Navigating Smart Bangladesh- Cybersecurity Act 2023 – A Primer

As the term "Smart Bangladesh " becomes the go-to hashtags for Facebook posts; Bangladeshis are increasingly relying on technology for various aspects of their lives. This article looks at the newly implemented Cybersecurity Act 2023 and discusses how it affects legal rights as opposed to its predecessors.

The Digital Security Act was adopted in 2018 with the aim of preventing any kind of racism and terrorist propaganda via social media, print media or any other electronic media¹. However, since its provisions were ambiguous and open to interpretation, it was a controversial law.

In response to the increasing national demands and international critique, in September 2023, the Government repealed the Digital Security Act 2018 and published the Cybersecurity Act 2023. The CSA carried forward most of the offenses under the DSA, with the severity of some of the associated punishments being reduced.