Press Institute, media organisations raise 7 key concerns over Data Protection Bill

The Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI), its constituents and affiliated organisations raise concerns over the Personal Data Protection Bill that was tabled in the Parliament on 20 January.

A joint letter raising seven key concerns was signed by the Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka (NSSL), Free Media Movement (FMM), Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA), Tamil Media Alliance (TMA), Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum (SLMMF), Federation of Media Employees’ Trade Unions (FMETU), South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA) and the SLPI, handed over to the Minister of Mass Media, Minister of Justice and the Secretary of the Ministry of Information Technology.

While the proposed Personal Data Protection Act is being recognised as an important one in the current context, especially in the digital era, serious thoughts should be given to the implication and infringement to the rights of professional journalism and media freedom.

The terms of definition regarding personal data and special categories of personal data remain arbitrary given that special categories also include data related to offenses, criminal proceedings and convictions which do not recognise the journalistic right to exercise free speech in delivering such information. 

Therefore, it is imperative that the journalists’ rights prevail and provisions are made to ensure that journalists are able to continue their work in the interest of the public and uphold freedom of expression.

The proposed Act with the powers and stipulated clauses would prevail over every other law in any inconsistency, including the Right to Information (RTI) Law. The organisations feel this could also compromise the access to information that the public and journalists have via the prevailing RTI law.

Given that the Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka (TEGOSL) has provided a detailed report of the concerns on the proposed Personal Data Protection Act, the SLPI and its collective body of media organisations also jointly acknowledge and endorse the concerns raised and proposed amendments by TEGOSL in regard to this bill to be considered.