DRC does not have a legal framework that applies consumer protection to online transactions.

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

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

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

The Democratic Republic of Congo has not joined any free trade agreement committing to open transfers of cross-border data flows.

The Digital Code establishes a robust and comprehensive legal framework for data protection in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, applying to all entities, whether public or private, domestic or foreign, that process personal data within or directed towards the country. It regulates the full spectrum of data handling activities, including collection, processing, transmission, transfer, storage, and use, while clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of data controllers, processors, and their representatives. In addition, it enshrines the rights of data subjects, such as access, rectification, erasure, and objection to processing, and provides for the establishment of a dedicated data protection authority to ensure compliance and enforcement. Prior to its enactment, the DRC lacked a unified data protection regime, relying instead on limited and fragmented provisions found in sector-specific legislation, notably Law No. 20/017 on Telecommunications and Information and Communication Technologies.

According to Art. 222 of the Digital Code, every data controller is required to appoint a data protection officer (DPO). This obligation applies irrespective of the size of the organisation or whether the processing is occasional or regular. The DPO, who enjoys independence in the exercise of their functions, is responsible for independently ensuring the internal application of the Digital Code’s provisions relating to data protection and for maintaining a register of processing operations carried out by the data controller.

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

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

According to Art. 92 of Law No. 20/017 of 25 November 2020 relating to Telecommunications and Information and Communication Technologies, any operator of a telecommunications network open to the public or any provider of telecommunications services Internet access is required to identify its subscribers at the time of subscription to telecommunications services., In addition, Art. 93 strengthens this by indicating that no connection to the network can be granted without prior identification. Moreover, according to Art. 94, the State reserves the right to interrupt any connection of the subscriber who is not or has been misidentified.

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 2 in the DRC for the year 2024. This corresponds to "The government shut down domestic access to the Internet several times this year."

It is reported that any economic operator wishing to engage in commercial activity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including foreign trade, must:
- obtain a national identity number (IDNat) from the Ministry responsible for the national economy;
- be registered and enrolled in the Trade and Personal Property Credit Register maintained by the Ministry responsible for justice, as a company or natural person;
- be registered in the index of the National Centre for Statistics and Economic Studies; and
- obtain a unique identifier from the Directorate-General of Taxation.
To carry out import/export operations, the trader must obtain an import/export number from the Ministry responsible for trade, whose relevant services operate outside the Single Window for Business Startups. The import/export number has to be renewed annually. These conditions are the same for DRC nationals and foreigners.

A product covered by a certificate of conformity with the standards or technical regulations in force may still be subject to a conformity check when it is imported into the DRC, unless there is either a mutual recognition agreement or an explicit collaboration between the body that carried out the conformity assessment abroad and the Congolese Control Office (OCC). Even in the case of such an agreement or collaboration, the OCC may carry out the check again if it considers that, among other things, risks of deterioration of the product are possible during its transport.

The DRC lacks a dedicated organization for screening inbound foreign investment. Instead, this responsibility falls upon the Presidency and various ministries, functioning in a de facto capacity.

Section 201 of the Digital Code stipulates that the transfer of personal data to a third country or international organisation requires prior authorisation from the Personal Data Protection Authority, which also undertakes continuous oversight of such transfers. The recipient must provide a level of protection that is both adequate and equivalent to that prescribed by the Digital Code’s provisions on personal data protection. However, Section 202 permits transfers to jurisdictions lacking adequate protection in specific circumstances, including where the data subject has given explicit consent, where the transfer is necessary for the execution of a contract, or where it is essential to safeguard the vital interests of the data subject or another individual, particularly when the data subject is unable, either physically or legally, to provide consent.