Ordonnance n° 0011/PR/2026 du 26 février 2026 portant réglementation de l'usage des réseaux sociaux via les plateformes numériques (Ordinance No. 0011/PR/2026 regulating the use of social media via digital platforms) (Gabon)
ga-ai-2026 · Order
This is a binding, in-force instrument, a presidential ordinance (ordonnance) signed by President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema on 26 February 2026 and published in the Journal Officiel No. 110 of 8 April 2026. It was issued under Law No. 042/2025 of 18 December 2025, which authorised the President to legislate by ordinance during the parliamentary intersession; as an ordonnance it has force of law and abrogates contrary provisions, pending eventual parliamentary ratification. Although its overall subject is the regulation of social media and digital platforms (covering user identification, editor/host liability, a digital age of majority set at sixteen, and protection of minors), it contains one of Africa's more concrete binding regimes for AI-generated content, justifying classification under AI Governance (with Platform Liability as a second topic). The ordinance defines key AI terms, 'contenu généré par intelligence artificielle', 'hypertrucage' (deepfake), 'système d'intelligence artificielle' and 'marquage d'origine' (provenance marking). Chapter VII (Articles 32 - 34) sets the AI-specific regime. Article 32 prohibits, regardless of where created: non-consensual sexual deepfakes of identifiable persons; deepfakes of public or private figures attributing false statements or conduct likely to cause serious harm to public order, national security or human dignity; AI-generated sexual content involving minors; and AI imitation of the visual or audio identity of a Gabonese state institution for disinformation, with recourse to urgent injunctive relief (juge des référés). Article 33 grants any identifiable person depicted without consent a right of notification, obliging the editor or host to remove the content within 24 hours, failing which the person may seise the Haute Autorité de la Communication (HAC) or the courts. Article 34 allows the HAC or public prosecutor to order independent technical audits of platforms' AI detection and marking systems. Article 53 requires every platform editor, within twelve months of publication, to deploy automatic AI-content detection, to apply visible, clear and permanent provenance marking to AI-generated or substantially modified content, and to preserve and transmit origin metadata to the HAC on request. Article 42 empowers the digital référé judge to order forced application of AI-origin marking, content suspension, deindexing or corrective publication. Article 52 imposes aggravated penalties, up to ten years' imprisonment and a fine up to 50,000,000 FCFA, where identity-usurpation offences are committed by means of AI. Enforcement is centred on the HAC, which also maintains a public register of platforms. The dates recorded reflect signature (26 February 2026) and Journal Officiel publication (8 April 2026). Drafting note: the instrument is in French; this summary is in English, drawn from the full official text in the Journal Officiel.
- Binding presidential ordinance signed 26 Feb 2026 (Pres. Oligui Nguema), published in Journal Officiel No. 110 of 8 April 2026; issued under enabling Law No. 042/2025, has force of law (In Force), pending parliamentary ratification
- Dedicated AI chapter (Ch. VII, Arts 32 - 34) within a broader social-media/platform regulation; defines AI-generated content, deepfake (hypertrucage), AI system and provenance marking (marquage d'origine)
- Art. 32 prohibits non-consensual sexual deepfakes, deepfakes attributing false statements to public/private figures harming public order/national security/dignity, AI sexual content involving minors, and AI imitation of Gabonese state institutions for disinformation
- Art. 33: right to report; editor/host must remove offending AI content within 24 hours, with escalation to the HAC or courts
- Art. 53 (within 12 months): mandatory automatic AI-content detection, visible/clear/permanent AI-origin marking, and preservation/transmission of origin metadata to the HAC
- Art. 42: digital référé judge may order forced AI-origin marking, suspension, deindexing or corrective publication; Art. 34: HAC/prosecutor may order independent audits of AI detection and marking systems
- Art. 52: aggravated penalties (up to 10 years' imprisonment and 50,000,000 FCFA) where identity-usurpation offences are committed via AI
- Enforcement led by the Haute Autorité de la Communication (HAC); public register of platforms maintained