Art. 17 of Law No. 1/2016 stipulates that any mechanism or system for storing, archiving, structuring and accessing citizens' personal data (referred to as "ficheros" in the law, that is "databases") may be created by private initiative only with the appropriate concession or administrative authorisation from the competent authority. In addition, according to Arts. 19 and 20, the project must be notified in advance to the Data Protection Authority, which must include the following information:
- The purpose of the database and its intended use;
- The persons or categories of persons from whom personal data are to be obtained or who are required to supply them;
- The address and location of the database;
- The basic and technical structure of the file and a description of the types of personal data it contains;
- The established procedure for obtaining personal data;
- The conditions governing the communication of personal data and their communication to third parties;
- The bodies or persons responsible for the database;
- The bodies to which the rights of access, rectification, cancellation and opposition may be exercised;
- The security measures in place, with an indication of the level applicable, whether basic, medium or high;
- The registration and notification data.

Equatorial Guinea requires licences for imports of goods valued at over 50,000 CFA francs (approx. USD 83). This must be done through an authorised bank, and pre-shipment inspection is required for most goods. Companies in Equatorial Guinea have indicated that the need to obtain prior authorisations or licences for imports is one of the most cumbersome parts of the trade process and that licences have an ad valorem cost of up to 10% of the trade value.

It is reported that foreign investors must comply with local content rules, which vary by sector. A certain percentage of local content must be included in goods and technologies produced by companies with foreign investors. In addition, local content rules require that foreign workers not exceed 10% of the total workforce. It is also reported that local content rules are applied inconsistently, creating disincentives for foreign investment.

It is reported that there is a requirement for prior authorisation or licences issued by the Ministry of Trade for all exports. Businesses in Equatorial Guinea have identified this requirement as the most cumbersome part of the trade process. All traders are also required to register with the Ministry of Trade. The country's export regulations and procedures also lack transparency, and official trade data and information are not readily available. These challenges are reported to be problematic for shipping companies, small traders and traders of non-traditional products.

Art. 18 of Law 7/2005 establishes that all telecommunications apparatus, terminals, equipment and systems require a certificate of approval for connection to the network and for the provision of any telecommunications service or activity to be issued in the manner established by regulation of the Regulatory Authority. The same article stipulates that no telecommunications equipment or system may be imported or marketed in any manner whatsoever without the appropriate approval certificate. Within the framework of these legal provisions, the Regulation on the Approval of Telecommunications Equipment, Devices and Systems was adopted in 2012.
Art. 2 of the Regulation on the Approval of Telecommunication Equipment, Devices and Systems in the Republic of Equatorial Guinea establishes the general regime, requirements, procedures, deadlines, characteristics and conditions for the approval of telecommunications equipment, apparatus and systems, as well as their installation in Equatorial Guinea with the objective to avoid electromagnetic interference and to ensure electromagnetic compatibility with other uses of the frequency spectrum. Art. 10 stipulates that the "Oficina Reguladora de las Telecomunicaciones (ORTEL)" may use the following mechanisms to carry out approval processes: technical tests carried out by ORTEL or homologation in laboratories accredited by ORTEL if the equipment or device has not been subject to approval. If the equipment or device has been approved abroad, ORTEL will validate and certify the approval through the recognised certification of a third country. Art. 21 provides that ORTEL acknowledges the validity of technical specifications, certificates of conformity, or documents of compliance with international technical regulations from international organisations and laboratories listed in Annex II of the Regulation.

Chapter I of Title II of Regulation No. 02/18/CEMAC/UMAC/CM of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) provides that companies and individuals resident in CEMAC countries must obtain authorisation from the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) to hold offshore and onshore foreign currency accounts. If the BEAC does not act on the application within 30 days, it is deemed to have been approved. It is reported that these regulations force most companies to maintain their bank accounts in XAF rather than a foreign currency.

According to the Instruction No. 8/GR/2019 issued by the Governor of the Bank of Central African States to facilitate the interpretation and implementation of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) Regulation 02/18/CEMAC/UMAC/CM, there is a limit of 1 million XAF (approx. USD 1,700) per month and per person for the remote settlement of transactions, including online payments. According to Arts. 7-8, justification needs to be provided above this limit. The Instruction provides guidance on the provision of Art. 34 of the Regulation, which implements certain limits for using electronic payment instruments outside the CEMAC and applies to the six CEMAC member states, including Equatorial Guinea.

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 by 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 by 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.

It has been reported that the government blocked internet access during periods of political tension in both 2022 and 2023. In addition, 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 for the year 2023. This corresponds to "Rarely but there have been a few occasions throughout the year when the government shut down domestic access to Internet."

As per Art. 11 of Decree-Law No. 3/1980, which approves the Advertising Statute, advertising agencies are defined as companies that are duly authorised to professionally engage on behalf of third parties in creating, planning, executing, or distributing advertising campaigns through any means of dissemination. Art. 16 specifies that individuals or entities intending to participate in advertising activities must meet the requirements set by the Secretariat of State for Information and Tourism. They are also required to adhere to regulatory standards and register in the General Advertising Registry under the Technical Secretariat of the Department of Information and Tourism.
Art. 17 outlines the conditions necessary to obtain the licence, including (i) possession of the necessary capacity to engage in the trade; (ii) adoption of any of the constitutive forms of society for juridical persons; (iii) demonstration of necessary morality and proof of economic solvency.

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.