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
There is no general right to encryption as such, however section 42 of Law No. 2010/012 of 21 December 2010 Relating to Cybersecurity and Cybercriminality in Cameroon provides that “the confidentiality of information channelled through electronic communication and information systems networks, including traffic data, shall be ensured by operators of electronic communication and networks information systems”. A copy of Law No. 2010/012 can be found here .
Mandatory minimum or maximum encryption strength
No known legislation or policies.
Licensing/registration requirements
Section 7(2) of Law No. 2010/012 of 21 December 2010 Relating to Cybersecurity and Cybercriminality in Cameroon says that the National Agency for Information and Communication Technologies (ANTIC) shall be “responsible for the regulation, control and monitoring of activities related to the security of electronic communication networks, information systems, and electronic certification on behalf of the State” and that one of its missions is to “examine applications for the certification of cryptographic means”. Section 58 of Law No. 2010/013 of 21 December 2010 Regulating Electronic Communications in Cameroon provides, more specifically, that “the supply, export, import or use of cryptography means or services associated with the transmission of information” requires prior declarations, where its sole purpose “is to authenticate a communication or to ensure the integrity of the message transmitted” and prior authorisation in other cases. These requirements do not apply, however, to cryptographic functions which are integrated into application software used by users. The rules on how to make a declaration to and seek authorisation from ANTIC are set out in Decree No. 2013/0400. A copy of Law No. 2010/012 can be found here . A copy of Law No. 2010/013 (in French) can be found here . A copy of Decree No. 2013/0400 (in French) can be found here .
Import/export controls
Section 58 of Law No. 2010/013 of 21 December 2010 Regulating Electronic Communications in Cameroon provides, more specifically, that “the supply, export, import or use of cryptography means or services associated with the transmission of information” requires prior declarations, where its sole purpose “is to authenticate a communication or to ensure the integrity of the message transmitted” and prior authorisation in other cases. These requirements do not apply, however, to cryptographic functions which are integrated into application software used by users. The rules on how to make a declaration to and seek authorisation from ANTIC are set out in Decree No. 2013/0400. Section 95 of Law No. 2010/013 of 21 December 2010 Regulating Electronic Communications in Cameroon provides that importation of exportation of cryptography means without authorisation shall be published by imprisonment of between one and three months, a fine of between 1 million and 20 million CFA, or both. A court may also, upon conviction, order the confiscation of the cryptographic means and prohibit the interested party from requesting any authorisation for up to two years. A copy of Law No. 2010/013 (in French) can be found here . A copy of Decree No. 2013/0400 (in French) can be found here .
Other restrictions
Under section 88 of Law No. 2010/012 of 21 December 2010 Relating to Cybersecurity and Cybercriminality in Cameroon, “whoever, knowing about a secret decoding convention, a cryptographic means likely to have been used to prepare, facilitate or commit a crime or felony, refuses to hand over the said convention to judicial authorities or to use it upon request by such authorities” commits a criminal offence, punishable by imprisonment of between 1 and 5 years, a fine of between 100,000 and 1 million CFA, or both. Where such refusal occurs in a case where providing the secret decoding convention could have helped prevent the commission of a crime or felony or limit the effects thereof, the punishment is imprisonment of between 3 and 5 years, a fine of between 1 million and 5 million CFA, or both. A copy of Law No. 2010/012 can be found here .
Obligations on individuals to assist authorities
Section 52 of Law No. 2010/012 of 21 December 2010 Relating to Cybersecurity and Cybercriminality in Cameroon provides that criminal investigation officers and authorised officials of ANTIC may carry out investigations into cyber offences. These investigations may include the search and seizure of documents and data. Under section 55, “when it appears that data seized or obtained in the course of an investigation or inquiry has been the subject of transformation, thus hindering clear access or is likely to impair the information it contains”, the State Counsel, an examining judge or a court “may request any qualified natural person or corporate body to perform technical operations to obtain the clear version of the said data”. Furthermore, “when a cryptographic means has been employed, judicial authorities may request the secret conversion of the encrypted text.” A copy of Law No. 2010/012 can be found here .
Obligations on providers to assist authorities
Under Section 49 of Law No. 2010/012 of 21 December 2010 Relating to Cybersecurity and Cybercriminality in Cameroon, in cases of criminal offences contained within the Law, criminal investigation officers may intercept, record or transcribe any electronic communication. Under section 50, where data transmitted by electronic communication networks or electronic communication service providers has been encoded, compressed or ciphered, criminal investigation officers are able to require “clear corresponding interceptions” to be provided. Under section 51, if a request is received, the personnel of the electronic communication network operators or electronic communication service providers are bound to secrecy. Under section 56, a request made under section 50 may also be made to any expert. Furthermore, under section 58, any natural or legal person that provides cryptographic services aimed at performing a duty of confidentiality are required to provide criminal investigation officers or authorised officials of ANTIC, upon their request, agreements allowing the conversion of data transformed by means of the services that they deliver. Criminal investigation officers and authorised officials of ANTIC may request service providers to implement these agreements of their own motion, except where they are unable to satisfy such requests. A copy of Law No. 2010/012 can be found here .
Assessment Text Area
The law in Cameroon requires authorisation for the supply, export, import or use of cryptography means or services although the requirements do not apply to cryptographic functions which are integrated into application software used by users. Under the law, criminal investigation officers and authorised officials may require the decryption of encrypted data by specified persons as authorised by the State Counsel, an examining judge or a court. They may also require communication service providers to comply with these requests, except where they are unable to satisfy such requests. The use of encryption to commit a crime and refusal to ‘hand over the convention to judicial authorities in such cases is punishable by imprisonment, a high financial penalty, or both.
Murphy's Law