Government to register foreign digital operators, not social media users: Minister clarifies

Minister of Media Keheliya Rambukwella says the government has been considering registering foreign digital operators and not social media and digital platform users.

Issuing a statement the Minister said reports circulating pertaining to social media regulation, has been portrayed in a garbled manner.

“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 colonization,” the minister said in a statement.

“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,” he added.