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Data protection & privacy law in Eritrea (2026)

Data protection in Eritrea: no framework.

Eritrea has no comprehensive, sector-specific, or proposed personal data-protection legislation as of May 2026. The 1997 Constitution's Article 18 guarantees a general right to privacy and inviolability of communications, but no statute operationalises data-protection rights or obligations. UNCTAD's Global Cyberlaw Tracker lists Eritrea among the small group of countries that lack even a draft data-protection bill.

Last verified Official sources first · MethodologyCompare Eritrea with other countries

Legal framework

No data protection law exists; the sole relevant protection is Article 18 of the 1997 Constitution (general right to privacy). No dedicated supervisory authority.

Key points: data & privacy in Eritrea

  1. Constitutional privacy right

    Article 18 of the Constitution of Eritrea (adopted 23 May 1997) guarantees every person the right to privacy and protects against unreasonable interference with communications, correspondence and property. It is a foundational but unenforced privacy norm with no implementing statute.

    constituteproject.org faolex.fao.org

  2. No data-protection statute

    Eritrea has enacted no standalone data-protection or privacy law. Personal data is not defined in law, and there are no statutory requirements governing collection, processing, or retention of personal data.

    dataprotection.africa unctad.org

  3. No draft or proposed legislation

    UNCTAD's Global Cyberlaw Tracker identifies Eritrea as one of a small number of countries worldwide that lack even a draft data-protection bill, placing it in the most undeveloped tier globally.

    unctad.org unctad.org

  4. No supervisory authority

    There is no dedicated, independent data-protection authority in Eritrea. No government body has a formal mandate to receive complaints, conduct investigations, or enforce data-protection obligations.

    dataprotection.africa dataguidance.com

  5. No cross-border data transfer rules

    Eritrea imposes no legal restrictions on cross-border transfers of personal data, as no overarching data-protection framework exists to regulate such flows.

    dataprotection.africa

  6. Regional context

    Across Africa roughly 50% of countries have enacted data-protection legislation (per UNCTAD), yet Eritrea remains among the minority with no law or draft. The African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo Convention) has not been meaningfully advanced by Eritrea.

    unctad.org dataprotection.africa

Sources

  1. constituteproject.org/constitution/Eritrea_1997
  2. faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/eri129683.pdf
  3. dataprotection.africa/eritrea/
  4. unctad.org/page/data-protection-and-privacy-legislation-worldwide
  5. unctad.org/news/data-and-privacy-unprotected-one-third-countries-despite-progres
  6. dataguidance.com/jurisdictions/eritrea
  7. dataprotection.africa/which-african-countries-have-a-data-protection-law/

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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