Algeria Passes Sweeping Foreign Agents Law Targeting Social Media
Breaking — North Africa
Algeria Passes Sweeping Foreign Agents Law Targeting Social Media
ison and fines of up to 200,000 dinars ($1,500) for individuals or entities receiving foreign funding who engage in what the government defines as “political activity” on digital platforms, according to the text of the law reviewed by Media Hook.
The legislation, which passed the National People’s Congress by a wide margin, names X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok as platforms subject to mandatory content monitoring and data-sharing agreements with Algerian authorities. Human rights organisations say it is the most repressive legislation of its kind in North Africa, and it has been condemned by Washington, Brussels, and Amnesty International.
The law covers any citizen, journalist, or organization receiving foreign grants, donations, advertising revenue, or “material benefit” from international sources who “plans, organizes, or participates in activities aimed at influencing political opinion” online. Investigative journalists whose work is funded by international grants, activists working with foreign NGOs, and independent media outlets are among those directly affected.
A provision requiring foreign-funded social media accounts to register with the Ministry of Communication was added in a second reading, and includes a 72-hour disclosure window for any post the government deems political. Non-compliance carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years.
The United States embassy in Algiers called the law “a direct attack on press freedom and the right to free association.” The European Union issued a joint statement with Canada warning that sanctions targeting Algerian officials responsible for the legislation are under immediate review.
Amnesty International’s North Africa researcher, Sara Lemjibar, said in a statement that the law has no parallel elsewhere on the continent. “This is not foreign agent registration,” she said. “It is a digital gag order designed to silence any voice that receives a single dollar from abroad. There is no similar law in Africa in its scope or severity.”
Locally, opposition parties boycotted the final vote, with the National Rebuilding Front filing an emergency challenge with the Constitutional Court, arguing the law contradicts Article 36 of the Algerian Constitution, which guarantees the right to free expression. The Court has 30 days to respond; if it declines to issue an injunction, the law takes effect immediately upon publication in the official journal.
Algeria’s private media sector, already operating under a 2021 Information Crimes law used to jail journalists, faces particular pressure. Several independent outlets have received international grants from the EU’s Neighbourhood Instrument and from US foundations covering human rights. Under the new law, publishing any opinion column funded by a foreign grant without disclosed registration would qualify as a criminal offense.
International reaction has been swift. The Biden-era Global Magnitsky program remains active and the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has named Algerian communications officials in the past for similar legislation in 2021 under the Algiers III Declaration human rights provisions. A fresh designation authority review is expected next month, according to a State Department official.
