Today (Oct. 03), Public Security Minister Tiran Alles delivered the much-debated Online Safety Bill to the legislature.
Today’s parliamentary session got under way at 9:30 a.m.
The Online Safety Bill, which was published in the government gazette on September 18, aims to stifle the funding and other support of the communication of false statements as well as other related issues. It also prohibits the use of online accounts, both real and fake, for the use of prohibited activities.
The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), which is made up of numerous tech giants like Apple, Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Yahoo, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), have all expressed concerns about the Bill’s problematic elements.
In a letter to the Public Security Minister on Monday (Oct. 2), the HRCSL made some preliminary observations and suggestions about the Bill. It suggested that the legislation avoid criminalising statements that are merely “distressing” to people because distress can vary greatly and be highly subjective.
The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), which is made up of numerous tech giants like Apple, Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Yahoo, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), have all expressed concerns about the Bill’s problematic elements.
In a letter to the Public Security Minister on Monday (Oct. 2), the HRCSL made some preliminary observations and suggestions about the Bill. It suggested that the legislation avoid criminalising statements that are merely “distressing” to people because distress can vary greatly and be highly subjective.
