cross-posted from: https://community.nicfab.it/post/18971

Sri Lanka to set up a Data Protection Authority to protect personal data, while taking measures to implement Personal Data Protection Act.

With Sri Lanka en route towards a digital economy, President Wickremesinghe said presenting the 2023 budget, concerns over protection of personal data can arise.

“As we develop our digital economy, there is a need to regulate the processing of personal data in order to safeguard privacy of our citizens from adverse impacts of digitisation,” Wickremesinghe said on Monday, November 14.

Wickremesinghe said the government will take steps to set up the Data Protection Authority in 2023 and the body will be independent and engaged with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Securities and Exchange Commission, Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRCSL) and all relevant sectoral regulators to ensure a proper governance of personal data.

Sri Lanka parliament enacted the Data Protection Act aiming to promote a digital economy amid concerns raised over the privacy of individuals and adverse impact on media reporting on March 10, 2022

The bill was passed without a vote after a raft of amendments was made to the original version.