Act of Parliament · As enacted · 9 parts
Online Safety Act 2024
Official English translation. Where it differs from the Sinhala or Tamil text, the Act itself says which text prevails.
Official translationFrom Department of Government Printing, unchanged
s 1Short title
This Act may be cited as the Online Safety Act,
No. 9 of 2024.
s 2Application of the Act
The provisions of this Act shall apply where –
a person commits an offence under this Act in respect of a citizen of Sri Lanka, while being present in Sri Lanka or outside Sri Lanka;
a loss, damage or harm is caused within or outside
Sri Lanka by the commission of an offence under this Act, to the State or to a person resident in
Sri Lanka; or
an offence under this Act, wherever committed, is committed by a person who is a citizen of Sri Lanka.
s 3Objectives of the Act
The objectives of this Act shall be-
to protect persons against harm caused by communication of prohibited statements, by way of an online account or through an online location;
to ensure protection from communication of statements in contempt of court or prejudicial to the maintenance of the authority and impartiality of the judiciary, by way of an online account or through an online location;
to introduce measures to detect, prevent and safeguard against the misuses of online accounts and bots to commit offences under this Act; and
to prevent the financing, promotion and other support of online locations which repeatedly communicate prohibited statements in Sri Lanka, by way of online account or through an online location.
Part I
Establishment of the Online Safety Commission
Part II
Powers and Functions of the Commission
Part III
Prohibition of Online Communication of False Statements
Part IV
Measures Against Online Communication of Prohibited Statements in Sri Lanka
Part V
Declared Online Locations
Part VI
Counteracting Inauthentic Online Accounts and Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour
Part VII
Appointment of Experts to Assist Investigations and Their Powers
Part VIII
Finance
Part IX