Cabinet Secretary Md. Mahbub Hossain has stated that the Cybersecurity Act has been enacted by considering their five years of experience and the existing international laws and IT practices related to cybersecurity. He provided this information in response to a question at the Secretariat on Monday.
Earlier, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the formal unveiling of the trophy took place. The Cabinet has approved the policy framework of the Cybersecurity Act 2023 at a cabinet meeting. The Secretary mentioned that the Digital Security Act was enacted in 2018. We have gained five years of experience. A lot has changed globally in terms of IT. Considering all these aspects, the Cybersecurity Act 2023 has been adopted.
The Cabinet Secretary stated that the government is revising the Digital Security Act to reflect the realities of cybersecurity. This proposal was presented for policy and final approval by the Information and Communication Technology Division. It has now been presented in the Cabinet. The Legislative Division (enactment) will take a vote through discussions. They will finalize it afterward.
He mentioned that a law has been made and is being implemented. The concept of cybersecurity has been defined in the context of the country and the international process, and the government believes that a law is needed for cybersecurity. Some sections and topics have been added here from the previous law.
Regarding the scope of this law, the Secretary informed that an agency named the National Cybersecurity Agency will exist. Certain cybercrimes have been identified, and the penalties for those crimes have been determined. The previous law had a higher number of bailable sections. Here, a significant portion has been made non-bailable.
Explaining the role of the agency, the Cabinet Secretary stated that previously, there was a Digital Security Agency. The new one will be the National Cybersecurity Agency. Its powers and responsibilities will be defined through regulations.
He stated that in terms of punishment, the focus was more on the punishment for defamation in the existing law. Here, the amount of punishment for defamation has been reduced, but in some cases, the monetary penalties have been increased.
