LIRNEasia Data, Algorithms, and Policy (DAP) Team Lead and Research Manager Merl Chandana was featured in ‘The Morning’ newspaper on 28 December 2025, in an article by Nelie Munasinghe, where he underscored the urgency of moving from AI policy discussions to real-world implementation. “The perception that Sri Lanka has not yet widely adopted AI is inaccurate. While it may not be as visible as in other countries through large AI-focused companies, AI is already being integrated across sectors like health, retail, transport, finance, and e-commerce. The potential benefits and risks of this technology are already present. Viewing AI-related risks as a distant concern does not reflect our current reality. 
LIRNEasia Data, Algorithms, and Policy (DAP) Team Lead and Research Manager Merl Chandana was featured in ‘The Morning’ newspaper on 28 December 2025, in an article by Nelie Munasinghe, where he underscored the urgency of moving from AI policy discussions to real-world implementation. “The perception that Sri Lanka has not yet widely adopted AI is inaccurate. While it may not be as visible as in other countries through large AI-focused companies, AI is already being integrated across sectors like health, retail, transport, finance, and e-commerce. The potential benefits and risks of this technology are already present. Viewing AI-related risks as a distant concern does not reflect our current reality. 
Gayani Hurulle (Senior Research Manager, LIRNEasia) was invited to conduct a session on the current state and challenges associated with cross-border data sharing at a regional capacity-building workshop on ‘Cross-Border Data Sharing for Digital Public Service Innovation’. This workshop, organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT), Republic of Korea, was held on 18 December 2025 in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The workshop, whose participants included representatives of governments in Southeast and Central Asia, the private sector, and international experts, aimed to advance dialogue on secure, efficient, and mutually beneficial cross-border data sharing to strengthen digital public services in the Asia-Pacific region. The workshop highlighted ongoing efforts under ESCAP’s Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway (APIS) initiative, including the pilot project ‘Advancing the Cross-Border Data Sharing Platform in Pilot Countries with a Focus on Digital Public Service’, implemented in collaboration with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Gayani’s presentation focused on the need to balance operational considerations that encourage greater cross-border data sharing, including cost and efficiency factors, with concerns related to sovereignty, privacy, cybersecurity, and competition, which often underpin arguments for restricting data flows. 
LIRNEasia is looking for a talented individual to join the team as a Communications Intern. The full job description is available below. The deadline for applying is January 15, 2026. 
We are looking for a policy researcher to monitor, analyze, and translate developments in AI, data governance, cybersecurity, and digital public infrastructure into timely, policy-relevant insights for South and Southeast Asia. The full job description is available below. The deadline for applying is January 15, 2026. 
In October 2025, researchers from across the Global South gathered in São Paulo, Brazil, for the closing workshop of the three-year project, Resisting Information Disorder in the Global South, funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The workshop, hosted by InternetLab (Latin America), brought together partners from the ARIJ Network, LIRNEasia, Research ICT Africa, and Stellenbosch University, who have spent the last three years studying how misinformation moves through their regions, and what practical solutions might actually work. 
The 26th Meeting of the South Asian Telecommunications Regulators’ Council (SATRC-26) was held from 5–7 November 2025 in Islamabad, Pakistan. Muhammad Aslam Hayat, Senior Policy Fellow at LIRNEasia and Pakistan country researcher, presented key findings from the Harnessing Data for Democratic Development in South and Southeast Asia (D4D Asia) project during the session on “Sharing Best Practices and Regulatory Experiences by SATRC Members and Industry.” 
LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya attended UNDP’s New Ways of Governing Conference in Oslo on 28–29 October 2025, contributing to discussions on AI and data governance. Her session drew on LIRNEasia’s research on data-governance policies across Asia and the organisation’s ongoing work on responsible AI. 
Natural disasters and humanitarian crises often create disorder and panic. While basic needs such as food, clean water, and shelter often take priority, access to accurate information helps calm societal turbulence. For information to be communicated, the underlying network must function, and for information to be accurate, the supporting soft infrastructure, such as institutions and policies, must exist. 
Media Forward 2025 was held from 24–26 November 2025 in Colombo, organised by UNDP Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Broadcasters’ Guild, Hashtag Generation, Factum, Verité Media and Politics, the Media Law Forum, the Free Media Movement, and the Sri Lanka Digital Journalists’ Association. LIRNEasia Research Fellow Ashwini Natesan joined as a panelist for the first session of the event, titled ‘Strengthening Coordination and Shared Accountability in Digital Spaces’. The other panelists were Senura Abeywardena (Head of Public Policy, Central Asia, Mongolia, and Sri Lanka at Meta), Ranga Kalansooriya, PhD (Asia Regional Advisor, International Media Support), Rajitha Mahanama (Sub Inspector, Computer Crime Investigation Division), and Saranee Gunathilaka, PhD (Director – Strategy and Operations, Hashtag Generation). The discussion was moderated by Prihesh Ratnayake (Research Specialist, Factum). Ashwini spoke on platform accountability, the Online Safety Act (OSA), and the impact of online harms on women and children. 
The Indonesia Report launch and policy dialogue on “Indonesia’s Strategy for Safeguarding Cross-Border Personal Data Transfers to the United States Without Compromising Sovereignty or Data Protection” took place on 28 October 2025 at Hotel Ashley, Wahid Hasyim, Central Jakarta. The event was organized by LIRNEasia, together with Northbound Strategies (Indonesia), with funding support from the International Development Research Centre (a Crown corporation of the Government of Canada). This timely discussion brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers to examine how Indonesia can enable cross-border data flows while maintaining the principles of digital sovereignty and compliance with the Personal Data Protection (PDP) Law. The event was conducted in both English and Bahasa Indonesia to ensure inclusive participation. The dialogue opened with a keynote address by Alfreno K. 
In an article published on 22 November 2025 in the Daily FT, Attorney-at-Law and LIRNEasia Researcher Sachini Ranasinghe raised concerns about the Online Safety Act (OSA) and its implications for free expression. She argues that Sri Lanka already had effective civil remedies for defamation, including cases involving online content, long before the OSA. Sachini highlights that disputes previously resolved through civil courts are now increasingly channeled through the OSA, shifting them into the criminal justice system and posing risks to free expression. Rather than criminalizing speech, she calls for strengthening civil defamation mechanisms by speeding up injunctions and reducing delays. Read the full article in the Daily FT. 
“Untangling Data Governance – Sri Lanka’s Way Forward” was held on 13 November 2024 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The event formed part of the Harnessing Data for Democratic Development in South and Southeast Asia (D4D Asia) project, with funding support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), a Crown corporation of the Government of Canada. 
Over time, Sri Lanka will need to confront legacy challenges such as the structure of non-contributory pensions, strengthen coordination across agencies, and improve the use of data and digital systems. Most importantly, programmes will need to be evaluated systematically to ensure that they reach the right groups and deliver the outcomes the country expects. Without that discipline, even large allocations will struggle to translate into meaningful progress. 
This report on data governance in Sri Lanka is part of the “Harnessing Data for Democratic Development in South and Southeast Asia” (D4DAsia) project, which aims, inter alia, to create and mobilize new knowledge about the tensions, gaps, and evolution of the data governance ecosystem, taking into account both formal and informal policies and practices. This report is also part of a broader comparative effort that includes case studies from India, Indonesia, Nepal, South Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines. The report provides contextual information about Sri Lanka’s constitutional and governance framework and discusses laws and policies that promote openness or access to data, as well as those that facilitate interoperability or cross-border data transfers. It also examines the opposite; laws, policies, and practices that restrict openness or access to data. The report emphasizes the significance of data governance in shaping Sri Lanka’s digital future. 
On 15 October 2025, the Asian Development Bank’s Serendipity Knowledge Program (SKOP) hosted a high-level event on Digital Transformation, Cybersecurity, and Data Protection for Digital Economy Development in Sri Lanka. Professor Rohan Samarajiva, Chair of LIRNEasia, participated as a panelist in the discussion on the need for a security-first and privacy-respecting culture from schools to workplaces, including government institutions. The other panelists were Shariffah Rashidah binti Syed Othman (Commissioner of Personal Data Protection, Department of Personal Data Protection, Ministry of Digital, Malaysia), Rajeeva Bandaranaike (Chairman, Data Protection Agency, Sri Lanka), and Avanthi Colombage (Country Manager, Visa Sri Lanka). The panel, moderated by Antonio Zaballos (Director of the Digital Sector at ADB), explored challenges, opportunities, and priorities in creating a resilient digital economy. The SKOP event provided a platform to share international best practices and innovative solutions, advancing dialogue on a secure and trusted digital economy in Sri Lanka. 
LIRNEasia is seeking experienced qualitative researchers to collaborate on a new study examining information exposure, belief, and sharing behaviors among Sri Lankan diaspora communities in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Italy. This research builds on LIRNEasia’s ongoing work on information disorder, including nationally representative surveys and experimental studies in Sri Lanka. The diaspora study extends this evidence base to explore how transnational ties, trust, and identity influence how Sri Lankans abroad encounter and respond to misinformation. We are looking for researchers or moderators who can: Lead participant recruitment across diverse Sri Lankan diaspora communities (Sinhala, Sri Lankan Tamil, Indian-Origin Tamil, and Moor). Conduct Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and In-Depth Interviews (IDIs) in participants’ preferred language (Sinhala, Tamil, or English).