Ministry of Digital Economy to strengthen ICT laws
The Ministry of Digital Economy will be looking to strengthen at least five pieces of legislation relating to ICT while consulting legal assistance from relevant authorities, top officials said.
Amongst these, the Computer Crimes Act, the E-Transactions Act, Dividend Special Provisions Act, Personal Data Protection Act, and Online Safety Act of last year will be strengthened.
ICT Lawyers Guild (ICTLG) Chairman, Dr. Sunil Abeyratne told The Sunday Times Business that the Ministry of Digital Economy is slated to set up separate units to procure assistance and advice from the ICTLG to strengthen the ICT laws. “At a recent meeting with the Minister, we highlighted that Sri Lanka is far behind with the rest of the world in terms of cyber security laws. There has not been a single enforcement under the Computer Crimes Act, which is 18 years old. We pointed out that it is high time to give authority of this Act to the Magistrates Court.”
He also added that the ICTLG requested the Minister of Justic to give a mandate to the E-Commerce Relief Committee appointed by the Minister of Justice in the last government, to bring amendments to the
E-Transactions Act considering the new developments of artificial intelligence (AI). He also noted that the data protection law is too simple in the advent of AI. “We need to reshape the law. We need to bring in amendment to these laws, considering those legal provisions that the EU or the US has done.”
Sri Lanka’s Police Department established a dedicated Cybercrimes Unit to tackle cyber threats such as data breaches and financial fraud, which have surged in the recent past, he added.
Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe, President’s Counsel noted that this unit will focus on addressing cyberthreats, such as data breaches and financial fraud, which are expected to dominate legal proceedings in the near future. “The ICTLG will work alongside law enforcement and government institutions to contribute to the development of the digital economy in Sri Lanka. The guild also aims to nurture proficiency in future scientific and technology to meet the country’s needs,” he told The Sunday Times Business. He also noted that nothing was concluded from the recent arrest of Chinese cybercrime perpetrators as they had wiped all the data. Sources told The Sunday Times Business that the Chinese Embassy is managing the matter and want them to return home as soon as possible.
He added that because there are no robust pieces of legislation the authorities are always playing catch up.
Mr. Ranasinghe also noted that it is a grave concern that there is no serious prosecution in the cyber-crimes in Sri Lanka so far. “This is because most such offences are transnational. We have put to use the Mutual Legal Assistance Law, which has been effective since 2018, to get details of the perpetrators who operate internationally etc.”
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