Tech Giants Sound Alarm Over Sri Lanka's Proposed Online Safety Bill

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), representing major tech companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon, has voiced strong concerns about Sri Lanka's draft Online Safety Bill, urging the government to make extensive revisions before passing the legislation.

In a letter to Public Security Minister Tiran Alles, the AIC warned that the bill, in its current form, poses several critical threats including the following:

The bill defines "prohibited statements" too broadly, potentially criminalizing legitimate online discourse. This raises concerns about censorship and suppression of dissent.

Several offenses covered by the bill already exist in existing laws, creating legal uncertainty and redundancy.

Criminalizing online content deemed "false" or "harmful" is a harsh and unnecessary restriction on freedom of expression.

The independent oversight of the proposed online safety commission is questioned, raising concerns about potential political interference and misuse of power.

The AIC highlighted the potential harm to Sri Lanka's flourishing digital economy, warning that overly restrictive regulations could stifle innovation and investment.

The AIC calls for the government to align the bill with international human rights standards and best practices on online content regulation.

The AIC represents Google, Meta, Apple, X, Amazon, Yahoo, Booking.Com, Expedia Group, Goto, Rakuten, LinkedIn, Spotify and Snap Inc.