• Focus on developing digital infrastructure & tackling cybercrime 
• Tech specialists to be invited to SL

The Government has proposed to establish a Ministry of Digital Affairs in order to promote the development of digital infrastructure and prevent cybercrime.

“We will be opening a new Ministry for Digital Affairs in order to improve the digital infrastructure and prevent cybercrimes,” Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Vijitha Herath told the media. Herath said that in order to improve digital infrastructure and develop a safe digital environment, the Government would be inviting digital experts to contribute to the development of Sri Lanka’s digital environment.

The country has seen a rise in cybercrimes with several scam operations being discovered by the local law enforcement authorities. It was reported that these cybercrimes typically involve tricking locals into making transactions from local accounts to offshore accounts. Police Media Spokesperson, Deputy Inspector General of Police Nihal Thalduwa said that Sri Lankans have a tendency to be gullible and to fall for cybercrimes.

Cybercrime is a criminal offence that involves a computer, network or networked device and includes scams, the spreading of viruses and hacking. Thalduwa further stated that Sri Lanka’s cybercrimes tend to be separate and not connected to each other. In October 2024, Chinese and several other foreign nationals were arrested by the Police for conducting cybercrimes. As the majority of those involved in cybercrimes are Chinese nationals, the Chinese Embassy in Colombo said that they would be monitoring the situation and that they support the local law enforcement in cracking down on the scams. 

The Daily Morning’s attempts to contact the Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) proved futile.