On Wednesday, January 24, Sri Lankan lawmakers passed a bill to regulate online content. It imposes responsibility for "illegal" content on social media platforms. The document, according to opposition politicians and activists, will impede freedom of speech. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
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The Internet Safety Bill proposes jail terms for content deemed illegal by a five-person commission and holds social media platforms such as Alphabet-owned Google (GOOGL.O), Facebook (META.O), and X, formerly known as Twitter, responsible for such content on their platforms.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe's government claims that the bill is aimed at combating cybercrime, including child abuse, data theft, and online fraud.
"Last year there were 8000 complaints of cybercrime in Sri Lanka. We all agree that we need laws to address these issues. That's why we are passing this law," said Public Security Minister Tiran Alles, presenting the bill in the House of Representatives.
The Asian Internet Coalition (AIC), whose members include Apple (AAPL.O), Amazon (AMZN.O), Google and Yahoo, warned Sri Lanka that the bill could affect investment in the country's IT industry and called for significant amendments.
"We unequivocally stand by our position that the Internet Security Bill in its current form is unworkable and will undermine the potential growth and foreign direct investment in Sri Lanka's digital economy," the AIC said in a statement.
Last year, the UN Human Rights Office said the law "has the potential to criminalize almost all forms of legitimate expression," and the New York-based Human Rights Watch said it "seriously threatens" the right to freedom of expression in the country.
"Sri Lanka has been working with the AIC and consulting with stakeholders since November. We are ready to consider the new changes and introduce them into the legislation at a later date," Alles said before the debate on the bill ended on Wednesday and the vote was announced.
A small group of activists and opposition members reportedly protested against the draft law outside the parliament building.
Harsha de Silva, a lawmaker from Sri Lanka's main opposition party, Samagi Jana Balawegaya, said in parliament that it was wrong to hold social media platforms accountable.
"This law is a threat to our democracy. It will have a serious negative impact on the development of e-commerce in Sri Lanka to provide jobs for our youth and help our economy, which desperately needs to grow," he said.
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