Sri Lanka’s Cargills Bank has obtained a court order directing mobile service providers to block access to information linked to a recent data breach.

The order, issued by Colombo Chief Magistrate Thanuja Jayasinghe, applies to telecom operators including Dialog Axiata, Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel, Etisalat Sri Lanka, Hutch Sri Lanka, and Lanka Communication Services (Pvt) Ltd.

According to the ruling, the providers must prevent the circulation, storage, or distribution of content related to the #CargillsBreach — including on platforms such as Facebook — that was allegedly obtained through a cyberattack on the bank.

The directive was issued under the country’s controversial Online Safety Act.

Cargills Bank suffered a major cyberattack last week, resulting in the leak of sensitive data of employees, clients, directors etc.

The Online Safety Act has drawn criticism from civil society and journalist groups, who have repeatedly called for its repeal. Cabinet spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa said in March that the government was considering amendments and had begun discussions with relevant stakeholders.