Sri Lanka’s Online Safety Act brought under purview of Public Security Ministry

According to an Extraordinary Gazette Notification, the much-controversial Online Safety Act has been brought under the purview of the Ministry of Public Security with effect from February 07, 2024.

The gazette notification has been issued by the Presidential Secretariat.

On January 24, Sri Lanka’s Parliament passed legislation seeking to regulate online content, with amendments amid protests from opposition politicians and activists who accuse the new law will impede free speech.

The controversial bill drew attention not only from local activists and organizations, but also from diplomats and major international organizations, who said the bill had many problematic aspects.

The Government of Sri Lanka says that the Online Safety Bill, published in the Government Gazette on September 18, 2023, aims to ban online communication of certain statements in the country, prevent the use of online accounts both authentic and inauthentic for the use of prohibited purposes, to suppress the financing and other support of communication of false statements and other related matters.