Nothing new has been incorporated in the draft of Cyber Security Act (CSA) except mere changing of the name and some sections of Digital Security Act (DSA), Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman has said.

According to the TIB chief, if the CSA as it is now is implemented, it will be another oppressive law similar to the DSA.

"The draft of CSA shows that everything is the same, except for a few changes. In the name of the law, the word Cyber has just replaced Digital."

Dr Iftekharuzzaman was addressing a press conference at Midas Centre, Dhanmondi, in Dhaka, on Wednesday.

The TIB chief said, "When the DSA came into effect, we called for repealing it. This time when the draft of CSA was prepared, the same thing had happened. Some amendments have been made which are obscured. Police have been given excessive power. There are doubts about efficiency of police. In many cases, just copying and pasting have been done. If the law is passed in parliament in the same way, we will again call for repealing it. The issues which are beyond cyber crimes must be deleted from it."

"The draft was approved in just 14 days without taking opinions from stakeholders. While the draft reduces the severity of punishment in certain cases, fundamental concerns and penalties remain. Additionally, the basic right of individuals to have freedom of speech is still being limited," he said.

TIB's Outreach and Communication director Sheikh Manzur-e-Alam highlighted the differences between the DSA and draft of the CSA.