Govt. considering registering foreign digital operators and not social media, digital platform users

• Statement circulating has been portrayed in a garbled manner where the true meaning is not conveyed

Mass Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the government had been considering registering foreign digital operators and not social media and digital platform users. 

The Minister said the statement circulating with regard to the social media regulation has been portrayed in a garbled manner where the true meaning is not conveyed. 

“While acknowledging this, I would like to clarify that the government’s intention is not to register social media users but to convey a mounting concern shared by governments across the world, that these digital multinational conglomerates are overwhelming and alienating our local businesses by data colonisation. This is directly impacting our medium scale companies. 

This view is also shared by leading industrialists in Sri Lanka. These predatory techniques lead to huge sums of money leaving the country through these digital platforms. Therefore, the government has been considering registering foreign digital operators and not social media and digital platform users, a statement from the Minister said.  

• Government’s intention is not to register social media users but to convey a mounting concern shared by governments across the world