After a suspension of social media lasting around two months, the Gabonese authorities have opted for an exceptional solution. The President of the Republic has issued an executive order on the regulation of digital platforms, without submitting the text to Parliament for scrutiny.
Published in the Official Journal on Thursday 8 April 2026, this text gives the reform immediate legal force. The new provisions now govern the use of social media and require internet users to comply with them.
Under Article 4 of this Order, all social media users in Gabon are required to identify themselves by providing personal data. Businesses must also provide their commercial register number and share capital. The text contains legal ambiguities that leave the door open to abusive interpretations, with concepts such as ‘public order’ and ‘national security’ left to the discretion of the High Authority for Communication (HAC). Collective liability allows the administrator of a digital platform to be punished in the same way as a user of that platform who publishes content deemed inappropriate.
This decision marks the end of a period of deadlock that had profoundly affected communication, access to information and digital-related economic activities. However, the use of an executive order, without parliamentary debate, raises questions about the institutional balance and the role of the legislature in regulating digital freedoms. In practice, this reform marks an important step in Gabon’s digital governance: it illustrates the persistent tensions between state control and freedom of expression online.