Online safety & content laws in Brunei (2026)

Legal framework

Multiple overlapping instruments: Computer Misuse Act (Cap. 194, 2007), Telecommunications Order 2001, Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification 2001 (Internet Code of Practice), Cybersecurity Act (Cap. 272, enacted 2023, revised 2024); overseen by AITI and a multi-agency Content Advisory Council (CAC)

Key points: internet & online safety in Brunei

1. 01Content Advisory Council (CAC)

   A multi-agency body co-secretariated by AITI and the Prime Minister's Office oversees content regulation across internet and social media platforms, coordinating enforcement among government agencies and monitoring content distributed online for material contrary to public interest, national harmony, and social morals.

   aiti.gov.bn

2. 02Internet Code of Practice

   All ISPs and Internet Content Providers licensed under the Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification 2001 must comply with the Internet Code of Practice, which requires them to self-censor prohibited content and reserves the right to terminate access without prior notice. The Attorney General's Chambers and AITI jointly advise providers to proactively monitor hosted content.

   aiti.gov.bn agc.gov.bn

3. 03Active website blocking

   As of early 2025, authorities had legally blocked 135 websites over the preceding five years for containing immoral elements or violating the Internet Code of Practice, and a further 82 fraudulent websites and 557 phone numbers had been blocked since 2024 to combat online scams.

   freedomhouse.org monitor.civicus.org

4. 04Computer Misuse Act (Cap. 194, 2007)

   Criminalises unauthorised access to and modification of computer material, unauthorised use or interception of computer services, unauthorised obstruction of computers, and unauthorised disclosure of access codes; forms the primary cybercrime enforcement statute.

   agc.gov.bn

5. 05Cybersecurity Act (Cap. 272, 2024)

   Enacted as the Cybersecurity Order on 20 May 2023 and revised as Chapter 272 in 2024, the Act establishes a framework for national cybersecurity oversight, regulates owners of critical information infrastructure (CII), and mandates incident reporting and preventive measures; administered by Cyber Security Brunei (CSB).

   csb.gov.bn csb.gov.bn

6. 06No free-expression safeguards; criminal speech offences

   Brunei's constitution contains no provision protecting freedom of speech. Publishing content that undermines the national philosophy (Malay Islamic Monarchy concept) carries up to three years' imprisonment; journalists face up to five years for posts deemed malicious. There are no platform-liability safe-harbour or age-verification rules in force.

   freedomhouse.org monitor.civicus.org rsf.org

Timeline of decisions

1. 4 Jun 2025Guidance
   AITI Launches Waspada.bn, Brunei's First National Fact-Checking Platform

   AITI, jointly with the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications, and the Royal Brunei Police Force, launched Waspada.bn via Instagram to let the public verify social-media information and report digital scams. The platform is the first coordinated multi-agency anti-misinformation tool in Brunei and is slated to expand into a full website by early 2026.

   Borneo Bulletin

2. 13 Dec 2019Enforcement
   First High-Profile Online-Speech Conviction: Shahiran Sentenced for Facebook Post

   A Brunei court convicted Shahiransheriffuddin bin Shahrani Muhammad in absentia to 18 months' imprisonment under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act for a 2017 Facebook post criticising the Ministry of Religious Affairs' halal-certification regulation. The case confirmed that social-media commentary critical of government policy can attract criminal sedition charges and set a chilling-effect precedent for online expression.

   CIVICUS Monitor

3. 1 Jan 2001Law · official
   Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification 2001, ISPs Brought Under Internet Content Code

   Under the Broadcasting Act (Chapter 180), this notification made all ISPs and Internet Content Providers subject to a mandatory Code of Practice requiring them to monitor and remove content contrary to public interest, national harmony, and social morals. It was the first binding content-moderation obligation placed on internet intermediaries in Brunei, establishing a model of proactive ISP liability for online content.

   Attorney General's Chambers, Brunei Darussalam

Sources

1. 1.aiti.gov.bn/regulatory/content-regulation/
2. 2.agc.gov.bn/AGC%20Images/LOB/pdf/Computer%20Misuse.pdf
3. 3.agc.gov.bn/AGC%20Images/LOB/Order/MNOP/Telecommunication%20Order,%202001.pdf
4. 4.csb.gov.bn/cybersecurity-act-chapter-272
5. 5.csb.gov.bn/sites/default/files/downloads/CybersecurityAct/CAP_272_CYBERSECURITY_
6. 6.freedomhouse.org/country/brunei/freedom-world/2025
7. 7.monitor.civicus.org/explore/brunei-strict-controls-of-the-media-internet-freedom-and-the-
8. 8.rsf.org/en/country/brunei