Equatorial Guinea lacks a comprehesive framework for consumer protection that applies to online transactions.

Equatorial Guinea has not signed the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts.

Chapter I of Title IV of Law No. 1/2017 establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries for copyright infringements. According to Art. 35, all providers of Internet communication services and network operators are subject to the regime of responsibility established this law. The following articles explain the responsibilities of the different service providers:
- Art. 36: Responsibility of network access providers and telecommunications network operators.
- Art. 37: Responsibility of the service provider for temporary copies of data requested by users.
- Art. 38: Responsibility of the provider of data hosting or storage services.
- Art. 39: Responsibility of providers of linking services or search tools.

Chapter I of Title IV of Law No. 1/2017 establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries beyond copyright infringements. According to Art. 35, all providers of Internet communication services and network operators are subject to the regime of responsibility established this law. The following articles explain the responsibilities of the different service providers:
- Art. 36: Responsibility of network access providers and telecommunications network operators.
- Art. 37: Responsibility of the service provider for temporary copies of data requested by users.
- Art. 38: Responsibility of the provider of data hosting or storage services.
- Art. 39: Responsibility of providers of linking services or search tools.

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

Online versions of some Spanish newspapers are reported to be regularly blocked. In 2022, it was reported that the independent media outlet AhoraEG was only accessible via a virtual private network.

The government owns shares in certain telecom companies. In particular, the main operator, Guinea Ecuatorial de Telecomunicaciones Sociedad Anónima (GETESA), is fully state-owned, although, in April 2022, the government announced plans for its privatisation. The government also owns 51% of Guinea Ecuatorial de Comunicaciones Sociedad Anónima (GECOMSA).

The indicator "6.2.4 - 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 Equatorial Guinea. This corresponds to "Rarely but there have been a few occasions throughout the year when the government shut down domestic access to Internet."

Equatorial Guinea does not mandate functional or accounting separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market.

The government has reportedly blocked access to the internet during periods of political tension.

The licensing regime in the telecom sector is regulated by Law No. 7/2005 and Ministerial Order No. 3/2020. Chapter IV of Law No. 7/2005 contains the regime of concessions and authorisations, which is further detailed in the Ministerial Order. According to Art. 34 of the Ministerial Order, certain telecom activities that are classified as "essential public telecommunications/ICT services" are subject to public service obligations, including financing the universal service and contributing to the Telecommunications Development Fund (Art. 36). Among others, the following are considered essential public telecommunications/ICT services: fixed telephony, broadband, 2G; 3G; 4G; and 5G mobile telephony and data services (Art. 6). Additionally, carrier services for the provision of voice, data, and broadband, as well as broadcasting services and their respective networks, are also considered essential.

Equatorial Guinea has not appended the World Trade Organization (WTO) Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments as it is not a member of the WTO.

Equatorial Guinea has a telecommunications authority: the Oficina Reguladora de las Telecomunicaciones (ORTEL). However, its decision-making process is not fully independent of the government. Art. 22 of Law 7/2005 establishes ORTEL as a technical advisory body on telecommunications matters, with its own legal personality, under the aegis of the Ministry responsible for telecommunications.

Arts. 27 and 28 of Law No. 1/2016 provide that organizations may not transfer any personal information to countries that fail to provide a legally equivalent level of protection, unless the transfer has been previously authorized by the Governing Body for the Protection of Personal Data or under some exceptions, such as consent or contractual necessity. It is reported that the Governing Body for the Protection of Personal Data has not yet been established and there is no list of legally equivalent countries.

Equatorial Guinea has not joined any agreement with binding commitments to open transfers of data across borders.