Digital Security Act not against journos: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the spread of cybercrime as a global phenomenon warranted the enactment of Digital Security Act 2018 and that it is “not against the journalists”, reports BSS.

“You [journalists] are only seeing one side of the law fearing it could gag you. In fact, there is nothing to muzzle the journalists,” she said replying to a query at a press conference in New York late Friday.

The PM said the cyber security issue also featured at the UN General Assembly as every country was worried that terrorist and militant activities were incited using the ICT.

She also questioned if it was not essential to check various offences in social and digital media at a time when everyone, including minor children, were stepping into the wrong paths due to lack of cyber security.

“Why a journalist will be scared if he practises fair journalism?”

USE OF EVM

Hasina said the government wants to use electronic voting machines (EVMs) in elections, reports UNB.

She said this during a meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at her hotel suite at Grand Hyatt New York on Friday.

“During the meeting, we discussed our election system. We've already approved the EVM project and we want the EVMs to be used,” the PM told a press conference.

She said the Rohingya issue, Bangladesh-USA bilateral relations, and the cooperation on counterterrorism came up for discussions at the meeting.

The USA wants a democratic system in Bangladesh to continue and the elections be held in a fair manner, Hasina added.

The PM joined the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly on Thursday. She was expected to leave New York for home last evening (US time).