Digital Security Act-2018 of Bangladesh;a Study on the Situation of Press Freedom and Journalistic Investigation

Abstract

Digital tools became a blessing for both general mass and the journalists in Bangladesh but it also came up with different scopes of misapplication. To minimize the offenses, the government approved Digital Security Act (DSA) 2018. However, the journalists, right workers and activists became vocal against some sections of the law claiming those would hinder press freedom and freedom of journalistic investigation . The study researched the "little" situation of press freedom and Journalistic Investigation in this context. The key question was- "Is the DSA-2018 creating barrier in Press Freedom and Journalistic Investigation?"Obtaining Discourse Analysis and In-Depth Interviewing methods, the relevant sections of the DSA- 2018 and the opinion and evaluation of different stakeholders (investigative, journalists,leaders, legal experts and government authorities)examined. The collected data was evaluated through the theoretical framework of Freedom of Expression from a sense of fear; eventually they were censoring their contents which actually went against the standard of freedom of expression. The world is converging as a result of technological evolution and integration. The new digital era is emphatically influencing and transforming human lives. The staggering growth in technology has many implications; on one side it brings blessings for the general mass while on the other it makes individuals’ life a hex due to its misappropriation. To safeguard individuals from the realm of digital transgression and to ensure individuals' right to privacy, the government of Bangladesh enacted the Digital Security Act in 2018. The act has both affirmative and antithetical connotations by supporting penalisation for digital offenses conversely barring investigative journalists and freedom of speech. The present paper is the reflection of the findings congregated from the systematic assessment of the secondary sources. It focuses on the limitations and challenges of the Digital Security Act 2018 by particularly seeing from the lens of investigative journalism and freedom of expression. Moreover, it also tries tshedlight on whether the act has aberrated from its sole purpose that is to ensure security of individual presence in the digital platform. Also, the article manifests the need for an incontrovertible digital security law for the welfare of the citizens