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On 2nd April 2022 the Sri lanka government banned access to social media in the early hours ahead of planned nationwide protests against the government. The Director General of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka had advised the service providers to temporarily restrict access to social media, on the request of the Ministry of Defence. This was after the President declared a state of emergency and imposed a 36-hour nationwide curfew. The Chairperson of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission stated that this restriction was imposed in the interests of the country and people to remain calm. The Public Utility Commission requested TRCSL and service providers to restore the access to social media to give the information of the impending power cuts. The social media ban was lifted in the evening of the same day. The Human Right Commission Sri Lanka has thoroughly criticised the decision and summoned the telecom regulator, Defence Secretary, Media and Information Secretary over the social media ban.