Online safety & content laws in Mongolia (2026)

The Communications Regulatory Commission (CRC), established under the Communications Act 2001, is the main authority overseeing internet services, spectrum, and digital content. A 2011 CRC regulation ('General Conditions and Requirements on Digital Content') restricts obscene content and requires popular websites to expose users' IP addresses; a 2014 order prohibited use of up to 774 words or phrases on domestic websites.

Parliament adopted the Law on Cyber Security on 17 December 2021, establishing legal principles for cybersecurity operations, mandating risk assessments and audits for critical information infrastructure operators, and creating an incident-response framework. It does not constitute a comprehensive online-safety or content-moderation regime.

Parliament passed the 'Law on Protecting Human Rights on Social Media' on 20 January 2023, which would have authorised the Interior Minister to shut down the internet, banned posting about officials without consent, and allowed inspection of any online group of more than three people. President Khurelsukh vetoed it on 27 January 2023 on constitutional grounds; on 17 March 2023, approximately 89% of parliament voted to accept the veto, killing the bill. Parliament instructed the government to redraft legislation following proper consultative process.

A new Press Freedom Bill was submitted to parliament in late January 2025 (replacing the 1998 law) and remained under parliamentary discussion as of early 2026. The bill aims to prohibit censorship, protect confidential sources, and ban government positions created to intimidate journalists; it does not constitute a standalone online-safety law, but its passage would affect the broader online expression framework.

Mongolia joined the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to facilitate removal of child sexual abuse material online, and the CRC established a direct escalation channel with Meta (Facebook) in October 2019 for reporting child-harming content. As of early 2026, the Minister of Education was reported to be drafting a law to ban under-16s from age-restricted social media platforms, modelled on Australia's approach, but no such law had been enacted.

The Law on Personal Data Protection (adopted 17 December 2021, in force 1 May 2022) provides a framework for data rights online, described by the UN Special Rapporteur on privacy as a 'much-needed comprehensive update'. Despite this, the US State Department's 2024 Human Rights Report documented ongoing cases of government interference with online expression, particularly targeting content critical of officials, reflecting enforcement gaps in the current partial regime.