Data protection & privacy laws in Solomon Islands (2026)

UNCTAD's 2024 Gap Analysis of Cyberlaws in Pacific SIDS confirms no Pacific small island developing state, including Solomon Islands, has a full data-protection law in force; Solomon Islands' cyberlaws do not address broader online privacy.

The Telecommunications Act 2009 imposes the main in-force privacy duties: providers may collect, use, maintain or disclose user information only with consent (s.72), must safeguard confidentiality of communications (s.73), and government access must be lawful (s.74).

UNCTAD is supporting the Ministry of Communication and Aviation in drafting a Data Protection and Privacy law, building on a national data-protection policy developed earlier with UNCDF; it remains at drafting stage, not enacted.

Because no general data-protection law is in force, there is no operative data-protection or privacy commissioner; sector regulation of telecom confidentiality falls under the existing telecommunications framework administered by the Telecommunications Commission of Solomon Islands.

The Electronic Transactions Act 2010 provides legal recognition of electronic records/signatures but does not regulate personal-data protection; a National Cybersecurity Policy was launched in August 2024 to inform future legal reform.

The legislative effort is tied to the National E-commerce Strategy (NECS 2022-2027), aiming to build digital-economy trust; data-privacy protections are assessed by UNCTAD as among the least developed legal areas in the country.