Bangladesh rewrites its cyber rulebook with a focus on security, not speech

For much of the past decade, Bangladesh's cyber laws have been synonymous with controversy. The Digital Security Act of 2018 and earlier provisions under the Information and Communication Technology Act drew sustained criticism from journalists, rights advocates and civil society groups, who argued that broadly worded offences and sweeping executive powers created a chilling effect on freedom of expression.
Now, the government is seeking to reset that narrative.
The Cyber Security (Amendment) Bill, 2026, formally introduced in the Jatiya Sangsad by Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam, signals a notable shift in legislative priorities. Rather than concentrating on regulating online speech, the proposed law seeks to strengthen Bangladesh's defences against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats while embedding greater institutional accountability into the country's digital governance framework.
At the heart of the amendment is a move away from vague speech-related provisions towards a more technical understanding of cyber security. The bill expands the legal vocabulary by introducing definitions for concepts such as cyberspace, cyber incidents and critical information infrastructure, reflecting the realities of an increasingly digital economy.
Its emphasis is unmistakably practical. The legislation focuses on combating hacking, cyber fraud, cyberterrorism and attacks targeting critical digital infrastructure. In doing so, it attempts to align Bangladesh's legal framework with the evolving nature of cyber risks, where organised criminal networks, ransomware attacks and cross-border digital offences pose growing challenges to governments worldwide.
One of the amendment's most significant features is its recognition of emerging threats posed by artificial intelligence.
As AI-generated images, videos and audio become increasingly difficult to distinguish from authentic material, governments around the world have struggled to balance technological innovation with public protection. The proposed legislation empowers authorities to require the rapid removal of deepfakes and other harmful AI-generated content, particularly where such material is defamatory or poses wider public risks.
The bill also introduces clearer obligations for digital platforms. Social media companies and other online intermediaries would be required to remove disputed or unlawful content within specified timeframes, bringing Bangladesh closer to regulatory approaches already adopted in several other jurisdictions where rapid response mechanisms have become central to online governance.
Perhaps the most consequential departure from previous legislation, however, lies in the safeguards introduced to limit executive discretion.
Earlier cyber laws were frequently criticised for allowing authorities to block online content with minimal independent oversight. The new amendment seeks to alter that balance by requiring any government-ordered content blocking to receive approval from the Cyber Tribunal within three days.
The safeguard carries a strict consequence. If judicial authorisation is not secured within the prescribed period, the blocked content must be restored immediately. By introducing mandatory judicial scrutiny, the legislation establishes an important procedural check that was largely absent from earlier legal frameworks.
The amendment also addresses another longstanding concern: the misuse of cyber laws through frivolous or malicious litigation. The proposed provisions introduce penalties against individuals who intentionally file false cyber cases, an attempt to discourage the abuse of legal processes for harassment or intimidation.
Transparency has also received greater legislative attention. Instead of allowing content removals to occur behind closed doors, the bill requires the publication of a public record of government-directed content blocking, potentially providing citizens and researchers with greater visibility into how state powers are exercised online.
The proposed legislation has now been referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, which has been asked to examine the bill and submit its report within three working days.