Online safety & content laws in Tunisia (2026)

Presidential Decree-Law No. 2022-54, issued September 2022, criminalises production or dissemination of 'false information' or 'rumors' via telecommunications networks with up to 5 years imprisonment and fines of ~USD 16,000 (Article 24); penalties double when targeting public officials. The law also mandates telecom firms retain user identity and traffic metadata for at least two years (Article 6).

By January 2025 the Committee to Protect Journalists recorded a record 23 journalist imprisonments in 2024 attributable to Decree 54 prosecutions for social media posts and online commentary. Human Rights Watch documented the decree being used against at least 20 journalists, lawyers, students, and political critics.

The Agence Tunisienne d'Internet operates as the national internet gateway and executes government-ordered website blocks. Authorities have deployed targeted blocks on critical websites and social media accounts alongside Decree 54 prosecutions, reversing much of the post-2011 liberalisation.

Tunisia has no equivalent to the EU Digital Services Act or UK Online Safety Act. There are no dedicated rules imposing content-moderation, transparency, or duty-of-care obligations on online platforms. Older Telecommunications Decree provisions hold ISPs liable for third-party content and require proactive monitoring, but no modern platform-safety regime exists.

From October 2024, Tunisia's Ministry of Justice prosecuted social media influencers for content deemed to undermine 'moral values', resulting in at least 10 indictments and five prison sentences of up to 4.5 years by January 2025. Journalist Chadha Hadj Mbarek received a five-year sentence in February 2025 under Decree 54. Amnesty International documented the escalating clampdown in May 2024.

A 2025 draft Organic Law on Personal Data Protection is advancing through Tunisia's parliament, intended to replace the 2004 data-protection law and align with GDPR/Convention 108+ standards. It would empower the national data-protection authority with enhanced enforcement powers, but as of mid-2026 the bill had not yet entered into force.