Law on Combating Cybercrime, Unauthorised Access, Interference and Fraudulent Copying of Data
Loi n° 27-2020 du 5 juin 2020 portant lutte contre la cybercriminalité, arts. 4, 5, 6, 63
A citation is an address, not a summary. The first part names the law; what follows narrows it to the exact section, article or paragraph.
In force.
A computer misuse rule binding public and private bodies.
As of 7 September 2026.
What it requires
- Do not access or attempt to access, without authorization, all or part of an information system.
- Do not remain or attempt to remain connected, without authorization, to an information system.
- Do not hinder or attempt to hinder the functioning of an information system.
- Do not copy or attempt to copy computer data to the prejudice of a third party without authorization.
- Reading a public, unauthenticated page without accessing, remaining connected to, hindering, or copying data from a system without authorization has not itself been held to violate these articles.
If you get it wrong
Criminal exposureYes
Private right of actionNo
Criminal exposure note
Article 4 (unauthorised access): imprisonment of six months to three years and a fine of one million to ten million CFA francs, or either penalty. Article 5 (unauthorised continued connection): the same range. Article 6 (hindering a system's functioning): imprisonment of one to five years and a fine of five million to ten million CFA francs, or either penalty. Article 54 (installing a backdoor): imprisonment of two to five years and a fine of two million to thirty million CFA francs, or either penalty. Article 63 (fraudulent copying of data): imprisonment of six months to five years and a fine of four hundred thousand to five million CFA francs, or either penalty.
Penalty structure
Graduated by offence: fraudulent access or attempted access (Art. 4) and unauthorised continued connection (Art. 5) each draw imprisonment of six months to three years and a fine of one million to ten million CFA francs; hindering a system's functioning (Art. 6) draws imprisonment of one to five years and a fine of five million to ten million CFA francs; fraudulent copying of data (Art. 63) draws imprisonment of six months to five years and a fine of four hundred thousand to five million CFA francs; installing a backdoor without authorization (Art. 54, a related but distinct offence) draws the highest tier reached by these provisions, imprisonment of two to five years and a fine of two million to thirty million CFA francs.
- Rule
- Fixed only
- As of
- 7 September 2026
- Minimum
- 400,000
- Currency
- XAF
- Fixed cap
- 10,000,000
What this law does
Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.
Article 1 states the Law's object as defining and punishing offences linked to information and communication technology, completing the Penal Code. Article 2 applies the Law to any person, of any nationality, who commits an offence through information and communication technology in the Republic of the Congo.
Article 4 punishes, by six months to three years' imprisonment and a fine of one million to ten million CFA francs, or either penalty, fraudulently accessing or attempting to access all or part of an information system, and separately punishes fraudulently procuring or attempting to procure an advantage by entering a system. Article 5 punishes the same range of penalties for fraudulently remaining or attempting to remain connected to all or part of an information system.
Article 6 punishes, by one to five years' imprisonment and a fine of five million to ten million CFA francs, or either penalty, hindering or attempting to hinder the functioning of an information system. Article 54 separately punishes, by two to five years' imprisonment and a fine of two million to thirty million CFA francs, installing a backdoor to data or an information system without the legitimate user's authorization.
Article 63 punishes, by six months to five years' imprisonment and a fine of four hundred thousand to five million CFA francs, or either penalty, fraudulently copying or attempting to copy computer data to a third party's prejudice. Article 109 provides that the Law is to be published in the Journal Officiel and executed as a law of the State, without stating a separate commencement date.
When LexLint raises it
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