Encryption Law by Country
Where strong encryption is a right, restricted, or compelled. National law and policy, mirrored per country.
Source: Global Partners Digital, World Map of Encryption, updated 2026-07-02. Full data at www.gp-digital.org/world-map-of-encryption
Encryption Law by Country (196)
General right to encryption
Section 21(2) of the Electronic Transactions Act, 2001 provides that, subject to any regulations made under section 21(1), a person can use any encryption programme or product of any bit size or other of measure of strength that they lawfully possess. No such regulations have been made. A copy of the law can be found here .
Mandatory minimum or maximum encryption strength
Section 21(1) of the Electronic Transactions Act, 2001 permits the government to make regulations (a) respecting the use, import and export of encryption programmes or other encryption products, and (b) prohibiting the export of encryption programmes or other encryption products from Barbados generally, or subject to such restrictions as may be prescribed. However, section 21(2) makes clear that, subject to any regulations made under section 21(1), a person can use any encryption programme or product of any bit size or other measure of strength that they lawfully possess. No such regulations have been made. A copy of the law can be found here .
Licensing/registration requirements
Section 21(1) of the Electronic Transactions Act, 2001 permits the government to make regulations (a) respecting the use, import and export of encryption programmes or other encryption products, and (b) prohibiting the export of encryption programmes or other encryption products from Barbados generally, or subject to such restrictions as may be prescribed. However, section 21(2) makes clear that, subject to any regulations made under section 21(1), a person can use any encryption programme or product of any bit size or other measure of strength that they lawfully possess. No such regulations have been made. A copy of the law can be found here .
Import/export controls
Section 21(1) of the Electronic Transactions Act, 2001 permits the government to make regulations (a) respecting the use, import and export of encryption programmes or other encryption products, and (b) prohibiting the export of encryption programmes or other encryption products from Barbados generally, or subject to such restrictions as may be prescribed. However, section 21(2) makes clear that, subject to any regulations made under section 21(1), a person can use any encryption programme or product of any bit size or other measure of strength that they lawfully possess. No such regulations have been made. A copy of the law can be found here .
Other restrictions
No known legislation or policies.
Obligations on individuals to assist authorities
Under section 15(1) of the Computer Misuse Act, magistrates are able to issue search warrants authorising police officers to enter and search places, including computers there, using such force as is necessary. In order to grant such a warrant, the magistrate must be satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that an offence under the Act has been or is about to be committed in a particular place, and that evidence that such an offence has been or is about to be committed is in that place. A warrant issued under section 15(1) may authorised a police officer to: (a) seize any computer, data, programme, information, document or thing if they reasonably believe that it is evidence that an offence under the Act has been or is about to be committed; (b) inspect and check the operation of any such computer; (c) use or requires someone else to use any such computer to search any programme or data held in or available to the computer; (d) have access to any information, code or technology which has the capability of transforming or converting an encrypted programme or data held in or available to the computer into readable and comprehensible format or text, for the purpose of investigating any offence under the Act; (e) convert an encrypted programme or data held in another computer system at the place specified in the warrant, where there are reasonable grounds for believing that computer data connected with the commission of the offence may be stored in that other system; and (f) make and retain a copy of any programme or data held in the computer referred to in (a) or (e) and any other programme or data held in the computers. Failure to comply with a request for assistance from a police officer is a criminal offence, punishable by up to eighteen months’ imprisonment or to a fine of up to BBD 15,000, or both. Additionally, section 16(1) also allows a police officer to require access to decryption information necessary to decrypt computer data required for the purpose of investigating the commission of an offence from any person in possession or control of a computer data storage medium or computer system. Again, failure to comply with a request for assistance from a police officer is a criminal offence, punishable by up to eighteen months’ imprisonment or to a fine of up to BBD 15,000, or both. The Computer Misuse Act can be found here .
Obligations on providers to assist authorities
No known legislation or policies.
Assessment Text Area
The law in Barbados permits the government to make regulations regarding the use, import and export of encryption programmes or other encryption products although to date no such regulations have been made. The law provides police officers to enter and search places under warrants, including computers. This includes access to information that would allow for the decryption of information, it also allows a police officer to require access to decryption information necessary to decrypt computer data required for the purpose of investigating the commission of an offence. Failure to comply is a punishable offence. The law provides limited safeguards with regards to these powers as the warrant must be issued by a magistrate with reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence under the Act has been or is about to be committed, and that evidence that such an offence has been or is about to be committed.
Murphy's Law