Cabinet gives go-ahead to Digital Security Bill

The cabinet on Monday approved in principle the draft of the Digital Security Bill, 2018.

The approval came at the regular weekly meeting of the cabinet held at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) with prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, reports UNB.

According to the proposed Digital Security Act, once the draft act will come into effect, the much-criticised section 57 of the ICT act and four other sections - 54, 55, 56, and 66 - will stand abolished.

But for all practical purposes, the Section 57 is not going to be abolished as the “crimes” defined by the much-criticised Section 57 of the ICT act is being kept in the Digital Security Act in one way or the other.

The draft of the Digital Security Act shows that the crimes as defined by the Section 57 has been divided and kept separately in four sections of the Digital Security Act.

Following the meeting, cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam briefed newsmen at the secretariat.

“In the draft law, sections 54, 55, 56, 57 and 66 have been revoked,” he said.

The secretary, however, said that the cases already filed under the section 57 of the ICT Act will continue.

According to the proposed law, anyone spreading negative propaganda against the Liberation War or Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, using digital devices, will risk being sentenced.

If anyone illegally enters any critical information infrastructure, he or she will be sentenced to maximum 7 years’ imprisonment or be fined by Tk 25 lakh or by both.