Online safety & content laws in Equatorial Guinea (2026)
Online safety rules in Equatorial Guinea: heavy restriction.
Equatorial Guinea operates one of Africa's most repressive digital environments, routinely blocking opposition and independent-media websites, banning WhatsApp multimedia content over mobile data, and imposing targeted internet shutdowns, most notably a prolonged shutdown on Annobón Island from August 2024. No comprehensive online-safety or platform-liability law analogous to the EU DSA or UK OSA is in force; a draft cybercrime bill that also governs social media use was advancing through parliament in April 2024 but its final enactment is unconfirmed in available official sources as of mid-2026.
Legal framework
Penal Code and Telecommunications Law (existing); draft Cybercrime and Cybersecurity Law under parliamentary process as of April 2024; internet access controlled through executive/administrative orders
Key points: internet & online safety in Equatorial Guinea
Website blocking
At least 20 websites are routinely blocked by government order, including Facebook, Twitter, and independent diaspora outlets such as Diario Rombe, Radio Macuto, and EG Justice that are critical of the Obiang administration.
WhatsApp multimedia ban
Telecommunications providers were directed to block multimedia content downloads on WhatsApp over mobile data, forcing users to rely on scarce satellite connections to share images and video.
Annobón Island shutdown
A targeted internet shutdown was imposed on Annobón Island in August 2024 following protests against environmental damage from a Moroccan construction company; it lasted at least 14 months, disrupting hospital and banking services and forcing some of the island's ~5,000 residents to leave.
Draft cybercrime law
In April 2024, the parliament's legislative commission accepted articles defining computer crimes, cybercrime offences (including unauthorised system access, identity impersonation, and threats to state sovereignty), and associated penalties; the bill also governs social media use, but full enactment is not confirmed in available sources.
State media monopoly and criminalised press
All domestic media is government-controlled; press offences are criminalised under the Penal Code, defamation suits are routine tools of suppression, and Reporters Without Borders ranked Equatorial Guinea 127th on its 2024 World Press Freedom Index.
Regional cybersecurity frameworks
Equatorial Guinea is a member of ECCAS, which has adopted a regional model cybersecurity law, and is eligible to ratify the African Union Malabo Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection, though ratification status is not confirmed.
Sources
- cybafrique.substack.com/p/equatorial-guinea-is-curbing-access
- egjustice.org/content/equatorial-guinea-ensure-media-freedom
- cipesa.org/tag/equatorial-guinea-internet-block/
- pulse.internetsociety.org/en/shutdowns/internet-suspended-in-annobon-equatorial-guinea-august-2
- accessnow.org/press-release/africa-keepiton-internet-shutdowns-2024/
- african.business/2024/04/apo-newsfeed/equatorial-guinea-adoption-of-articles-defining-
- itweb.africa/article/equatorial-guinea-edges-closer-to-passing-cybercrimes-law/o1J
- telecompaper.com/news/equatorial-guinea-set-to-enact-cybercrimes-law--1496639
- rsf.org/en/country/equatorial-guinea
- diplomacy.edu/blog/what-is-the-malabo-convention/
- diplomacy.edu/resource/report-stronger-digital-voices-from-africa/cybersecurity-cyb
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_Equatorial_Guinea
Next for Equatorial Guinea: CybersecurityProposed
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