President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) Director General to lift the social media ban with immediate effect, the Government Information Department said today.

However, the President urged the public to use social media platforms in a responsible manner.

The social media ban was imposed by the government on April 21 following the Easter Sunday attacks saying that false news reports were spreading through social media.

The Easter Sunday attacks left more than 250 people dead. (Darshana Sanjeewa)