Bangladesh
Cyber Security Act | Draft Draft of Cyber Security Act receives final approval
Own Correspondent, Dhaka, 28 August 2023: The Cabinet has given final approval to the draft of the 'Cyber Security Act, 2023'. This approval was given in the Cabinet meeting held at the Prime Minister's office on Monday (August 28). Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over it.
Cabinet Secretary Md. Mahbub Hossain gave this information in a press briefing at the Secretariat after the meeting. Earlier, the government took the initiative to change the name of the controversial Digital Security Act, 2018 to 'Cyber Security Act, 2023'. For this reason, the cabinet approved the draft cyber security law on August 7.
Law Minister Anisul Haque told reporters during the in-principle approval that many sections which were earlier non-bailable have been made bailable in the Cyber Security Act. In some cases the punishment has also been reduced.
The law minister also said that many sections of the Digital Security Act, such as the defamation section, were previously punishable by imprisonment. A fine has now been substituted for that imprisonment. That is, the only penalty for defamation is fine. Now if the fine is not paid, there will be imprisonment. That too will be three months or six months imprisonment depending on the fine. But the main punishment is fine. Earlier the maximum penalty was Tk 5 lakh, now it has been increased to Tk 25 lakh.
The government enacted the Digital Security Act in 2018. After that, the law was being misused and there was a demand to cancel the law from various national and international levels. The Law Minister had already informed that the Digital Security Act is being amended by next September. It is in this context that the new law is being made.
