Read CSA before commenting

The United States and Transparency International today voiced concern over the newly passed Cyber Security Bill while Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen suggested reading it first before making any comment on it.

"Read the Act first," Momen told reporters while responding to a question at a media briefing at the foreign ministry, reports UNB.

He stressed that the bill has been passed after addressing the concerns raised by different quarters.

Despite the criticism surrounding the law, the minister said, people do seek the support of the law when needed.

The Jatiya Sangsad passed the Cyber Security Bill 2023 on Wednesday.

Earlier, the US Embassy in Dhaka noted that the bill passed by the Jatiya Sangsad retained many aspects of the Digital Security Act.

"We regret that the government of Bangladesh did not give stakeholders adequate opportunity to review and provide input to the new law to ensure it meets international standards," reads a statement issued by the US Embassy in Dhaka.

The new legislation continues to 'criminalise' freedom of expression, retains non-bailable offences, and too easily could be misused to arrest, detain, and silence critics, it adds.

In a statement, Transparency International Bangladesh said the bill was passed "hurriedly" in the parliament, without paying heed to the recommendations of different stakeholders.

The anti-graft watchdog said the bill incorporates elements from the DSA but overlooked crucial elements to safeguard cyberspace, the internet and relevant digital platforms.

The bill was placed in the parliament on September 5 and passed within eight days as the ruling party has an absolute majority, said TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman.

"With this, people's expectations have been trampled," he said.

Although there was promise, suggestions from stakeholders such as TIB were not incorporated in the bill, he added.

Also, the Workers Party of Bangladesh expressed its frustration over the passing of the bill, saying it is nothing but the "slightly tweaked" version of DSA.

"Like the Digital Security Act, the scope of misusing this act has been left open. Over 7,000 cases have so far been filed because of the misuse of DSA. All those cases are not spared in the new law, they are alive," the party said in a statement.