• Govt. to decide following stakeholder consultations 

The Government announced its intention to amend the Online Safety Act following consultations with the relevant parties, said the Cabinet Spokesperson and Public Security Minister Vijitha Herath.

The announcement was made at the weekly Cabinet press briefing held yesterday (6), where it was emphasised that a broad discussion would be held before moving forward with amendments to the Legislation. “The Government will take measures to amend the Act once a new Parliament is convened,” Herath stated. 

He explained that careful consideration would be given to whether the current Act requires revisions or if an entirely new Bill should be presented to the Parliament. “A decision will be taken on whether the Act requires amendments or a new Bill altogether needs to be presented to the Parliament,” he noted.

The Act was first published in the Government Gazette in September of last year (2023) and passed by the Parliament in January of this year. The Legislation was introduced to address concerns over online safety, misinformation, and cyber harassment. While the Bill received the majority support of Parliamentarians, Opposition parties voiced concerns, claiming that certain amendments made to the Bill did not align with the Supreme Court’s (SC) rulings on its constitutionality. 

Following these concerns, the Government agreed in October to revise the Bill to better reflect the SC's determinations announced on 7 November 2023. Consequently, the Online Safety (Amendment) Bill was published in the Government Gazette and tabled in Parliament in August 2024. However, it was not passed, as it faced significant criticism from various sectors.

Herath further acknowledged the public's concerns regarding the Act, stating that “wide discussions are needed before any amendments” to ensure that all viewpoints are taken into account.