Senegal has signed but not ratified the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts.

Senegal has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Commerce.

Senegal has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Signatures.

Art. 4 of Law No. 2008-12 provides that legally entitled public authorities, in the context of a particular task or the exercise of a right of communication, may request the controller to communicate personal data to them. It is not clear whether a court order is required.

The Intelligence Services Law provides that in the event of a threat to national interests and the absence of any other means, the intelligence services may use intrusive technical surveillance and location procedures to collect information useful for neutralising the threat (Art. 10). To this end, the entities holding the data are obliged to provide the necessary assistance to the intelligence services without delay.

Law No. 2008-8 of 25 January 2008 on Electronic Transactions establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries for copyright infringements. According to Art. 3.2 of the Law on Electronic Transactions, intermediaries may not be held civilly liable for activities or information stored at the request of a recipient of such services if they did not have actual knowledge of their unlawful nature or of facts or circumstances indicating such a nature, or if, as soon as they became aware of such knowledge, they acted promptly to remove such data or to prevent access to them.

Law No. 2008-8 of 25 January 2008 on Electronic Transactions establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries beyond copyright infringements. According to Art. 3.2 of the Law on Electronic Transactions, intermediaries may not be held civilly liable for activities or information stored at the request of a recipient of such services if they did not have actual knowledge of their unlawful nature or of facts or circumstances indicating such a nature, or if, as soon as they became aware of such knowledge, they acted promptly to remove such data or to prevent access to them.

According to Art. 1 of Decree 2007-937 of 7 August 2007 on the identification of purchasers and users of mobile telephone services offered to the public, operators holding a telecommunication licence open to the public are required to identify the purchasers and users of SIM cards when signing up for mobile telephony services.

The Senegalese Government has reportedly restricted access to various online platforms and applications under the justification of combating illegal content, despite lacking a clear and legally defined interpretation of the term “illegal content.” From 1 to 4 June 2023, major platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, and Telegram were rendered inaccessible during mass protests following the sentencing of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. Subsequently, in August 2023, authorities imposed a ban on the social media platform TikTok, which, as of 2024, reportedly remains inaccessible in the country. Similar measures had been observed in previous years; notably, during the March 2021 protests in Dakar, the government blocked access to digital platforms including WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram, and YouTube, and suspended the broadcast of television channels such as Sen TV and Walf TV.

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 Senegal 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."
In 2024, the Senegalese government reportedly implemented at least three internet shutdowns. One of the most notable occurred in February, when the government abruptly postponed the presidential elections originally scheduled for 25 February. In response to widespread protests, the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunication, and Digital Economy ordered the suspension of mobile data access, citing concerns over the spread of “hateful and subversive messages” on social media. This practice continued a pattern observed in 2023, when authorities shut down mobile internet in specific areas during periods of unrest, including in June and following the arrest of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. Since August 2023, mobile data has reportedly been cut daily, typically from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m., indicating a sustained use of internet disruptions to manage political tensions.

According to Art. 14 of Law No. 2008-41 of 20 August 2008 on cryptology, the supply and importation of cryptology mean that do not exclusively ensure authentication and integrity control functions requires a prior declaration to the National Cryptology Commission and the submission of a description of technical characteristics.

The ARTP (Telecommunications and Postal Regulation Agency) has the exclusive mandate to examine ICT products. It is reported that foreign companies cannot participate in standards setting.

The ARTP (Telecommunications and Postal Regulation Agency) is the only body authorised to approve and certify radio equipment imported into the country. This procedure is expressly required, and the certification is carried out according to the standards defined by the ARTP in accordance with the Decree on frequencies and frequency bands, radioelectric equipment and the operators of such equipment.

Senegal has appended the World Trade Organization (WTO) Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments.

Senegal has a telecommunications authority: The Telecommunications and Postal Regulatory Authority (ARTP). However, it is reported that this entity is not fully independent.