In December 2023, the Sri Lanka Military Academy Journal published NESA Center alumna Charani Patabendige's analysis, "Combating Online Falsehoods: Striking a Balance Between Freedom of Expression and National Security in Sri Lanka." Patabendige's research article is from page 15 to 26.

ABSTRACT:

In ancient times, war was militaristic. It was about weapons, bullets and barricades. However, at present, war is fought by way of information. In the digital age, fighting a war and winning a war are challenges. Online falsehoods are a threat that any country faces. The deliberate twisting of stories, hiding the truth, divulging sensitive information, misleading the public, and arousal of suspicion leads to devastating circumstances. Sri Lanka is a victim of online falsehoods. Therefore, the research problem looks into how Sri Lanka can effectively balance the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression with the need to protect national security in the face of online falsehoods and manipulations, considering the inherent conflict between these two concerns. This is finely depicted in the post-war context of Sri Lanka. Therefore, it is important to identify the degree of falsehoods. In light of that, the government is tasked with striking a balance between national security and freedom of expression. There should be no liberty to entertain online falsehoods under the pretense of national security. Sri Lanka has guaranteed freedom of expression by the Constitution, the supreme law of the country. Nonetheless, the Constitution has given prominence to national security by restraining the right of freedom of expression. These two concerns are inclined to conflict with one another. Therefore, the research problem is the need to dissuade this conflict to neutralize the battle even though the task is inherently grueling. The research has attained the objectives and answered regarding online falsehoods, and the threats incurred by it to national security, freedom of expression, and the impact on national security. Moreover, the means and ways to strike a balance between national security and freedom of expression and in the end, the research has provided recommendations to mitigate and combat online falsehoods. The research is qualitative in nature and has utilized secondary sources to achieve a better analysis. In the end, the research has attempted to prove the need to mitigate and combat online falsehoods whilst abiding by freedom of expression and national security concerns in Sri Lanka.

Read the full article [PDF]

About the Author

Charani Patabendige is an Acting Research Analyst and a Research Assistant at the Institute of National Security Studies, the premier think tank for the Ministry of Defence Sri Lanka.

About the Publisher

The Sri Lanka Military Academy Journal is a journal published annually by the Sri Lanka Military Academy.

The views presented in this article are those of the speaker or author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its components.