Iraq lacks a unified framework for personal data protection and relies on sector-specific regulations. General obligations concerning privacy and confidentiality apply to key sectors, including finance, healthcare, telecommunications, and employment.

It is reported that telecommunications companies are required to retain user data, including call records, for a period of five years.

A basic legal framework on intermediary liability for copyright infringement is absent in Iraq's law and jurisprudence.

A basic legal framework on intermediary liability beyond copyright infringement is absent in Iraq's law and jurisprudence.

Art. 5 of the Regulations Governing the Sale of SIM Cards stipulates that, in order to lawfully purchase a SIM card and register it with the Communications and Media Commission (CMC), customers are required to provide their full name, telephone number, residential address, and other relevant identifying particulars.

It is reported that, in November 2024, the Ministry of Communications ordered the blocking of the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) and the streaming platform SoundCloud.

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 Iraq 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 Communications and Media Commission (CMC) regulations lack clearly defined criteria for licensing approval. Nonetheless, several international news organisations have had their licences suspended in recent years. For example, in April 2020, the CMC suspended Reuters’ licence for three months. In February 2024, the head of the CMC blocked access to the National News Centre’s website on the grounds that it had not obtained a licence. However, in March 2024, the outlet successfully contested this decision before an Iraqi federal court, which ordered the site to be unblocked after it was demonstrated that the organisation was duly licensed by the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate.

It is reported that importers may be required to obtain ministerial authorisation for restricted goods, which include telecommunications equipment and compact discs.

Iraq has not appended the World Trade Organization (WTO) Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments. In fact, the country is not a member of the WTO.

Iraq maintains a telecommunications regulator, the Communications and Media Commission (CMC). However, reports indicate that the Commission’s decision‑making processes are not fully independent of governmental influence. There is no clearly defined separation of powers between the CMC and the Ministry of Communications, and both institutions are subject to pervasive political interference. The CMC’s operations lack transparency and impartiality, and the body is vulnerable to undue political and commercial pressures. Regulatory decisions are neither transparent nor autonomous; rather, they are shaped by political and partisan interests as well as governmental directives.

Iraq is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

Iraq’s copyright regime, as outlined in Law No. 3 of 1971, relies on a closed list of statutory exceptions rather than a flexible fair use or fair dealing model, which restricts the scope for unlicensed secondary uses. Arts. 12 to 17 contain the main exceptions, including the use of works in non‑commercial educational or private settings, the making of a single copy for personal use, and the use of short quotations or extracts for educational, critical or informational purposes with attribution. Art. 15-bis introduces a three-step test-style limitation. Arts. 16 and 17 further allow news media to reproduce public speeches, supporting the circulation of publicly significant information in digital environments.

Iraq has not signed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

Iraq has not signed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.