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Criminalising fake news: Advisory committee appointed

11 May 2021

  • Suspending 2 m FB accounts is also ‘fake news’: Keheliya

BY Aazam Ameen and Pamodi Waravita   An advisory committee has been appointed to provide input to the Legal Draftsman’s Department with regard to the proposed new law to curb the spread of false and misleading statements, including fake news online on social media via the internet. Minister of Justice Ali Sabry, when contacted by The Sunday Morning to inquire about any progress made on said proposed law and regulations, stated that the matter is now before the Legal Draftsman. Justice Ministry sources also told The Morning that the said committee is headed by Nalinda Indatissa PC and the law that is being drafted follows the principle idea that no social media account should operate under a fake profile. The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the drafting of the proposed law following a proposal presented in this regard by Sabry and Minister of Mass Media Keheliya Rambukwella. Meanwhile, on 7 May, news reports circulated online, allegedly quoting Rambukwella to the effect that the Government seeks to suspend around two million Sri Lankan Facebook accounts that have been confirmed to be operating without a valid owner. The Information Technology Association of Sri Lanka (ITSSL), in response, stated that no government or other third-party group has the power to remove, regulate, or control Facebook accounts. However, when contacted by The Sunday Morning, Rambukwella said that the purported claim was entirely false. “Whoever reported this has reported completely wrong information. We don’t know where they got the ridiculous figure of two million from,” he added.


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