By: Staff Writer
Colombo (LNW): The Sri Lanka Government will bring in new laws for online safety with the aim of regulating social media, promoting ‘digital security curtailing online misinformation and promoting media ethics, public security ministry sources divulged.
It has been transpired that the new law has been modelled on ‘Singapore’s Social Media Regulation Act’.
Singapore’s Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) has come under widespread criticism from human rights groups for violating freedom of expression in Singapore.
The Sri Lankan government is now set to introduce new laws that would make it an offense to communicate false information online and to incite riots via such false information.
The relevant draft bill for these new laws had been drafted, and the Cabinet had granted its approval to publish the draft bill via gazette and produce it to the parliament for approval.
The Department of Government Information said that the draft bill approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on Monday (4) is titled the Draft Bill on the Security of Online Methods.
The draft bill was produced by the Minister of Public Security, and details offenses that are carried out via online methods.
A growing institutional evidence from the region and around the world shows that, in the hands of repressive states, laws purportedly aimed at ‘regulating social media’ and ‘promoting digital security’ could become tools of surveillance, repression and information control.
The government announced plans to enact a new Obscene Publications Act with an eye on expanding the ambit of the existing Obscene Publications Ordinance to online spaces.
However, following concerns raised by civil society groups, the government decided to withdraw the extraordinary gazette Notification of the Bill, and announced that it will hold consultations with interested stakeholders.
Under this set up the draft bill was devised by the Minister of Public Security, and details offenses that are carried out via online methods.
Several startling actions have been interpreted as offenses in the draft bill among them were – Communication of false statements on the incidents within Sri Lanka, False statements causing defamation. Pave way for riots by provocation without reason and – Disturbing a religious assembly through false statements.
Further Communication of false statements with the sole intention of hurting religious emotions,- Communication of false statements with the sole intention for the abomination of religious emotions,-and Fraud- Cheating by impersonation.
