LIRNEasia is seeking a talented individual to join the team as a research intern. The full job description is available here. The deadline for applying is 9th of October, 2024. 
LIRNEasia is seeking a talented individual to join the team as a research intern. The full job description is available here. The deadline for applying is 9th of October, 2024. 
In an interview with Mawbima newspaper, LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya highlighted the importance of accurate data in holding governments accountable between elections, emphasising its critical role in ensuring a functioning democracy. She also discussed the impact of misinformation and disinformation on public opinion, the role of fact-checking, and the importance of media independence. Below is the full Sinhala interview which was originally published in Mawbima newspaper on August 26, 2024. ඔබගේ කෑම බීමවල සිට රුචි අරුචිකම් සියල්ල නොදැනුවත්වම ජංගම දුරකථනය විසින් ඩැහැගනු ලබමින් සිටී. මෙකී සයිබර් දේශපාලනය අද වන විට ලෝක ප්රජාතන්ත්රවාදයටද අභියෝග කරමින් සිටී. 
The digital economy is experiencing remarkable growth globally, and Sri Lanka is no exception. Wattegama (2021) valued Sri Lanka’s digital economy at approximately USD 3.47 billion, accounting for 4.37% of its GDP. However, the current tax statutes in Sri Lanka fail to capture the full spectrum of digital transactions that cross borders with ease, as they rely on traditional taxation models based on physical presence. 
Taxation is a critical tool for sustainable development, playing a vital role in reducing poverty, ensuring food security, and enhancing social protection. In light of these important issues, the Institute of Charted Accountants of Sri Lanka hosted its Annual Economic and Tax Symposium under the theme “Shaping Fiscal Foundations: Tax Policy as a Catalyst for Sustainable Economic Growth,” on 1st and 2nd of August, 2024. Gayani Hurulle, Senior Research Manager at LIRNEasia, was a panellist at a session titled “Taxation on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Factors: Achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and International Trade and Tax Policies” at the symposium. Other panellists included M. Ravindrakumar, Customs Management Expert; Ayesha Ashanthi, Commissioner, Department of Inland Revenue; and Dr. 
How will AI shape our upcoming presidential election? Can AI-generated fake audio mislead voters? Is AI a threat to election integrity? In an article in the Sunday Times, Sri Lanka, LIRNEasia’s Research Manager and Team Lead: Data, Algorithms, & Policy Merl Chandana highlighted these concerns and emphasised the need to address AI’s potential to create misleading and harmful content. He told the Sunday Times: “AI can generate text, video, audio, and photos. 
During the parliamentary debate on the Telecom Bill on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, Member of Parliament Charitha Herath emphasised the need for public engagement and expert consultation in the lawmaking process. He cited the Telecommunications Act amendment as an example where expert input from individuals like LIRNEasia Chair Prof. Rohan Samarajiva refined the legislative outcome. “My friend, Professor Rohan Samarajiva, who is well-versed in this subject, has put forward some good suggestions. In the Determination of the Supreme Court regarding the Telecom Bill, his opinions were agreed upon. 
The European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) represents a landmark regulation aimed at creating a safer and more transparent online environment. Central to the DSA are mandates for large online platforms and search engines, referred to as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSEs), to conduct Systematic Risk Assessments (SRAs) and engage in meaningful consultations with civil society. At present, VLOPs and VLOSEs in the European Union are conducting their second round of mandatory risk assessments under the DSA. These assessments seek to identify and mitigate systemic risks related to human rights on large platforms. In the meantime, in late June, the Global Network Initiative (GNI) and the Digital Trust & Safety Partnership (DTSP) hosted the European Rights & Risks: Stakeholder Engagement Forum (“the Forum”) in Brussels with the intention of sharing insights on assessing systemic risks to fundamental rights as part of implementing the DSA. 
The Annual International Conference on Innovations in Infobusiness & Technology (ICIIT), organised by the Informatics Institute of Technology, took place on May 30-31, 2024, rebranded as ICIIT Conclave 2024. The theme of the conclave was “Large Language Models and Generative AI.” The conference covered a wide array of topics, including: – Advanced prompt engineering techniques for LLMs – Utilising Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to enrich LLM outputs – Generating datasets with LLMs – Developing and applying multimodal LLMs – Enhancing reasoning and decision-making through AI methodologies – Implementing LLMs across various domains – Exploring transparency, explainability, and ethical considerations in LLM applications – Scalability and maintenance challenges in LLM deployment – Future directions and emerging trends in LLM technology The Conclave featured distinguished keynote speakers who provided deep insights into the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence and its applications. These included Dr. Romesh Ranawana, Chairman of the National Committee to Formulate a Strategy for AI and Group Chief Analytics & AI Officer at Dialog, Prof. 
කෘත්රිම බුද්ධිය ලෙසින් පොදු සමාජය බැලූ බැල්මට හ¾දුනා ගන්නේ සංවර්ධිත රටවල දියුණුවේ අග්රඵලයකි. එහෙත් ආර්ථික අර්බුදයක කරවටක් ගිලුණු ශ්රී ලංකාව වැනි රටකට කෘත්රිම බුද්ධියෙන් ළඟා කරගත හැකි වාසි සුළුපටු නොවේ. මේ, ඒ සම්බන්ධයෙන් ලංකාවේ කෘත්රිම බුද්ධිය ප්රවර්ධනයට රාජ්යමය මැදිහත්වීමේ කොටස්කරුවකු වන ලර්න් ඒෂියා ආයතනයේ දත්ත විද්යා කණ්ඩායම් ප්රධානි මර්ල් චන්දන මහතා සමඟ කළ සාකච්ඡාවකි. කෘත්රිම බුද්ධිය ගැන සරල තාක්ෂණික නිර්වචනයකින් අපි කතාව පටන්ගමු? කෘත්රිම බුද්ධිය ගැන නිර්වචනයක් විදිහට ගත්තොත් කාටත් තේරෙන විදිහට මිනිස් මොළය පාවිච්චි කර කරන ක්රියාකාරකම් පරිගණක හරහා කෙරෙද්දී අපට ඒකට කෘත්රිම බුද්ධිය කියන්න පුළුවන්. 
The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka recently ruled that several sections of the proposed Telecommunications Amendment Bill are inconsistent with the country’s Constitution. This decision comes after significant opposition and criticism from experts, including LIRNEasia Chair Prof. Rohan Samarajiva, who had been vocal about the potential threats to democratic values posed by certain provisions in the bill. One of the most controversial aspects of the bill was the proposed Section 59A, which aimed to introduce a new offence related to telecommunications. The section stated: “Every person who, wilfully makes a telephone call or sends or transmits a message using a telephone, with the intention of causing public commotion or disrupting public tranquillity commits an offence and shall on conviction be liable to a fine not exceeding one million rupees or to an imprisonment of either description for a term not exceeding three months or to both such fine and imprisonment and in the event of the offence being committed continuously, to a fine of one thousand five hundred rupees for each day on which the offence is so committed or an imprisonment of either description for a term not exceeding six months or to both such fine and imprisonment. 
The implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) extend beyond mere technological advancement. There is no doubt that while the Global North is gaining most of the benefits of AI, the Global South faces significant problems, such as biased language models. AI has the potential to transform our media systems. It can also disrupt business models, spread disinformation, and erode trust in society. However, AI also offers a transformative potential to democratise information access and increase digital participation. 
The Supreme Court last week determined that some sections of the Telecommunications Amendment Bill are inconsistent with the Constitution of Sri Lanka. The determination included a citation of the insights provided by LIRNEasia in a research article (2009) titled “Banded Forbearance: A New Approach to Price Regulation” compiled by LIRNEasia Chair Prof. Rohan Samarajiva and Policy Fellow Tahani Iqbal. The Telecommunications Amendment Bill, introduced by the Sri Lankan government in May, proposed several changes to the regulatory environment of the telecommunications sector. Several petitions were filed challenging various sections of the Bill. 
In the rapidly evolving world of Artificial Intelligence (AI), it is important to ensure that society continues to reap its benefits without being subject to its many harms. As AI continues to be integrated into various sectors such as healthcare, finance, and transportation, ensuring these technologies are developed and used responsibly becomes increasingly important. While this need is generally recognised, there is currently a lack of globally representative data on how countries are addressing AI’s challenges and opportunities, especially in relation to the protection and promotion of human rights. Recognising this need, a global effort called the Global Index on Responsible AI (GIRAI) was initiated in 2023 as a flagship project by the Global Center on AI Governance. The GIRAI is the first tool to set globally relevant benchmarks for responsible AI and assess them in countries around the world. 
LIRNEasia is inviting proposals for gender-responsive, policy-relevant applied research projects that contribute to a sustainable and inclusive future of work. This call is supported with funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) The complete Call for Proposals can be found here. The deadline for proposal submissions is 1800hrs Indian Standard Time, 19th July 2024. An information session will be organised on the 24th of June week to assist potential applicants in understanding the CFP and the project as a whole. Register here to receive details about the upcoming information session. 
The report “Social Media Regulation and the Rule of Law: Key Trends in Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh”, which was launched recently in Colombo, examines the balance between state security, human rights, and the role of social media across these South Asian nations. This collaborative effort involves Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s Rule of Law Programme Asia, LIRNEasia Sri Lanka, the Centre for Communication Governance (CCG) at the National Law University Delhi (NLUD) India, and the School of Law at BRAC University Bangladesh. The report provides several crucial observations and recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders alike: Key observations from the report: Bangladesh and India provide conditional liability exemptions for third-party content hosted by intermediaries, but recent legislative trends suggest a weakening of safe harbour protection. Across all three countries, centralisation of power with the executive is evident, resulting in regulatory frameworks lacking effective judicial and parliamentary oversight over blocking orders, internet suspensions, and user data requests. The centralisation of power with the executive has also fostered a lack of transparency and accountability in government actions, often justified by state security interests. 
In her latest article for Daily FT, LIRNEasia policy fellow Tahani Iqbal critiques the current amendment process of Sri Lanka’s Telecommunications Act, stating it “has not been transparent and open,” and calling for a comprehensive overhaul of the Act, aligning with the newly issued National Digital Economy Strategy 2030, to truly drive Sri Lanka’s digital development. “It is critical that the Government puts a stop to its conservative and traditional approach to telecoms regulation and handles it in a way that will ensure that digital connectivity spurs the development of the nation. Converged markets and services require converged authorities and approaches to governance. The amended Bill has no place in Sri Lanka’s digital future and should be sent back to the drawing board for a proper re-draft.” Despite several attempts to revise the Act, Tahani argues that the lack of substantial updates has left Sri Lanka with a “low level maturity [in] legal and governance frameworks,” as evidenced by its G2 ranking from the International Telecommunications Union.