Código Penal, Decreto 17-73, Arts. 274 'A' a 274 'G' (Delitos Informáticos)
Decreto Legislativo No. 17-73 (Código Penal), arts. 274 A a 274 G, Delitos Informáticos
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 since 3 July 1996.
A computer misuse rule binding public and private bodies.
As of 5 September 2026.
What it requires
- Do not, without authorization, use another's computerized records, or enter by any means their data bank or electronic archives (art. 274 'F'); whether reading a public, unauthenticated page counts as unauthorized use or entry has not been tested by a Guatemalan court.
- Do not destroy, erase, or render useless another's computer records or the programs a computer uses, and do not distribute destructive programs capable of damaging computerized records, programs, or equipment.
- Do not create a data bank or computerized record containing data that could affect a person's privacy.
If you get it wrong
Criminal exposureYes
Private right of actionNo
Criminal exposure note
Article 274 'F' (unauthorized use of or entry into another's computerized records) carries six months' to two years' imprisonment and a fine of two hundred to one thousand quetzales. The chapter's other sub-articles carry different ranges: 274 'A' and 274 'G' up to four years and a two-thousand-quetzal fine (274 'A' raised by a third for a public service or official record); 274 'B' the same as 274 'A'; 274 'C' up to four years and a twenty-five-hundred-quetzal fine; 274 'D' up to four years and a one-thousand-quetzal fine; 274 'E' up to five years and a three-thousand-quetzal fine.
Penalty structure
Fine range under art. 274 'F' (uso de información), the sub-article closest to unauthorized access. Imprisonment of six months to two years accompanies the fine. The chapter's other sub-articles carry different, generally higher, fine ranges up to Q3,000.
- Rule
- Fixed only
- As of
- 5 September 2026
- Minimum
- 200
- Currency
- GTQ
- Fixed cap
- 1,000
Who enforces it
Enforcement body
Ministerio Público (public prosecution service)
What it reaches
Obligation class
Access restriction, Prohibition
What this law does
Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.
Articles 274 'A' through 274 'G' were added to the Código Penal by Decreto 33-96 and punish seven distinct computer-related acts. Article 274 'A' punishes destroying, erasing, or otherwise rendering useless computer records, with the penalty raised by a third when the information is necessary for a public service or is an official record. Article 274 'B' punishes altering, erasing, or rendering useless the instructions or programs computers use.
Article 274 'C' punishes copying or reproducing computer instructions or programs without the author's authorization. Article 274 'D' punishes creating a data bank or computerized record with data that could affect a person's privacy. Article 274 'E' punishes using computerized records or programs to hide, alter, or distort information required for a commercial activity, a duty to the State, or a person's financial statements.
Article 274 'F', the provision closest to a general unauthorized-access offense, punishes using another's computerized records without authorization, or entering, by any means, their data bank or electronic archives without authorization; it does not on its own terms require defeating a technical security measure. Article 274 'G' punishes distributing or circulating destructive programs or instructions capable of harming computerized records, programs, or equipment.
When LexLint raises it
crawls_web
Read the law
Código Penal de Guatemala
Decreto 17-73, consolidated text hosted by the Tribunal Supremo Electoral (Unidad Especializada de Combate al Femicidio, Feminicidio y otras Formas de Violencia contra la Mujer)