Online safety & content laws in Burkina Faso (2026)

The junta has imposed repeated internet shutdowns and blocked Facebook citing 'national security.' By 2024 Burkina Faso was counted among roughly 70 countries globally that have restricted social media access, with Access Now and Internet Society Pulse documenting multiple disruption events since 2021.

As of April 2024, the transitional authorities had banned 13 international outlets (including France 24, Le Monde, Libération, and nine news websites blocked in a single 48-hour period after coverage of a Human Rights Watch report), with RSF documenting systematic blocking at ISP level.

The Transitional Legislative Assembly (ALT) unanimously adopted Law n°014-2024 on 9 July 2024, creating a legal framework for protecting public and private information systems and reinforcing the mandate of ANSSI. An implementing decree was adopted in March 2025. The law does not establish content-moderation duties for online platforms.

Law n°040-2017/AN of 29 June 2017 introduced special cybercrime investigative techniques including telecommunications interception, pseudonymous investigations, and computer-data capture. It does not impose obligations on platforms but gives authorities broad surveillance powers online, consistent with the Council of Europe GLACY+ programme.

Law n°010-2004 of 20 April 2004 on personal data protection established the Commission de l'Informatique et des Libertés (CIL) as the independent supervisory authority. The law is under government review for alignment with AU Convention 108+ standards; a revised text had not been enacted as of mid-2025.

A November 2023 law restructured the Superior Council for Communication (CSC), increasing executive influence over broadcast licensing and content oversight. RSF flagged the reform as undermining press independence; journalists report widespread self-censorship, and the CSC has issued directives prohibiting publication of security-related information or criticism of the head of state.