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 2 in Uganda for the year 2023. This corresponds to "The government shut down domestic access to the Internet several times this year."

Art. 6 of the NITA-U (Certification of IT Providers and Services) Regulations set out criteria for certification of operators for the provision of IT services. In addition, according to Art. 7 of the regulation, applicants for certification should be registered companies in Uganda and separately acquire certification for conducting business online or providing IT services. Other conditions include the need to abide by standards for the provision of technology, demonstrate financial viability, have competent management, have policies and procedures governing the service provision, employ competent staff, and have appropriate infrastructure and equipment.

Section 2 of the Financial Act prohibits the importation of used computers, amongst other products.

The Investment Code Act (ICA) underscores the importance of the Government’s national content policy and the Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU) policy, which requires foreign investors to use local services, raw materials and labour. Under the ICA, investment licenses carry specific performance conditions varying by sector, such as the use of Ugandan goods and services to the greatest extent possible. Section 17 provides for the requirements for application of an investment licence, including local content requirements which every investor must meet before an investment certificate can be issued.

The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) does all product testing, including that of electronic equipment. Self-certification is not accepted. The Electrical Testing laboratory carries out an analysis of electrical products and appliances to assess their compliance with Uganda and international standards. There are also fees charged for testing of these equipment.
The Qmark is recognised by all East Africa Partner States. Products containing this mark are automatically recognised in another East African Community (EAC) Partner State's conformity assessment or certification of a product by exporting to an EAC Partner State.

It is reported that the Central Bank of Uganda interprets the country's cybersecurity legislation as giving it the power to require financial institutions to relocate their data centres to Uganda in order to provide the government with access to customers' digital financial information. It is also reported that regulated financial institutions are currently implementing this policy.

Section 19 of the Data Protection and Privacy Act stipulates that in the event that a data processor or data controller based in Uganda processes or stores personal data outside Uganda, the data processor or data controller must ensure that the country in which the data is processed or stored has in place adequate measures for the protection of personal data at least equivalent to the protection provided for by this Act, or that the data subject has consented. In addition, Regulation 30 of the Data Protection and Privacy Regulations provides further details, including that any personal data processed outside Uganda shall not be further transferred to or processed in a third country without the express consent of the data subject.

Uganda has not joined any free trade agreement committing to open transfers of cross-border data flows.

The Data Protection and Privacy Act provides a comprehensive regime of data protection in Uganda. It, in particular, provides for a data protection and privacy register and processes for the investigation of complaints relating to the infringement of data subject rights under the Act. In addition, the Act establishes consent as a central principle, specifies conditions for consent relating to minors as well as other special categories, and, notably, has extraterritorial scope and may apply to entities outside Uganda.

Uganda has ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

Uganda has ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

Under Section 11 of Act No. 2, trade secrets may be required to be submitted to a government department, but the department must protect the information submitted to it from disclosure.

The Trade Secrets Protection Act No. 2 of 2009 provides a framework for effective protection of trade secrets.

It is reported that there is an obligation for passive infrastructure sharing in Uganda to deliver telecom services to end users. It is practised in both the mobile and fixed sectors based on commercial agreements.

Following the privatisation of Uganda Telecom Ltd (UTL) in the 1990s, the Government held minority shares in the company up until 2017, when the rest of the shareholders unilaterally pulled out from the financially struggling company, leaving the state as a sole owner.