Online safety & content laws in Sri Lanka (2026)

OSA No. 9 of 2024 passed Parliament on 24 January 2024 by a 108–62 vote and entered into force, making it Sri Lanka's primary online content-regulation statute. It prohibits 'false statements,' online fraud, digital harassment, and religious-sensitivity violations, with penalties up to 7 years imprisonment.

The OSC is a five-member body appointed by the Executive President (subject to Constitutional Council approval). It can unilaterally define 'prohibited statements,' order platform takedowns, restrict internet access, and recommend criminal prosecutions — without mandatory prior judicial oversight.

The OSA makes social media platforms (Facebook, Google, Twitter/X and equivalents) liable for hosted content. Platforms must comply with OSC removal orders or face legal consequences, though detailed due-diligence or transparency-reporting obligations comparable to the EU DSA are absent.

In February 2025, Cabinet agreed to amend rather than repeal the OSA and appointed a multi-sectoral committee chaired by a Supreme Court judge. A public consultation was launched inviting civil society, media, and international stakeholders to submit recommendations; as of late 2025 no revised text had been tabled.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the ICJ, and Freedom House have criticised the OSA's vague terminology as enabling arbitrary suppression of dissent. The ICJ formally called in September 2025 for repeal or substantial revision to bring the law into compliance with Sri Lanka's international human rights obligations.

Outside the OSA, Sri Lanka has a documented history of executive-ordered social media blocks; a 15-hour blackout affecting Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok was imposed during the April 2022 Aragalaya protests. No comparable nationwide shutdown is recorded for 2025–2026, but the OSC retains statutory authority to restrict internet access.