Internet & Online Safety · Timor-Leste
Online safety & content laws in Timor-Leste (2026)
Timor-Leste shaded by its internet & online safety status
Timor-Leste currently has no comprehensive internet content or online-safety statute; the online environment is largely unregulated and the country scores highly on internet freedom with no systematic censorship. The Ministry of Justice released a draft Cybercrime Law in 2025 and has separately proposed restoring criminal defamation (including for online/social-media speech) and amending the media law, but as of mid-2026 these remain proposals that have not been approved by Parliament.
Key points
There is no dedicated online-safety, content-moderation, or platform-regulation law. The online space is described as largely unregulated, and Timor-Leste imposes no systematic internet censorship or social-media monitoring, scoring among the highest in Asia for internet freedom.
On 5 March 2025 the Ministry of Justice announced a draft cybercrime bill covering computer-related forgery, unauthorised access/interception, system damage, and child and 'revenge' pornography. It is still in draft and has not been adopted by Parliament.
Civil society and the Timor-Leste Journalists Association warn the draft focuses on shielding national leaders from online criticism rather than broader online harms, lacks whistleblower protection, and sets a low threshold for interception of communications, posing privacy and press-freedom risks.
Separate proposals would restore criminal defamation to the Penal Code (Arts. 187-A to 187-F), with penalties up to three years' imprisonment where the offence targets a public official or is committed via traditional or social media, citing the amplifying effect of social networks.
A 2025 proposal to amend the Press Law adds a 'criminal responsibility' article (38-B) making publication or transmission of texts/images that 'offend legally protected interests' punishable, with liability on authors, editors and media directors — drawing alarm from press-freedom groups.
The Central Bank of Timor-Leste issued public warnings on rising online crime (illegal lending, fraudulent investment, unauthorised transfers) and listed 31 scam-linked social-media accounts, but no statutory platform-liability, content-moderation or age-verification obligations exist.
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