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Online safety & content laws in Papua New Guinea (2026)

Online safety rules in Papua New Guinea: partial.

Papua New Guinea's online safety regime is anchored by the Cybercrime Code Act 2016, which criminalises a broad range of online conduct including cyberbullying and electronic defamation (up to 25 years' imprisonment), but no comprehensive dedicated online-safety law analogous to the EU DSA or UK OSA is in force. The government has issued executive-level directives to block harmful and pornographic content, and is consulting on a Social Media Policy 2025 that would mandate biometric age-verification via a national digital-ID for platform access, but formal legislation has not yet passed. In March 2025 Facebook was briefly blocked by police using the Anti-Terrorism Act 2024, without notifying the ICT regulator, drawing parliamentary censure.

Last verified Official sources first · MethodologyCompare Papua New Guinea with other countries

Legal framework

Cybercrime Code Act 2016 (No. 35 of 2016); National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA); NEC Decision (September 2023) on harmful-website blocking; proposed Social Media Policy 2025

Key points: internet & online safety in Papua New Guinea

  1. Cybercrime Code Act 2016

    The primary in-force instrument criminalising online conduct: unauthorised access, hacking, identity theft, cyberbullying, and electronic defamation (Section 21(2), penalty up to 25 years or K1 million fine). The Supreme Court upheld the Act's constitutionality in August 2024, rejecting a freedom-of-expression challenge.

    parliament.gov.pg monitor.civicus.org

  2. NEC harmful-content blocking directive

    The National Executive Council decided in September 2023 to block pornographic and harmful websites. In May 2026, the Acting ICT Minister directed NICTA to fully implement this decision within 30 days, extending obligations to ISPs, resellers, and Low-Earth-Orbit satellite operators; non-compliance triggers enforcement under Section 244 of the NICT Act.

    onepng.com thenational.com.pg

  3. Social Media Policy 2025 & age-verification proposal

    The government released a draft Social Media Policy 2025 proposing to require users aged 14+ to register via the SevisPass biometric digital-ID before accessing platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and X. Formal legislation had not passed as of early 2026; government was in consultation with Meta on age-verification implementation.

    biometricupdate.com aa.com.tr

  4. Facebook block via Anti-Terrorism Act 2024

    On 25 March 2025 police blocked Facebook for approximately one day using the Counter-Terrorism Act 2024, citing disinformation concerns, without notifying NICTA or the ICT Minister. The Parliamentary Committee on Communications subsequently summoned the Police Commissioner, NICTA CEO, and DICT Secretary, and stated it would not support outright social-media bans.

    devpolicy.org parliament.gov.pg

  5. NICTA as converged ICT regulator

    NICTA, established under the NICT Act and operating since 2010, is the sole converged regulator for ICT licensing and compliance, including internet safety. It facilitates the PNG Safer Internet Committee (PNGSIC) and administers cybercrime and cybersecurity functions; enforcement powers include show-cause notices and licence penalties.

    nicta.gov.pg nicta.gov.pg

  6. Platform-liability & registration gap

    No platform-liability or content-moderation duty-of-care framework equivalent to the EU DSA currently exists. The proposed Social Media Policy 2025 would require platforms to register locally and cooperate with age-verification, but this has not been legislated; platforms currently face no statutory takedown or transparency obligations.

    biometricupdate.com lowyinstitute.org

Sources

  1. parliament.gov.pg/index.php/bills-and-legislation/view/cybercrime-code-act-2016
  2. nicta.gov.pg/about-us/who-are-we/
  3. nicta.gov.pg/regulatory/internet/cybercrime-cybersecurity/
  4. onepng.com/2026/05/png-ict-minister-orders-urgent-action.html
  5. biometricupdate.com/202412/papua-new-guinea-to-ban-social-media-for-youth-require-age-ver
  6. devpolicy.org/silenced-nation-the-unprecedented-facebook-shutdown-in-png-20250328/
  7. parliament.gov.pg/index.php/news/view/the-permanent-parliamentary-committee-on-communic
  8. monitor.civicus.org/explore/papua-new-guinea-cybercrime-law-used-to-criminalise-expressio
  9. lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/developing-png-s-cybercrime-policy-local-contexts-glo
  10. thenational.com.pg/x-rated-sites-to-be-blocked-nicta-given-30-days-to-block-harmful-inte
  11. aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/papua-new-guinea-mulls-age-restrictions-on-social-med

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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