Online safety & content laws in Equatorial Guinea (2026)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.