dc.contributor.advisor | Social media has made its way into almost
every area of human life. Social media is a form of
electronic communication through which users create
online communities to share information, ideas, personal
messages, and other content. As a result of the recent
deadly blasts occurred followed by the Easter attacks in Sri
Lanka, the social media took a new appearance and lot of
news were spreading rapidly through theses social media.
Then Sri Lanka decided to block social media in order to
curtail the spread of false information and ease tensions. It
seems to be a violation of the rights included in the Sri
Lankan constitution of 1978, as the Article 14 freedom of
expression. In addition, Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act
No.25 of 1991 too mentions about the duty of the
Telecommunication Regulatory Commission to protect and
promote the interests of consumers, purchasers and the
public interest. This statute along with Sri Lankan Penal
Code contain penalties for the violation of the right to
information and expression. But one could think there is no
violation of rights as this ban was imposed by the Executive
president of Sri Lanka. And also as this issue occurred in the
Emergency Situation a reasonable man could observe that
it is not an unlawful action taken by the Executive
president. The main concern in this paper is to observe the
current Sri Lankan law applicable to social media and to
conclude whether this ban on social media is an arbitrary
action of the Sri Lankan Executive government. | |