The interim government has promulgated the Cyber Security Ordinance, 2025 in a gazette, cancelling the previous Cyber Security Act, to identify, prevent, suppress, and subsequently to try the crimes committed in cyberspace for ensuring cyber security.
The previous Cyber Security Act has been cancelled with the issuance of the ordinance, said the gazette notification issued by the law ministry on Wednesday.
The 32-page gazette said that the president was formulating and issuing the聽 ordinance as provisions regarding civil protection were inadequate in the Cyber Security Act, 2023, and those paved the way for abuse and oppression and as that act undermined different fundamental rights, including the freedom of expression.
On May 6, the advisory council approved the draft of the Cyber Security Ordinance, 2025, scrapping nine provisions that were remnants of the much talked-about Digital Security Act, 2018 and Cyber Security Act, 2023.
After the approval, law adviser Asif Nazrul said that the ordinance would be announced within the week after vetting by the ministry of law affairs.
Noting that nine sections have been scraped from the previous law, he said that about 95 per cent of the cases filed under the law were registered under the nine sections and those cases would be cancelled automatically from the day when the ordinance would come into effect.
Among the key changes, people鈥檚 access to the internet was recognised as a civic right for the first time, online gambling was banned, and repression on and sexual harassment of children and women in cyberspace were recognised as punishable offences as per the ordinance.
Releasing content on repression and sexual harassment of women and children and spreading religious hatred, which could instigate violence, have been identified as punishable offences under the ordinance.
The committing of crimes using artificial intelligence has been recognised as offences for the first time in South Asia.
Provisions related to the liberation war, the spirit of the liberation war, Bangabandhu, the national anthem and the national flag have been repealed as a huge number of cases were filed under the nine sections to harass people, said Asif Nazrul.
Besides, the section related to the publication and dissemination of defamatory information has been completely repealed as many journalists have also become victims under this section.
Noting that the draft of the ordinance was changed 24 times, the adviser also said that they came up with the final draft after discussing it with the stakeholders, including the members of the civil society.
On December 26, 2024, the advisory council approved the draft but the draft drew criticism from different quarters as it retained much of the controversial provisions of its predecessors.