The Information and Communication Technology Division has updated the draft Cyber Protection Ordinance 2024 by dropping nine controversial sections related to cyberbullying and warrantless search, among others, amid criticisms.
鈥楲aw enforcement agencies will now only be allowed to search, seize, or arrest in cases of cyberattacks on critical information infrastructure,鈥� said ICT Division secretary Shish Haider Chowdhury at a press briefing on the draft Cyber Protection Ordinance 2025 at his office at Agargaon in the capital Dhaka on Wednesday.
Shish said that they had removed controversial provisions regarding cyberbullying and warrantless searches by law enforcers and addressed the issue of cybercrimes against women and children.
The secretary said that the new draft also classified 鈥榬evenge porn鈥� as a crime.
The list of seized materials for a cybercrime investigation must be presented in the nearby court within 24 hours, he said.
He said that the draft, developed through consultations with stakeholders, would soon be submitted to the council of advisers.
Shish said that they welcomed opinions on the ordinance that could be submitted online until February 6 to ensure transparency and accountability.
The nine controversial sections removed from the updated draft ordinance include Section 20 which criminalised computer source code modification,
Section 21 which penalised statements deemed hateful, defamatory, or misleading regarding the liberation war, its spirit, or the country鈥檚 founding president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Section 24 which addressed identity fraud or impersonation, and Section 25 which criminalised sending or publishing offensive, false, or intimidating information.
The other sections removed include Section 26 which penalised the collection and use of identity information without permission, and conducting searches, seizures, or arrests without a warrant, Section 29 which addressed the publication or dissemination of defamatory information, Section 31 which addressed crimes deemed to disrupt law and order, Section 32 which penalised hacking-related offenses, and Section 55 which was related to delegation of power.
The draft Cyber Protection Ordinance 2024, approved on December 24, 2024 by the interim government鈥檚 advisory council, sparked criticisms as several of its provisions appear to prioritise control and surveillance over freedom of speech and expression.
