Online safety & content laws in Lebanon (2026)

Enacted October 2018, Law No. 81 on Electronic Transactions and Personal Data is Lebanon's primary digital law. Articles 125–126 authorise courts to order website blocking and account suspension for offences including terrorism, child pornography, gambling, fraud, and money laundering; the public prosecutor may also suspend services for up to 30 days.

The ISF Cybercrime and Intellectual Property Rights Bureau, established by a 2006 internal memorandum (not by law or decree), investigates online offences and executes blocking orders. Its ambiguous legal basis has drawn criticism from civil society as enabling extrajudicial censorship and targeting of journalists, bloggers, and activists.

A 2016 Court of Cassation ruling placed speech on social media under the jurisdiction of the Penal Code rather than the Publications Law, exposing online expression to broader criminal liability. Journalists, activists, and ordinary users continue to be summoned and prosecuted for posts critical of political or religious figures.

Blocking is executed through OGERO (the state fixed-line operator) upon Ministry of Telecommunications orders following court rulings. Sites and apps blocked at various points include Grindr, pornographic content, Wix (a 2018 court order still in force), and WhatsApp (temporarily). LGBTQ+ platforms face particular targeting.

Lebanon has no dedicated platform-liability framework, no mandatory content-moderation obligations on online platforms, and no enacted age-verification legislation for online services. A comprehensive data protection authority also remains un-established despite the 2018 law envisaging one.

The 2024–2025 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah caused significant damage to Lebanon's telecommunications infrastructure, disrupting internet access for large portions of the population. Freedom House scored Lebanon 50/100 ('Partly Free') in Freedom on the Net 2025, citing crackdowns on critics, disinformation by political actors, and spyware targeting journalists.