Internet & Online Safety · Maldives
Online safety & content laws in Maldives (2026)
Maldives shaded by its internet & online safety status
The Maldives operates a partial and increasingly restrictive online content regulation regime built around administrative website-blocking by the Communications Authority of Maldives and, since September 2025, the newly enacted Media and Broadcasting Regulation Act (Act No. 16/2025), which created a consolidated regulator with powers to fine, suspend, and order website blocks. There is no comprehensive online safety framework comparable to the EU Digital Services Act or UK Online Safety Act, no platform-liability regime, and no mandatory age-verification rules; a dedicated Cybersecurity Bill remains in draft form awaiting parliamentary submission in 2026.
Key points
Act No. 16/2025, ratified by President Muizzu on 18 September 2025, consolidates oversight of broadcast and online media under a new Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission. The Commission may impose fines up to MVR 100,000, temporarily cancel media registrations without prior investigation, and order websites blocked or broadcasts halted during proceedings. It replaces the former Maldives Media Council and Maldives Broadcasting Commission.
The Communications Authority of Maldives (CAM) blocks websites on government instruction with no requirement for judicial pre-authorisation. Pornographic content is banned outright; sites deemed anti-Islamic are blocked on request from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs; and critical news outlets were temporarily blocked in December 2023, drawing public backlash.
UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk called for repeal of Act No. 16/2025, stating it 'undermines media freedom and the right to freedom of expression' and is incompatible with ICCPR Article 19 due to overly broad content restrictions and powers to revoke journalist credentials and outlet licences. Human Rights Watch similarly documented authorities tightening grip on media in the lead-up to the law.
The Maldives has a Computer Crimes Act in force criminalising unauthorised access, data interference, and related offences. Parliament revisited a Cybercrime Amendment Bill in 2025 to address escalating digital threats; the amendment process was ongoing as of late 2025.
A draft Cybersecurity Bill underwent government consultation in 2025, developed with NCIT and the UNDP DMED project. It proposes establishing a National Cybersecurity Agency (NCSA) and a Cyber Security Incident Response Team (MV-CSIRT). The bill was slated for submission to the People's Majlis in the first parliamentary session of 2026.
The Maldives has no DSA- or OSA-style platform liability framework requiring social media or hosting services to systematically moderate user-generated content, nor any mandatory age-verification obligations for online services. Content regulation operates primarily through CAM administrative blocking and the 2025 media licensing regime rather than obligations imposed on platforms.
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