A meeting at the Posts and Telecommunications Division in Dhaka on Wednesday emphasized giving priority to the views of journalists and media representatives in finalizing the draft Cyber Security (Amendment) Act 2026.
The meeting also placed particular weight on ensuring that the law is not used in any way as a tool to harass journalists, the media or independent journalism.
The meeting of the cabinet committee formed to review and finalize the draft of the Cyber Security (Amendment) Act 2026 was held on Wednesday at the meeting room of the Posts and Telecommunications Division with Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam in the chair, according to a ministry press release.
The meeting held detailed discussions on the opinions of various stakeholders, recommendations of journalists and observations of the ministries and agencies concerned.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam were present.
For the protection of journalists and the media, the meeting discussed and reached an in-principle consensus on keeping a provision requiring prior permission from the court having jurisdiction before arresting any journalist, media owner or responsible person over news published or broadcast in the media, said the release.
It added that emphasis was also laid on following due legal process and preventing harassment in taking action against journalists.
The meeting also discussed a proposal to consider defamation, disparagement and cyberbullying separately and to rearrange the relevant sections of the law. It also discussed making the definition of cyberspace more specific.
Importance was also given to maintaining consistency with the Penal Code in the definition of and punishment for defamation. Opinions were also given on making the definitions of rumor and disinformation clearer and more specific so that press freedom is not undermined by vague or overly broad definitions in the law.
The meeting also discussed not including a provision for mobile courts in the law, informing the person or organization concerned of the reasons when content is removed or blocked, and fixing a timeframe for disposing of applications to unblock blocked content.
A proposal to issue a written notice and give an opportunity for self-defense before taking action against any media outlet or organization was also discussed.
The meeting also discussed the composition of the Cyber Security Council, media representation and consultation with international stakeholders.
Emphasis was laid on the concerned ministry holding discussions in coordination with development partners, including the United Nations, and international technology platforms such as Meta.
The meeting discussed refining the amended draft law further on the basis of stakeholders' opinions and recommendations and publishing it on the website. Emphasis was laid on making the draft more acceptable, effective and timely by taking public opinion.
Speakers at the meeting said the Cyber Security law must be framed by maintaining a balance between preventing cybercrime and protecting citizens' rights, freedom of expression and press freedom.
They said efforts to finalize the draft, taking into account the constructive opinions of all stakeholders concerned, will continue.
A presentation was made at the meeting on behalf of the National Cyber Security Agency.
Senior officials of the ministries and divisions concerned were present at the meeting.
