Online security and gaming regulation laws will be tightened to curb cybercrime

The government is taking steps to amend the existing Online Safety Act and introduce new regulations under the Gaming Regulatory Authority Act to curb rapidly increasing cyber crimes and online financial fraud in Sri Lanka. With the aim of preventing various online frauds occurring through digital platforms, amendments related to the Online Safety Act are expected to be presented expeditiously.

Furthermore, a senior official from the Ministry of Public Security stated that new provisions are being drafted under the Gaming Regulatory Authority Act to close existing legal loopholes for online fraudulent activities carried out under the guise of gaming.

To protect sensitive government data systems, a "High-Security Level Firewall" protection system is being established with the assistance of the Ministry of Digital Economy. This includes data belonging to important state institutions such as the Ministry of Finance, Department of Immigration and Emigration, Civil Aviation Authority, and Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. If an attempt is made to illegally access (hack) a data system of any institution through this new security system, alerts will be issued simultaneously to all other institutions, and the entire system can be monitored from a single location.

These stricter legal measures have been taken amidst extensive raids targeting foreigners who operated cyber fraud centers from rented accommodations. The Ministry of Public Security suspects that several high-level online fraudsters sought by regional law enforcement agencies are currently residing in Sri Lanka. Although these fraudsters, currently operating from Sri Lanka, primarily target individuals in other countries for financial fraud, the official warned that they could target local residents at any moment.

A new police division dedicated to investigating cyber crimes is to be established soon, and it will be placed under the direct control of a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG). The government plans to extend the operations of this new division to all provinces and police divisions. The senior official, who wished to remain anonymous, further stated that it is expected to conduct full-time, 24-hour surveillance to track down cyber fraudsters, recruit new officers for this purpose, and provide them with the necessary modern technological equipment.