Nalanda College incident Govt. to adopt regulation process if media, social media do not self-regulate

• Minister says the Online Safety Act is badly needed in situations like this  

By Ajith Siriwardana   

Claiming that the attention of the government has been drawn to the circulation of videos on social media, involving a leading school in Colombo, Cabinet Spokesman Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said yesterday the government will adopt a regulation process if media and social media do not self-regulate voluntarily on matters concerning privacy and identity of individuals.   

The Minister told the weekly briefing to announce cabinet decisions that the Online Safety Act is badly needed in situations like this. 

Responding to a question, he said the government has paid attention to the incident and that the Education Ministry has already initiated an investigation.  

The Minister said the incident shows the serious erosion in society and the values in society, and added that there are many reasons for an institution or a society to come to this level.“The attention of the government has been drawn to ensure the identity and privacy of individuals. The government will adopt a regulation process if the media and social media do not self-regulate voluntarily on matters concerning the privacy and identity of individuals. The Online Safety Act is only one aspect of it. The Online Safety Act is in the final stage. We will enact it soon after completing the public consultation process,’ he said. 

The Minister said it is pointless to take action after someone commits suicide due to such incidents.   

“We need the Online Safety Act for the safety of everyone, the government will take action regarding that,” he said.