Online safety & content laws in Côte d'Ivoire (2026)

Legal framework

Law n° 2013-451 on Cybercrime (as amended 2023), Law n° 2024-352 on Electronic Communications, Ordinance n° 2024-950 on Securing the Digital Space; regulated by ARTCI and ANSSI

Key points: internet & online safety in Côte d'Ivoire

1. 01Core cybercrime law

   Law n° 2013-451 of 19 June 2013 criminalises offences against the confidentiality, integrity and availability of systems, child sexual abuse material (Articles 15-18), fraud, and sets out ISP responsibilities and digital-evidence procedures.

   tresor.gouv.ci coe.int

2. 022023 cybercrime amendment

   Law n° 2023-593 of 7 June 2023 stiffened penalties for CSAM (up to 6 years / 40 million FCFA), created new offences for dissemination of hateful or discriminatory content via information systems (1-20 years imprisonment depending on severity), and strengthened intellectual-property enforcement online.

   loidici.biz wearetech.africa

3. 032024 digital-space security ordinance

   Ordinance n° 2024-950 of 30 October 2024 (ratified by National Assembly on 24 April 2025) modernises the digital security framework and transfers network-security, system-audit, and certification powers from ARTCI to the specialist ANSSI (Agence Nationale de la Sécurité des Systèmes d'Information).

   wearetech.africa anssi.gouv.ci

4. 04Electronic communications licensing

   Law n° 2024-352 of 6 June 2024 on electronic communications requires any public internet-access provider to obtain an individual licence or general authorisation from ARTCI before operating, tightening oversight of the access layer.

   telecom.gouv.ci artci.ci

5. 05Regulatory bodies and cybercrime unit

   ARTCI is the primary telecom/ICT regulator and personal-data protection authority; ANSSI (operationalised under the 2021-2025 National Cybersecurity Strategy) handles information-system security; the Plateforme de Lutte contre la Cybercriminalité (PLCC), created 2011, conducts cybercrime investigations and public awareness campaigns.

   artci.ci dig.watch

6. 06Gaps: platform liability and age verification

   ARTCI itself has acknowledged that existing frameworks lack specificity on digital harassment, misinformation, and platform-level content moderation. No comprehensive platform-liability regime or statutory age-verification requirement for social media has been enacted as of May 2026; the government's #EnligneTousResponsables campaign (launched June 2024) addresses awareness rather than enforceable platform obligations.

   coe.int communication.gouv.ci

Timeline of decisions

1. 7 Jun 2023Law · official
   Law No. 2023-593 doubles cybercrime penalties and criminalises online hate speech

   Amending six articles of the 2013 Cybercrime Law, this law doubled maximum prison sentences for ICT-facilitated violations of human dignity, honour, and intellectual property, raised fines for child pornography possession (up to 40 million CFA francs), and explicitly criminalised the distribution of racist or xenophobic content via information systems (up to 20 years imprisonment). It marked a significant toughening of online content regulation.

   ANSSI Côte d'Ivoire

2. 2 Sept 2015Decision · official
   ARTCI creates Advisory Committee for Digital Confidence (CCCN)

   ARTCI Decision No. 2015-0074 established the Comité Consultatif pour la Confiance Numérique (CCCN), giving technical experts and civil-society representatives a formal advisory role on network security, cybercrime, and electronic-transaction safety issues. It was the first institutionalised multi-stakeholder body in Côte d'Ivoire's digital-safety governance.

   ARTCI

Sources

1. 1.tresor.gouv.ci/tres/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2013-451-cybercriminalite.pdf
2. 2.loidici.biz/2023/10/22/loi-n-2023-593-du-7-juin-2023-modifiant-les-articles-17-33
3. 3.wearetech.africa/fr/fils/actualites/tech/cybersecurite-la-cote-d-ivoire-adopte-un-nouv
4. 4.wearetech.africa/fr/fils/actualites/gestion-publique/la-cote-divoire-durcit-sa-loi-sur
5. 5.anssi.gouv.ci/reglementations/textes-nationaux/lois/
6. 6.artci.ci/index.php/textes-de-reference/lois.html
7. 7.telecom.gouv.ci/new/index.php/actualite/72
8. 8.dig.watch/resource/ivory-coasts-cybersecurity-strategy-2021-2025
9. 9.coe.int/en/web/octopus/-/cote-ivoire
10. 10.artci.ci/index.php/secteurs-regules/protection-des-donnees.html
11. 11.coe.int/en/web/octopus/country-wiki1/-/asset_publisher/hFPA5fbKjyCJ/content/i
12. 12.communication.gouv.ci/actualite/122