Qatar has enacted national legislation, namely the Electronic Commerce and Transactions Law, which is derived from or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Signatures.

It is reported that Qatar permits self-certification for radio transmission equipment concerning electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) standards. Foreign manufacturers may demonstrate compliance through a Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity (SDoC), whereby the supplier or manufacturer affirms that the equipment satisfies the relevant technical and administrative requirements. Where testing is undertaken, the choice of laboratory remains at the discretion of the supplier or manufacturer. The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) accepts results issued by accredited testing and measurement bodies officially recognised by the Authority, a list of which is published on its website.

Art. 21 of Law No. 14 of 2014 Promulgating the Cybercrime Prevention Law stipulates that service providers are required to retain subscriber information for a period of one year. In addition, they must promptly and temporarily preserve information technology data, traffic data, or content information for a duration of 90 days, which may be renewed upon request by the competent authority or the investigative and judicial bodies. Service providers are also obliged to furnish the competent authority or the judicial and investigative authorities with all data and information, pursuant to orders issued by the Public Prosecution. Also, they must cooperate with and assist the competent authority in the collection or recording of electronic data, information, and traffic data, in accordance with judicial orders.
Under Art. 1, a service provider is defined as any natural or legal person, whether public or private, that offers subscribers services enabling communication through information technology or the processing and storage of data.

Art. 11.1 of Law No. 13 of 2016 Concerning Privacy and Protection of Personal Data stipulates that data controllers must review privacy protection measures prior to initiating any new processing operations. The "Data Privacy Impact Assessment (DPIA) - Guidelines for Regulated Entities" clarify that compliance with Art. 11.1 entails the obligation for controllers to conduct a DPIA before processing personal data. In addition, Section 5 of the Guidelines specifies that a DPIA should be undertaken prior to implementing any new form of personal data processing or introducing a material modification to an existing processing activity.

Art. 18 of Law No. 13 of 2016 Concerning Privacy and Protection of Personal Data permits the competent authorities to process personal data without complying with Arts. 4, 9, 15, and 17 when acting to safeguard national and public security, protect the State’s international relations, preserve its economic or financial interests, or prevent and investigate criminal offences. These exemptions relieve obligations to establish a lawful basis for processing, provide prior notice to individuals, and adhere to special provisions for children’s data. Given that “processing” is broadly defined in Art. 1 to include activities such as collection, receipt, and retrieval, the scope of these exemptions is extensive. Section 3 of the "Exemptions Applicable to Competent Authorities (under Article 18) - Guideline for Regulated Entities" clarifies that they apply to all competent authorities, including government agencies, state-owned entities, and regulatory bodies, but not to the data protection regulator. Neither the Law nor the Guideline imposes any requirement for a judicial warrant or court order to invoke these exemptions.

Decree Law No. 16 of 2010 on the Promulgation of the Electronic Commerce and Transactions Law establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries for copyright infringements.
Under Arts. 45–48, electronic commerce service providers enjoy limited liability for intermediary activities, including transmission, caching, and hosting, provided specific conditions are met. Liability exemptions apply when providers act as mere conduits, without initiating transmissions, selecting recipients, or modifying content, and when any storage is purely transient. Caching is similarly protected if undertaken solely to enhance efficiency, provided the provider complies with access and update rules, refrains from altering content, and removes or disables access promptly upon obtaining actual knowledge of unlawful material. Hosting services are likewise exempt where the provider lacks actual knowledge of illegal activity or information and acts expeditiously to remove or disable access once notified, so long as the user is not operating under the provider’s authority.

Decree Law No. 16 of 2010 on the Promulgation of the Electronic Commerce and Transactions Law establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries beyond copyright infringements.
Under Arts. 45–48, electronic commerce service providers enjoy limited liability for intermediary activities, including transmission, caching, and hosting, provided specific conditions are met. Liability exemptions apply when providers act as mere conduits, without initiating transmissions, selecting recipients, or modifying content, and when any storage is purely transient. Caching is similarly protected if undertaken solely to enhance efficiency, provided the provider complies with access and update rules, refrains from altering content, and removes or disables access promptly upon obtaining actual knowledge of unlawful material. Hosting services are likewise exempt where the provider lacks actual knowledge of illegal activity or information and acts expeditiously to remove or disable access once notified, so long as the user is not operating under the provider’s authority.

It is reported that Qatar requires mobile network operators to collect and store a user's personal information and proof of identity for SIM registration. The relevant legislation could not be found.

Pursuant to Arts. 21.2 and 53 of Law No. 14 of 2014 Promulgating the Cybercrime Prevention Law, internet service providers are required to implement the necessary measures to block internet links in compliance with orders issued by judicial authorities. The court is empowered to mandate the blocking of any website on which, or through which, an offence has occurred or been committed, as applicable. Reports indicate that Ooredoo, the state-controlled and largest internet service provider in the country, engages in the censorship of certain content via a proxy server that monitors and blocks access to websites, email services, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) platforms, including Skype and FaceTime. It has also been reported that the Grindr application has been inaccessible in Qatar since at least 1 January 2020, with the restriction continuing into 2024.

The indicator "7.2.4 - Government Internet shut down in practice" of the V-Dem Dataset, which measures whether the government has the technical capacity to actively make internet service cease, thus interrupting domestic access to the internet or whether the government has decided to do so, has a score of 3 in Qatar for the year 2024. This corresponds to "Rarely but there have been a few occasions throughout the year when the government shut down domestic access to Internet."

It is reported that the Government of Qatar requires providers of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to obtain a licence; however, such licences are granted solely to companies intending to establish operations within Qatar. It is also reported that this requirement constitutes a significant barrier to entry for foreign or Internet-based service providers, with Ooredoo and Vodafone Qatar remaining the only authorised VoIP providers in the country, both being majority-owned by state-controlled entities.

Under Art. 68 of Decree-Law No. 34 of 2006, importing telecommunications devices for commercial purposes requires a licence issued by the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA). Non-compliance with this requirement is punishable by up to one year of imprisonment and a fine of up to QAR 20,000 (approx. USD 5,500). The CRA implements this via its Import Authorisation Licence and type-approval regime.

It is reported that Qatar requires import documentation for goods coming from abroad to be authenticated, or "consularised", by a Qatari embassy, consulate or chamber of commerce in the exporting country. This process involves obtaining official stamps or certifications for documents such as the commercial invoice and certificate of origin, verifying their legitimacy prior to shipment. Although its purpose is to ensure the authenticity of commercial documents, this authentication requirement is reportedly often a burdensome and costly one for exporters, as it adds administrative red tape, delays and fees.

Qatar has not appended the World Trade Organization (WTO) Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments.

The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) serves as the communications regulator of the State of Qatar and was established under Emiri Decree No. 42 of 2014. The CRA oversees the regulation of the telecommunications and information technology sectors, the postal sector, and access to digital media. It has been reported that the CRA operates independently from the government in its decision-making processes.