Online safety & content laws in Ethiopia (2026)

Legal framework

Computer Crime Proclamation No. 958/2016; Hate Speech and Disinformation Prevention and Suppression Proclamation No. 1185/2020; Media Proclamation No. 1238/2021; Personal Data Protection Proclamation No. 1321/2024, overseen by the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA), Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA), and Information Network Security Agency (INSA)

Key points: internet & online safety in Ethiopia

1. 01Computer Crime Proclamation 2016

   Proclamation No. 958/2016, in force since 2016, criminalises online dissemination of obscene, threatening, or violence-inciting content and mandates that service providers notify INSA and police upon discovering illegal content; defamation online carries up to 10 years' imprisonment.

   digitalpolicyalert.org article19.org

2. 02Hate Speech & Disinformation Proclamation 2020

   Proclamation No. 1185/2020 (in force March 2020) imposes platform liability: social media providers must remove flagged hate speech or disinformation within 24 hours of notification and maintain internal compliance policies; accounts with over 5,000 followers face up to three years' imprisonment for violations.

   digitalpolicyalert.org cipesa.org

3. 03Media Proclamation & online licensing

   Media Proclamation No. 1238/2021 defines 'online media' as a licensed category regulated by the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA); April 2025 parliamentary amendments transferred key EMA oversight powers, including appointment of the Director-General, from the EMA board to the executive, raising press-freedom concerns.

   lexafrica.com hrw.org

4. 04Personal Data Protection Proclamation 2024

   Proclamation No. 1321/2024, adopted April 2024, designates the ECA as data protection authority, grants individuals rights of access, rectification, and erasure, mandates 72-hour breach notification, and imposes data-localisation requirements restricting cross-border transfers to countries with equivalent protections.

   digitalpolicyalert.org dlapiperdataprotection.com

5. 05Pervasive internet shutdowns

   Ethiopia has imposed at least 30 internet shutdowns in a decade; the Amhara Region experienced a near-total blackout from August 2023 to July 2024 tied to armed conflict, while localised shutdowns in Oromia Region continued through 2025; a national five-month social media block (Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, YouTube, Instagram) ran from February to July 2023.

   addisstandard.com freedomhouse.org pulse.internetsociety.org

6. 06Freedom House rating & no age-verification regime

   Freedom House's Freedom on the Net 2025 report rates Ethiopia 'Not Free,' scoring it among the lowest in Africa; no dedicated age-verification or child online protection statute exists as a standalone law, child-safety provisions are confined to Computer Crime Proclamation Article 3's prohibition on child sexual abuse material.

   freedomhouse.org ecoi.net

Timeline of decisions

1. 14 Jul 2024Decision
   Internet Restored Across Amhara Region After ~11-Month Blackout

   Mobile internet services were gradually restored in 19 cities in Amhara region — including Bahir Dar, Gondar and Dessie — ending an 11-month shutdown imposed since August 2023. Connection speeds remained slow and inconsistent; the blackout had ranked Ethiopia second globally in internet-shutdown economic losses (est. $1.9 billion for 2023 per Top10VPN).

   Internet Society Pulse

2. 9 Feb 2023Incident
   5-Month Nationwide Social Media Block Over Orthodox Church Crisis

   Authorities blocked Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Telegram and YouTube across Ethiopia following tensions involving the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church; YouTube was added the next day. The shutdown lasted approximately five months and cost the economy an estimated $140 million, marking Ethiopia's eleventh forced internet disruption since 2015.

   OONI

3. 23 Mar 2020Law · official
   Hate Speech and Disinformation Prevention and Suppression Proclamation No. 1185/2020 Enacted

   Ethiopia's parliament passed the country's first dedicated law targeting online hate speech and disinformation, triggered by deadly inter-ethnic violence linked to viral social-media content. Platforms must remove flagged content within 24 hours and develop internal compliance policies; the Ethiopian Broadcast Authority oversees enforcement. Human-rights groups warned the broad definitions risk suppressing legitimate speech and journalism.

   Ethiopian Ministry of Justice

4. 1 Sept 2012Law · official
   Telecom Fraud Offence Proclamation No. 761/2012 — VoIP Criminalised, Surveillance Formalised

   The law criminalised the use of VoIP services (Skype, Google Talk) and extended the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation's reach to electronic communications, making intercepted digital evidence expressly admissible in court. Press-freedom groups condemned it as extending the state's online surveillance powers far beyond fraud prevention.

   Federal Supreme Court of Ethiopia — Digital Law Library

Sources

1. 1.digitalpolicyalert.org/event/28273-computer-crime-proclamation-no-9582016-including-content-
2. 2.digitalpolicyalert.org/event/27551-ethiopian-parliament-adopts-hate-speech-and-disinformatio
3. 3.digitalpolicyalert.org/digest/dpa-digital-digest-ethiopia
4. 4.lexafrica.com/2025/12/ethiopian-media-law/
5. 5.freedomhouse.org/country/ethiopia/freedom-net/2025
6. 6.cipesa.org/2020/07/ethiopias-new-hate-speech-and-disinformation-law-weighs-heavi
7. 7.addisstandard.com/internet-services-resume-across-amhara-region-after-near-year-long-sh
8. 8.article19.org/resources/ethiopia-computer-crime-proclamation/
9. 9.hrw.org/news/2025/12/15/another-blow-to-media-freedom-in-ethiopia
10. 10.ecoi.net/en/document/2133557.html
11. 11.dlapiperdataprotection.com/index.html?t=law&c=ET
12. 12.pulse.internetsociety.org/en/shutdowns/shutdown-141/