Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq said on Tuesday the government will consider updating the Digital Security Act (DSA) if needed.
“We are taking the criticism into consideration. The law was enacted for ensuring digital security, we will hold onto this aim,” he said.
The minister sat in a meeting with the representatives of civil society when the parties discussed this law criticised by many terming it draconian. Many say the DSA is regularly used to harass people.
“We discussed their concerns about the DSA. We will also talk about the Data Protection Act. We will again sit to discuss the laws,” he added.
Both parties agreed to have another meeting on the DSA on March 30.
Read more: Govt to sit with stakeholders on possible changes to DSA: Law Minister
TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said they demanded the abolition of the DSA.
“We pointed out our concerns about the DSA. There is no chance to make the DSA acceptable. The law minister also talked about the misuse of this law. We think this law should be abolished,” he added.
They will discuss the new draft of the Data Protection law in another meeting on April 6.
“We would like to see the new draft positively. The government has given us an opportunity to review the draft. We hope they will consider suggestions,” said Iftekharuzzaman.
Dhaka University International Relations Prof Dr CR Abrar, Supreme Court lawyer barrister Jyotirmoy Barua, academic and activist Rezaur Rahman Lenin, rights activist Md Saimum Reza Talukder, and Sharmin Khan, were present, among others.