Amid growing demands for the repeal of section 57 of the Information Communication and Technology (ICT) Act, the government yesterday said it would decide about the section next month and finalise the draft of a Digital Security Act.

The government will finalise the draft of Digital Security Act in August, Law Minister Anisul Huq says. And the much-talked about section 57 of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) Act will remain in force till August when the government will take decision in this regard, he added.

The punitive measures introduce by Bangladesh government are harsher than the ones made by the colonial rulers. The controversial section 57 got embedded into the proposed digital security law which seems to have offered police much more powers to make arrest. Which one is more repressive law: the one made by the colonial ruler or our government, asks Shakhawat Liton.

The draft Digital Security Act 2016, intended to address the need for cyber-crime legislation, according to the authorities, was approved on August 22, 2016, by the Cabinet. But members of civil society, media and activists have already expressed their concerns over the draft law impinging upon people's freedom of expression.