In the wake of recent moves by the Sri Lankan Government to ban social media due to civil unrest, the Computer Society of Sri Lanka (CSSL) has established a Working Group to help encourage more responsible use of social media platforms.
CSSL President, Yasas V. Abeywickrama, said the Society appreciated the Government’s quick response and the various measures taken to avoid spreading violence across the country, and had requested the Government restore normalcy to social media use once the situation came under control.
“As responsible professionals, the CSSL is facilitating a program to identify how such situations can be better managed in the future, and what processes can be implemented to have a more conducive and peaceful digital environment,” said Abeywickrama.
CSSL brought together some of the country’s leading technical experts on 23 March to discuss the recent unrest and formulate ways of better managing social media whilst ensuring freedom of speech.
The meeting led to the creation of a new Working Group with multi-stakeholder representation, which met for the first time on 29 March under Abeywickrama’s leadership as Chair.
The Working Group has already identified key areas to focus its attention and will meet regularly to forward strategies and review progress.
Mr Abeywickrama said he is confident the Working Group will develop a multitude of strategies to promote better and more responsible use of social media.
