Over 70-pct of Sri Lankan public unaware of Online Safety Bill: survey

By NETHMI RAJAWASAM

ECONOMYNEXT –Around 71.6 percent of the Sri Lankan public are unaware of the Online Safety Bill that is to be debated in parliament on January 23, a think tank has said.

“Responding to the Wickremesinghe government’s proposed legislation; Anti-Terrorism Act and Online Safety Bill, a majority of Sri Lankans expressed that they are ignorant about both these proposed legislation,” the Centre for Policy Alternatives’ Confidence in Democratic Governance Index report found.

The survey sample captured both men and women living in urban as well as rural localities in all 25 districts of Sri Lanka in November 2023, and was released in December.

The report found that 61.5 percent of the population were not aware of the ATA. “Of those who are aware, 40 percent of individuals across all age groups demonstrated awareness of the ATA, as opposed to the minimal percentage (20-30 percent) who exhibited awareness of the OSB.”

Among the offences listed in the draft bill were the communication of false statements on incidents within Sri Lanka, false statements causing defamation, disturbing religious assembly through false statements, 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.

In addition to the online truths, the the bullet points also lumped criminal activities including fraud, cheating and child abuse, as part of ‘Online Safety’.

Of the 38.5 percent of respondents aware of the ATA, 72.6 percent disapprove of the Act mainly on the belief that those in power might misuse it for their benefit, and, that it will negatively impact human rights.

Of the 28.4 percent who are not aware of the proposed OSB, 71.1 percent disapproved of the Bill, saying that those in power will misuse it for their benefit and that existing laws were sufficient, “eliminating the need for new legislation at the moment,” the report said.