: “Sri Lanka had 8,000 cybercrime complaints last year. We all agree that we need laws to address these issues. This is why we are bringing this law.
“It is not to suppress the media or the opposition... Any complaint will be taken up by the commission, who will be appointed by the President, and they will decide how to act.”
The Bill was passed with a majority of 46 votes in the 225-member house, the Speaker announced. In total, 108 votes were in favour, while 62 members voted against it.
The Asian Internet Coalition (AIC), which has Apple, Amazon, Google and Yahoo as members, warned Sri Lanka that the Bill could impact investments in the country’s information technology industry and called for extensive amendments to it.
“We unequivocally stand by our position that the Online Safety Bill, in its current form, is unworkable and would undermine potential growth and foreign direct investment into Sri Lanka’s digital economy,” the AIC said in a statement.
In 2023, the United Nations human rights office said the law “could potentially criminalise nearly all forms of legitimate expression” while New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it would “seriously threaten” the right to freedom of expression in the country.
Mr Alles said before the debate on the Bill concluded on Jan 24 and voting was called: “Sri Lanka has engaged with AIC and consulted with stakeholders since November. We are open to considering fresh changes and bringing them as amendments to the legislation at a later date.”
A small group of activists and opposition members protested against the legislation outside Parliament.
Mr Harsha de Silva, a lawmaker of Sri Lanka’s main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya, told Parliament that it was not right to hold social media platforms accountable.
He said: “This legislation is a threat to our democracy... This will have a severe negative impact on expanding e-commerce in Sri Lanka, to provide jobs to our youth and help our economy, which is in desperate need of growth.” REUTERS
