It is reported that the LGBT+ dating application Grindr, initially blocked in 2019 on Alfa and Touch, which are the two primary mobile network operators in Lebanon, remained inaccessible throughout 2024. Also, in 2020, the judiciary ordered the Ministry of Telecommunications to block applications accused of spreading false information about unofficial currency exchange rates, and during this process Google’s Firebase service was also blocked. In 2021, OGERO, the state-owned telecommunications provider, and several private internet service providers extended these measures to platforms offering unofficial currency exchanges. It remains uncertain whether these restrictions persisted into 2024.

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 Lebanon 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."

Art. 95 of the Law on Electronic Transactions and Personal Data requires that, unless falling under the exemptions listed in Art. 94, any person or entity intending to collect and process personal data must notify the Ministry of Economy and Trade through a permit issued upon receipt. The exemptions apply to cases where the data subjects are members or affiliates of institutions, commercial companies, trade unions, associations, or self-employed professionals, provided the processing is limited to what is necessary for the lawful exercise of their activities; similar provisions apply to data concerning clients or customers of these entities. Processing is also permitted where the data subject has given prior consent, unless restricted by law. Art. 97 sets out licensing requirements for processing personal data in sensitive areas, including matters of national security, which require a joint decision by the Minister of National Defence and the Minister of the Interior and Municipalities; criminal offences and judicial proceedings, which fall under the authority of the Minister of Justice; and data relating to health, genetic identity, or sexual life, which must be authorised by the Minister of Public Health.

Reports indicate that the licensing framework set out in the Telecommunications Law is not operational and independent. In fact, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), which woud be in charge of issuing new licences, has operated without a functioning board for most of the past two decades. As such, the telecommunications sector remains entirely owned, managed, and regulated by the Ministry of Telecommunications.

Lebanon 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.

Lebanon maintains a telecommunications regulatory body known as the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). Nevertheless, evidence suggests that the decision-making processes within this entity are not entirely autonomous from governmental influence. While the Lebanese telecommunications legislation is formally overseen by the TRA, which functions as a semi-independent advisory body reporting directly to the Council of Ministers, in practice, the TRA possesses limited authority, thereby rendering the Ministry of Telecommunications the de facto regulatory authority. It is further reported that, although the TRA is nominally independent, its operations are frequently subject to the influence of dominant political factions, which significantly undermines its effectiveness. Former Ministers of Telecommunications have asserted that the TRA lacks substantive power, as the legislative provisions conferring its authority have yet to be fully implemented.

It is reported that the Central Bank of Lebanon (CBL) has mandated that digital service providers host their data within the country and refrain from utilising cloud-based solutions. In addition, CBL requires all banking institutions to maintain data backups domestically, with the same obligation extending to service providers.

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

Lebanon lacks a comprehensive legal framework for personal data protection, although there are certain regulatory provisions in this area. Law No. 81 of 10 October 2018 on Electronic Transaction and Personal Data (قانون رقم 81 المعاملات الالكترونية و البيانات ذات الطابع الشخصي) provides the basic legal structure for safeguarding personal data. Yet, the law does not establish an independent data protection authority, imposes relatively limited obligations on data controllers and processors, and omits a definition of consent or explicit provisions governing its requirement and conditions. Nonetheless, it incorporates specific privacy-related obligations, including data subjects’ rights, transparency requirements, information disclosure, data retention rules, and the handling of sensitive personal data, while also prescribing criminal penalties for breaches of its privacy provisions.

Art. 72 of Law on Electronic Transaction and Personal Data requires IT service providers to retain data relating to traffic generated by all individuals using their services. This obligation is intended to facilitate the identification of users and includes the preservation of other technical information associated with communications for a period of three years, beginning on the date the service is implemented. For the purposes of this provision, IT service providers include any business or organisation that enables users to access an electronic communications network and provides direct information transmission services. The term also applies to data hosts, which are systems used to store third-party information of any nature, whether free of charge or for remuneration, and to make such information publicly accessible through direct communication services.

It is reported that, in 2013, the office of the public prosecutor issued a directive requiring all internet service providers (ISPs) and internet cafés to retain communications data for a period of one year. The directive instructs all providers of landline and wireless internet services for residential and corporate use, as well as cafés and shops that supply clients with devices enabling internet access, to implement all necessary measures to activate and preserve Internet log files transmitted through their servers and routers. In addition, they are required to create periodic backup copies to safeguard these files against loss, ensuring their retention for a minimum duration of one year.

According to Art. 9 of the Telecommunication Interception Act, the interception of communications may be authorised by an administrative order issued by either the Minister of the Interior or the Minister of Defence, subject to prior approval by the Prime Minister, for the purpose of gathering information aimed at combating terrorism, crimes against state security, and organised crime. To be lawful, such judicial or administrative interception orders must be in writing, duly justified, and should specify the means of communication subject to interception and the duration of interception, which may not exceed two months and cannot be extended except in accordance with the same rules and conditions. It is also reported that in recent years the cabinet has passed motions giving the security agencies temporary but unhindered access to all telecommunications metadata. Alfa and Touch, which are Lebanon’s two main mobile network operators and are owned by the government, are compelled to comply with these measures.

A basic legal framework on intermediary liability for copyright infringement is absent in Lebanon's law and jurisprudence. Nevertheless, Arts. 69 and 70 of Law No. 81 of 10 October 2018 on Electronic Transactions and Personal Data stipulate that network service providers are not bound to monitor information, and must promptly remove or block access to information they send or store temporarily upon the sender’s request or pursuant to a decision issued by a competent court, under penalty of law. Similarly, data hosts are required to remove or disable access to such information immediately once they become aware of its unlawful nature.

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

Lebanon lacks a comprehensive framework in place that provides effective protection of trade secrets, but there are limited measures addressing some issues related to them.
Art. 47 of the Patent Law penalises anyone who, by virtue of their position or profession, unlawfully discloses or uses secret industrial or commercial information for personal or third-party benefit. The article applies when the information was lawfully acquired, derives its value from being secret, and the owner has taken measures to maintain its secrecy.
Moreover, Art. 579 of the Lebanon Penal Code penalises with up to one year's imprisonment and a fine of up to 400,000 liras anyone who, by virtue of their position or profession, discloses or misuses a commercial secret without legitimate reason, if the act may cause harm.