Govt moves to repeal Cyber Security Act

In a significant policy shift, the interim government, in principle, decided to repeal the Cyber Security Act following widespread criticism. 

The decision was made during a meeting of the Advisory Council held at the Chief Adviser’s office on Thursday (November 7), chaired by Dr. Muhammad Yunus. 

Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan shared the development with journalists.

Critics argue that the law has been misused to target various groups, including journalists, with allegations of harassment. 

In response, interim government advisers have discussed repealing or amending the law for some time. Recently, Nahid Islam, Adviser of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, confirmed that the act would be repealed this week. 

Law Adviser Asif Nazrul also expressed support for repealing the law, emphasising that any new law will focus on cyber security and citizen protection.

If the Cyber Security Act is scrapped, pending cases related to the Liberation War, defamatory propaganda about Bangabandhu, and religious sentiments will be automatically dismissed. 

On September 30, the Ministry of Law issued a circular stating that the government would withdraw cases related to “speech offences” under the Cyber Act, and anyone arrested in such cases would be released immediately through the legal process.

As of August, the country’s eight cyber tribunals were handling a total of 5,818 cases under the Information and Communication Technology Act (2006), the Digital Security Act (2018), and the Cyber Security Act (2023). 

Of these, 1,340 cases pertain to “speech offences,” including 279 cases under the ICT Act, 786 under the Digital Security Act, and 275 under the Cyber Security Act. Currently, 461 cases are under investigation, and 879 are on trial in the cyber tribunals.

Originally enacted in 2018 by the Awami League government the Digital Security Act faced intense backlash, leading to its replacement by the Cyber Security Act in 2023.