Online safety & content laws in Chile (2026)
Online safety rules in Chile: partial.
Chile is rated one of the world's freest online environments (Freedom House score 86/100, 2024) with no state censorship and no comprehensive platform-regulation law equivalent to the EU DSA or UK OSA. Existing platform liability is conditional: ISPs and platforms are shielded from liability for third-party content unless they fail to comply with a court removal order within the required timeframe. A cluster of proposed legislation working through Congress in 2025-2026 would create duties around content transparency, appeals, minors' access to social media, and algorithmic disclosure, but none has been enacted yet.
Legal framework
No comprehensive online-safety act in force; existing rules derive from conditional intermediary-liability doctrine (Law 19.733 / civil-code jurisprudence), the Framework Cybersecurity Law (Ley 21.663, in force January 2025), and the new Data Protection Law (Ley 21.719, enacted December 2024). Multiple bills, including a broad digital-platforms bill (Boletín 14.561-19) and two minors-online-protection bills, are advancing through Congress as of mid-2026.
Key points: internet & online safety in Chile
Internet freedom & no censorship
Freedom House's Freedom on the Net 2024 report rated Chile Free with a score of 86/100, tying with Canada as the third-freest online environment globally. Authorities do not block or filter political, social, or religious content, and infrastructure is open.
Conditional intermediary liability
Under existing law, ISPs and digital platforms bear no liability for user-generated content unless they fail to comply with a binding court order to remove it within the specified deadline. There is no notice-and-takedown regime imposing proactive content-moderation duties.
Cybersecurity Framework Law in force (2025)
Ley Marco de Ciberseguridad (Law 21.663) entered into force on 1 January 2025, establishing the autonomous National Cybersecurity Agency (ANCI) to regulate and supervise cybersecurity standards for operators of critical services, both public and private. This is the primary in-force digital-regulation milestone.
New Data Protection Law (effective 2026)
Law 21.719, published December 2024, modernises Chile's privacy framework along GDPR lines and introduces a children/adolescent distinction requiring parental consent for processing data of those aged 16 and under. Full compliance obligations take effect in December 2026.
Digital-platforms bill (proposed, Senate stage)
Bill 14.561-19, introduced in 2021 and approved in general by the Senate in August 2025, would require large platforms operating in Chile to maintain a local legal representative, disclose content-moderation criteria, provide users an appeal mechanism against removals, and explain algorithmic curation. It remains in detailed committee debate as of mid-2026.
Minors-protection bills (proposed, 2026)
At least two parallel bills introduced in early-to-mid 2026 would restrict under-16 access to social networks, live-streaming platforms, AI chatbots, gambling sites, and adult-content services. The government's 'Entornos Digitales Seguros' bill and the cross-party 'Protección Digital Infantil' bill both impose platform obligations including age-verification duties, complaint channels, and time-limited investigations, but neither is yet law.
Timeline of decisions
- Law · officialLaw 20.526 Criminalises Online Grooming of Minors
Law 20.526 amended Article 366 quáter of the Penal Code to criminalise grooming, exposing children aged 14 or under to sexual acts or pornographic material for the offender's or a third party's gratification, explicitly covering conduct carried out through digital and online means.
Council of Europe — Cyberviolence Country Wiki
Sources
- freedomhouse.org/country/chile/freedom-net/2024
- loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2025-01-30/chile-framework-law-on-cybersecu
- fpf.org/blog/chiles-new-data-protection-law-context-overview-and-key-takeaway
- clydeco.com/en/insights/2025/02/chile-new-data-protection-and-cybersecurity-legis
- globalnetworkinitiative.org/chile-digital-platforms-bill/
- votovisible.cl/proyectos/14785-24
- whitecase.com/publications/insight/latin-america-focus-fall-2022-intermediary-liabi
- eldinamo.cl/politica/2026/05/06/proteccion-digital-infantil-en-que-consiste-el-pr
- elmostrador.cl/datos-utiles/2026/03/02/como-funciona-el-proyecto-de-ley-que-busca-pr
- eldinamo.cl/pais/2026/04/27/con-exigencias-a-las-companias-el-proyecto-del-gobier
Next for Chile: CybersecurityComprehensive law
Next topicOrientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 24 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026