Online Safety (Amendment) Bill gazetted

The Online Safety (Amendment) Bill has been published via government gazette.

The Online Safety Bill has been a subject of debate and contention, with several parties having raised concerns about potential limitations on freedom of expression, and other potential violations of the Constitution through its provisions.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers had granted approval to publish the revised Online Safety Bill in the government gazette and to table it in Parliament on July 23.

Before the bill was passed in the Parliament, the experts in the field expressed their concerns for amendments of certain sections in the bill, yet there was no possibility to include such amendment proposals in the bill at the committee stage.

Therefore, approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on February 12, 2024, to prepare a draft bill to amend the Security of Online Methods Act No. 9 of 2024 with the said amendments.

The Cabinet of Ministers had approved the proposal forwarded by the Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles to publish the said draft bill in the government gazette notification and subsequently present the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.