Online නීතිය පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ අනුමැතියට

Sri Lanka’s Online Safety Bill, which seeks to regulate online content, was passed in Parliament with amendments on Wednesday (24), amidst objectios from opposition politicians and activists who allege the new law will muzzle free speech. Accordingly, the Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena informed the House that the Online Safety Bill was passed in the Committee Stage with amendments. 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. The government says the Bill is aimed at battling cybercrimes including child abuse, data theft and online fraud. The Second Reading of the Online Safety Bill was also passed in Parliament this evening (Jan. 24) with a majority of 46 votes. A total of 108 MPs had voted in favour, while 62 had voted against the Bill. The division was followed by a committee stage debate, during which a heated situation ensued as opposition MPs objected to certain amendments brought by the ruling party, accusing them of being unconstitutional and in violation of the Supreme Court determination.