Internet & Online Safety · Malta
Online safety in Malta: the EU Digital Services Act (2026)
Malta shaded by its internet & online safety status
Online safety rules in Malta: comprehensive law, under EU Digital Services Act (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065) as directly applicable law; implemented nationally by the Digital Services (Designation and Enforcement) Order (Subsidiary Legislation 418.05, in force 12 March 2024); enforced by the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) as Malta's designated Digital Services Coordinator (DSC)..
Malta applies the EU Digital Services Act in full, with the Malta Communications Authority designated as the national Digital Services Coordinator responsible for supervising intermediary-service providers established in Malta, handling complaints, and participating in the European Digital Services Board. Nationally, Malta enacted specific cyberstalking and cyberbullying criminal offences in 2025 and ratified the Budapest Convention's First Additional Protocol on online hate speech. A government green paper launched in late 2025 opened public consultation on mandatory age-verification for social media and broader children's online-safety reforms, but no national age-verification statute has yet been enacted.
The Digital Services Act in Malta
In Malta, online platforms and intermediaries are governed by the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), a directly-applicable regulation covering illegal content, transparency and user protection.
- Framework
- the EU Digital Services Act (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065)
- Approach
- notice-and-action on illegal content, transparency reporting, clear terms, and protection of minors
- Applies to
- online intermediaries, hosting services and platforms offering services to users in Malta, wherever established
- Very large platforms
- platforms and search engines with 45M+ EU users face extra systemic-risk audits, overseen by the European Commission
- Maximum fine
- up to 6% of global annual turnover
- Oversight
- the national Digital Services Coordinator, plus the European Commission for very large platforms
The DSA is an EU regulation applied directly in Malta; the national Digital Services Coordinator handles day-to-day supervision.
The Digital Services Act in Malta: FAQ
Yes. As an EU member, Malta is covered by the EU Digital Services Act (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065), which applies directly.
Notice-and-action mechanisms for illegal content, transparency reporting, clear terms of service, and measures to protect minors.
The national Digital Services Coordinator, with the European Commission supervising very large online platforms and search engines.
Up to 6% of a provider's global annual turnover for serious breaches.
Key points
The EU DSA (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065) is directly applicable in Malta and constitutes the comprehensive content-moderation and platform-liability framework. It requires intermediary services to remove illegal content, publish transparency reports, conduct systemic-risk assessments (for Very Large Online Platforms/VLOSEs), and provide user-redress mechanisms.
The Digital Services (Designation and Enforcement) Order (SL 418.05) came into force on 12 March 2024, formally designating the MCA as Malta's DSC and requiring all hosting providers established in Malta to register with the MCA. The MCA published its first DSC Annual Activity Report covering 2024.
New Maltese legislation enacted in 2025 made cyberstalking and cyberbullying specific criminal offences carrying penalties of one to five years' imprisonment and fines up to €30,000, extending existing harassment provisions explicitly to electronic communications.
On 4 June 2025 Malta deposited its instrument of ratification of the First Additional Protocol to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, criminalising racist and xenophobic content disseminated through computer systems and strengthening the legal basis for tackling online hate speech.
The Maltese government published a Green Paper on Social Media Reform in December 2025, opening a public consultation on mandatory age-verification for social media platforms and possible restrictions on under-16 access. A technical committee established in October 2025 is preparing legislative recommendations; no binding statute had been enacted as of early 2026, but general public support was reported in January 2026.
The Malta Safer Internet Centre's online illegal-content hotline was granted trusted-flagger status by the MCA under Article 22 of the DSA, giving it a privileged channel to flag illegal material to online platforms for expedited removal.
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