Angola - May 2026

On 21 May, Angola’s National Assembly passed the Law Against False Information on the Internet. The law is intended to prevent false information being produced or disseminated on the internet, including content created abroad for an Angolan audience. It obliges internet platforms to be transparent about paid content and to identify and address disinformation. Criticism, however, has focused on the enforcement framework it establishes and its oversight by the state communications regulator. The Instituto Angolano das Comunicações (INACOM), is empowered to declare content false, mandate its removal and impose heavy fines for non-compliance, which could have a chilling effect on free expression. The location of these powers with INACOM has also been criticised, due to the influence the government has in appointing its members, raising fears the enforcement process is vulnerable to being weaponised, in the absence of procedural safeguards such as an evidentiary burden and an urgency test.  

Update: The Law Against False Information on the Internet came into force on 4 August 2026, when it was gazetted. 

Sources: Lei n.º 6/26 - Lei Contra Informações Falsas na Internet, Ver Angola, Make Angola, Pro bono Angola, Novo Jornal