Social media victims must lodge police complaints: AG
Attorney General Palitha Fernando said laws were in place to apprehend such offenders but the main problem that investigating police officers faced was the identification of the source.
"It’s hard to identify the sources in most instances; this has been a stumbling block in tracking these kinds of offences" he said.
When it was pointed out that social media such as Facebook identified those casting such remarks as they wrote from their personal profiles, Mr. Fernando said the victims must report the incidents forthwith to the police.
"If they have proof of the source then it would be much easier for the police to investigate. Criminal defamation is not an offence anymore in this country. However, this can fall under other offences. The parties affected should immediately report these incidents to the police. The Department will receive the files as soon as investigations are concluded and we will take action from thereon" he said.
Meanwhile Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT) spokesman Roshan Chandragupta said today that the organisation was in contact with Facebook.
"We are currently in contact with Facebook regarding such offenders. We urge all affected parties to report such abusive speech or comments on photographs directly to Facebook as well" he said.
He also said one of the main issues on Facebook’s late reaction was the lack of understanding of the language.
"Some comments are either in Sinhala or transliterated, so we have to educate them as to the content of the comments prior to them taking action" he said.
However, making a first in Lankan corporate history, following suit with international corporate norms, severe action was to be taken against corporate employees who had made sexually derogatory and racially inciting comments on Facebook and other social media, Chief Executive Officer Eco Lodge, Anuruddha Bandara said.
Answering a query posed by CCL after one of his employees had cast sexually derogatory remarks on a photograph circulated on the social networking site, Bandara said an immediate inquiry had been called.
"I saw this after I was informed by one of my friends. The said employee has made derogatory and demeaning remarks on women, on a picture circulated through his profile and this will be severely dealt with" he said.
Bandara said his organisation was an equal-opportunity-employer and is committed to upholding the moral values of its employees.
"We only look at people and not their ethnic and religious background. We have fostered a multi-ethnic and multi-religious organisation that strives to give the best service in our chosen field" he said.
Bandara emphasised that such conduct would not be tolerated within his organisation.
"We have called for an immediate inquiry; the said employee is on leave till the 20th but the HR team has called for him to be present for an inquiry" he said.
Many of the social media activists who had continuously cast racially abusive and spiteful remarks together with sexually derogatory remarks on female activists, had been identified to be employees of Sri Lankan ‘corporates’.(Hafeel Farisz)
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