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Cybersecurity law & regulation in Antigua and Barbuda (2026)

Cybersecurity in Antigua and Barbuda: sectoral rules.

Antigua and Barbuda's cybersecurity regime rests on sectoral legislation, principally the Electronic Crimes Act 2013 and the Data Protection Act 2013, rather than a unified comprehensive cybersecurity law. There is no officially approved national cybersecurity strategy and no fully operational national CIRT, though both have been subjects of international capacity-building efforts. The country ranked Tier 5 (score 17.89/100) in the ITU Global Cybersecurity Index 2024, reflecting significant gaps across legal, technical, and organisational pillars.

Last verified Official sources first · MethodologyCompare Antigua and Barbuda with other countries

Legal framework

Electronic Crimes Act 2013 (No. 14 of 2013) and Data Protection Act 2013 (No. 10 of 2013), with oversight by the Information Commissioner

Key points: cybersecurity in Antigua and Barbuda

  1. Electronic Crimes Act 2013

    No. 14 of 2013 criminalises unauthorised access to electronic systems, identity theft, electronic fraud, cyber-terrorism, and online child exploitation; it also grants law enforcement powers for data preservation, search and seizure, and real-time traffic-data collection.

    laws.gov.ag dig.watch

  2. Computer Misuse Act 2006

    An earlier statute criminalising unauthorised computer access, data theft, and distribution of malicious software; its scope is largely superseded by the Electronic Crimes Act 2013 but remains on the books.

    oas.org itu.int

  3. Data Protection Act 2013 and breach notification

    No. 10 of 2013 establishes the Information Commissioner and imposes data-security obligations on data controllers, but does not mandate formal breach notification to the authority or affected individuals, notification remains discretionary rather than legally compelled.

    laws.gov.ag coe.int

  4. No national cybersecurity strategy or CIRT

    Antigua and Barbuda has no officially approved national cybersecurity strategy and no recognised national CIRT; a CIRT readiness assessment was conducted with international support but a fully operational team has not been established.

    cybilportal.org itu.int

  5. ITU GCI 2024, Tier 5

    The country scored 17.89/100 in the ITU Global Cybersecurity Index 2024, placing it in Tier 5, the lowest tier in the Americas, indicating inadequate progress across legal, technical, organisational, capacity-building, and cooperation pillars.

    itu.int itu.int

  6. Regional cooperation

    Antigua and Barbuda hosted a regional cybersecurity exercise in April 2024 aimed at enhancing cyber readiness among small island states, and collaborates with OAS and ITU on capacity-building; no binding incident-reporting framework has emerged from these efforts.

    antigua.news oas.org

Sources

  1. laws.gov.ag/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/a2013-14.pdf
  2. laws.gov.ag/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/a2013-10.pdf
  3. oas.org/juridico/spanish/cyb_ant_computer_misuse_2006.pdf
  4. itu.int/en/ITU-D/Cybersecurity/Documents/Country_Profiles/Antigua_Barbuda.pdf
  5. itu.int/en/ITU-D/Cybersecurity/Documents/GCIv5/2401416_1b_Global-Cybersecurit
  6. cybilportal.org/projects/antigua-and-barbuda-cirt-assessment/
  7. dig.watch/resource/antigua-and-barbudas-electronic-crimes-act-2013
  8. coe.int/en/web/octopus/-/antigua-and-barbuda
  9. antigua.news/2024/04/03/antigua-and-barbuda-hosts-regional-cybersecurity-exercise-
  10. itu.int/en/mediacentre/Pages/PR-2024-09-10-Global-Cybersecurity-Index.aspx
  11. oas.org/MFCS/CountryDetail.aspx?Lang=ENG&Country=AG

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Orientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 24 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026