Namal: Personal Data Protection laws prerequisite for digitisation

Sports, Digital Infrastructure and Youth Affairs Minister Namal Rajapaksa told Parliament yesterday that the provisions of the Personal Data Protection Bill were of paramount importance for the country’s digitisation programmes.

Participating in the second reading stage debate on the Personal Data Protection Bill, the Minister said that the new Bill intended to provide for the Regulation of processing of personal data; to identify

and strengthen the rights of data subjects in relation to the protection of personal data; to provide for the designation of the data protection authority; and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto, according to the Parliament.

Minister Rajapaksa said that some countries had failed in their digitisation programmes mainly due to flawed laws.

He said it was paramount to prepare a legal framework for the government’s 30-month digitisation programme, and in the absence of such a legal framework, the children of Sri Lanka would not be able to reap the benefits from it.

“There were reports of data wiping at state institutions recently,” said the Minister, stressing the need for a legal framework for data protection, to prevent such incidents.

He said the Personal Data Protection Bill was just one legislation pertaining to data, and many more were to be introduced, such as the Cyber Security Act, and the Falsehood Act.

“If personal data is being given to a state entity or a private bank, or even a telecommunication company, the Personal Data Protection Bill will ensure that the data is only used for the designated purpose,” the Minister said.