Personal Data Protection Act, comprehensive regime and lawful basis

Personal Data Protection Act, No. 9 of 2022, as amended by Act No. 22 of 2025, Schedule I, ss.5, 18(1), 20-25

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What follows is LexLint's own research summary of this law, not legal advice.

In force since 18 March 2025.

A comprehensive regime rule binding public and private bodies.

As of 29 August 2026.

What it requires

An app that collects, uses, or discloses the personal data of an individual in Sri Lanka, including a voiceprint or faceprint, must have a lawful basis under Schedule I, ordinarily consent, contract necessity, or a legitimate interest satisfying a balancing test, and must give a data subject a way to seek review of a decision based solely on automated processing that has created or is likely to create an irreversible and continuous impact on their rights.

What this law does

Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.

Lawful basis, referenced by s.5 against Schedule I, follows a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Article 6 shape: consent, contract necessity, legal obligation, vital interests, a public-interest task, or legitimate interest subject to a balancing test. Controller and processor duties are allocated at ss.20-25, with processors bound by written instructions and sub-processor flow-down duties.

Section 18(1) gives every data subject the right to request review of a decision based solely on automated processing that has created or is likely to create an irreversible and continuous impact on their rights and freedoms, subject to listed exceptions (authorized by law, authorized by the Authority, based on consent, or contract necessity). In force since 18 March 2025.

When LexLint raises it

crawls_web
trains_models
generates_content
deploys_chatbot
automated_outreach
high_risk_decisions
processes_voice
processes_biometrics

Read the law

official statute text, Parliament of Sri Lanka

Every line above is drawn from the primary source linked here, read on the date shown. This is a research summary, not legal advice.

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