Online safety & content laws in Palau (2026)

Title 17 PNCA Chapter 31 criminalises computer fraud (§§ 3101-3102), unauthorised access (§§ 3108-3110), computer damage (§§ 3103-3104), and use of a computer to commit child exploitation offences (§ 3106 and §§ 1800-1808). No national cybercrime strategy has been adopted and Palau has no dedicated cybercrime unit.

The Palau Privacy Act (2019) regulates the collection, storage, processing, and sharing of personal data by public and private entities, establishing principles of consent, transparency, and data security. It is the primary data-protection instrument but does not create a comprehensive online-safety or platform-liability framework.

House Bill No. 11-76-8S, signed into law by President Whipps Jr. on approximately 22 October 2024, amends Chapter 16, Title 17 PNCA to make unauthorised distribution of intimate images a Class C felony and allows victims to pursue civil damages. This is Palau's most recent targeted online-safety measure.

Palau has enacted no statute imposing content-moderation duties, notice-and-takedown obligations, or liability rules on online platforms or intermediaries. There are no age-verification requirements for online services. Palau is not party to the EU DSA framework and has no equivalent domestic instrument.

The U.S. State Department's 2022 Human Rights Report confirmed that the Palauan government does not restrict or disrupt internet access, censor online content, or monitor private online communications without lawful authority. Freedom of expression is constitutionally guaranteed.

Palau has no dedicated cybercrime unit; the Narcotics Enforcement Agency receives some cybercrime training and collaborates with the Criminal Investigation Division on digital cases. Electronic evidence is handled under general evidentiary rules and search-and-seizure provisions (18 PNC Chapter 3) rather than cyber-specific procedural rules.