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DRONE — Digital Rights Oversight & Network Evaluator is an independent policy intelligence platform developed by EngageMedia. It monitors ASEAN digital trade frameworks, legal scrubbing, cross-border data transfer laws, and algorithmic governance threats.

Maintained by: EngageMedia Research Team

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  • Data & AI Governance
  • Digital Trade Agreements
  • Platform Accountability
  • Country Directory

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  • Jurisdiction Observatory
  • Verified Policy Ledger
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  • Encrypted Leaks Portal

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    Open tech, media & rights across Asia-Pacific

© 2026 EngageMedia • DRONE Project • Released under CC BY 4.0 Human Rights License.
EngageMedia DRONEDRONE
Digital Rights Oversight& Network Evaluator
Country Profiles
Digital Trade Agreements
Observatory
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Country · KH

Cambodia

Pending National Internet Gateway framework creates centralized internet traffic inspection concerns. Receiving regional technical assistance for DEFA compliance.

Official Legal Text
Section 01 · National Laws

Key Laws & Regulations

Key national laws and regulations governing data privacy, cybersecurity, and tech operations in Cambodia — with direct links to primary legal texts.

Primary Acts & Statutory Laws

(2 instruments)
Enacted via Parliamentary / Legislative AuthorityLegislative Power
Legislation & StatutePillar / CategoryBranch & HierarchyStatutory CitationOfficial Text
E-Commerce Law 2019
Governs electronic transactions, contracts, and digital signatures. Chapter 6 contains baseline data protection provisions for consumers in commercial digital transactions.
Legislative PowerStatutory Act
Data Governance & E-Commerce
Legislative PowerStatutory Act
Royal Kram No. NS/RKM/1119/017
Enacted & Active
View Statute
Law on Consumer Protection 2019
Prohibits deceptive business practices and unfair terms in standard consumer contracts, applying to both physical retail and digital commerce platforms.
Legislative PowerStatutory Act
Consumer Safeguards
Legislative PowerStatutory Act
Royal Kram No. NS/RKM/1119/016
Enacted & Active
View Statute

Decrees & Executive Regulations

(1 instrument)
Promulgated via Presidential / Government / Ministerial AuthorityExecutive Power
Legislation & StatutePillar / CategoryBranch & HierarchyStatutory CitationOfficial Text
Sub-Decree on National Internet Gateway (NIG)
Decree requiring all domestic internet traffic and international connections to route through a state-controlled gateway. Postponed following international and civil society pushback.
Executive PowerGovernment Regulation
Traffic Routing & State Surveillance
Executive PowerGovernment Regulation
Sub-Decree No. 23 ANKr.BK · MPTC Mandate
Decree Drafted / Deferred
View Statute
Section 02 · Trade Alignment

Trade Agreements & Policy Alignment

How Cambodia's domestic laws align or conflict with 5 major digital trade agreements: ASEAN DEFA, RCEP, CPTPP, IPEF, and Bilateral DEAs & CEPAs.

Trade Agreements & Policy Alignment

Comparing international trade agreements against national laws and digital rights in Cambodia. Select an agreement below to inspect chapter-level postures and court rulings.

2 Aligned3 Unclear
Select Trade Agreement:
ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (ASEAN DEFA)Text Scrubbing Ongoing (Target Signing 2026)
9 Mandatory Chapters · Cross-Border Data Flows, AI Ethics, Paperless Trade, Digital ID, Cybersecurity
Official Pact
Archival Record:Under Negotiation (Target Q4 2026)•Pending Signature & Parliamentary Ratification•Depositary: ASEAN Secretariat (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Source Code
Source Code & Algorithmic Disclosure Protection
Statutory prohibitions against mandatory disclosure, access, or transfer of proprietary source code, algorithms, and cryptographic keys as a prerequisite for commercial licensing or market authorization.
Civil Society Focus: Guarantees that state agencies cannot mandate arbitrary access or cryptographic backdoors while preserving judicial discovery and public interest auditing.
Voluntary Baseline

Source Code Disclosure & Tech Secrets

Posture & Friction Vector

Participating in trade secret protections while retaining regulatory audit discretion.

Statutory Alignment Evaluation
Treaty Mandate (ASEAN DEFA)

Protects proprietary algorithmic assets against arbitrary state appropriation.

Domestic Statutory Conflict

Subject to ministerial investigation powers in consumer protection and criminal probes.

Civil Society & Rights Impact

Preserves state discovery authority, but lacks transparent due process safeguards for proprietary audits.

Primary Law: National Consumer Protection Framework
Trade Secrets Telemetry · CambodiaSource
Copyright Harbors
Copyright Safe Harbors & Intermediary Liability
Statutory safe harbors protecting network intermediaries from direct copyright liability for user transmissions, combined with balanced notice-and-takedown procedures and counter-notice protections.
Civil Society Focus: Protects digital platforms and expression from over-broad automated censorship and prevents strict liability for intermediary hosts.
Harmonized Alignment

Copyright Safe Harbors & Intermediary Liability

Posture & Friction Vector

Participating in notice-and-takedown safe harbor harmonization across regional platforms.

Statutory Alignment Evaluation
Treaty Mandate (ASEAN DEFA)

Establishes legal certainty for digital intermediaries hosting user-generated content.

Domestic Statutory Conflict

Harmonized with domestic copyright statutes and sectoral telecommunications regulations.

Civil Society & Rights Impact

Safeguards conduits from arbitrary intermediary liability, supporting open internet communications.

Primary Law: National Copyright Act & Safe Harbor Provisions
Copyright Regulatory Framework · CambodiaSource
Patent Protection
Patent Protection & Algorithmic Standards
Statutory patent standards governing computer-implemented and software innovations under international TRIPS agreements, including rules on compulsory licensing and local working requirements.
Civil Society Focus: Prevents speculative patent thickets from monopolizing open source innovation while preventing compulsory technology transfer mandates.
Harmonized Alignment

Patent Protection & Local Working Mandates

Posture & Friction Vector

Standard TRIPS baseline patent protection with compulsory licensing flexibilities.

Statutory Alignment Evaluation
Treaty Mandate (ASEAN DEFA)

Standard intellectual property protections aligned with WTO TRIPS baselines.

Domestic Statutory Conflict

Preserves domestic authority to issue compulsory licenses during public health crises.

Civil Society & Rights Impact

Protects sovereign public health flexibility to manufacture and import affordable generic medicine.

Primary Law: National Patent Statute & TRIPS Flexibilities
National Patent Authority Assessment · CambodiaSource
AI Training & Ethics
AI Training Exceptions & Algorithmic Governance
Statutory text and data mining (TDM) exceptions for computational data analysis, voluntary testing frameworks (e.g., ASEAN Guide on AI Ethics), and transparency rules for automated decision-making.
Civil Society Focus: Enables public interest machine learning research while establishing procedural accountability against algorithmic bias and discrimination.
Voluntary Baseline

AI Training, Model Auditing & Ethics

Posture & Friction Vector

Endorsed ASEAN Guide on AI Ethics; developing national non-binding advisory circulars.

Statutory Alignment Evaluation
Treaty Mandate (ASEAN DEFA)

Chapter establishes voluntary safety baselines, ethical governance, and sandbox collaboration.

Domestic Statutory Conflict

Domestic binding legislation remains absent; circulars provide non-enforceable guidance.

Civil Society & Rights Impact

Zero statutory protection against automated bias, algorithmic worker dispatch, or deceptive AI.

Primary Law: National AI Advisory Guidelines
ASEAN Guide on AI Ethics and Governance (SEOM-DEFA)
Data Flows (DFFT)
Cross-Border Data Flows & Server Localization
Regulatory frameworks governing cross-border movement of personal and commercial data (Data Free Flow with Trust / DFFT) versus mandatory domestic server hosting, local data copying, and export licenses.
Civil Society Focus: Balances digital economy connectivity with robust personal data privacy safeguards, preventing unaccountable state surveillance access.
Defensive Reservation

Cross-Border Data Flows & Server Localization

Posture & Friction Vector

Preserving E-Commerce Law consumer safeguards while National Internet Gateway remains deferred.

Statutory Alignment Evaluation
Treaty Mandate (ASEAN DEFA)

Facilitates seamless regional commercial data transfers subject to accountability principles.

Domestic Statutory Conflict

Latent tension between DEFA open transfers and deferred National Internet Gateway Sub-Decree No. 23.

Civil Society & Rights Impact

Absence of a dedicated horizontal privacy law leaves citizen data without statutory redress.

Primary Law: E-Commerce Law 2019 & NIG Sub-Decree No. 23
Sub-Decree on National Internet Gateway (NIG)
EVALUATION METHODOLOGYStatutory Criteria & Frameworks

Digital Trade Risk Level Criteria & Frameworks

Statutory risk levels are determined strictly by enacted domestic legislation, multilateral treaty commitments, and procedural safeguards rather than arbitrary numerical scores.

Section 03 · Active Negotiations

Trade Negotiations & Treaties

Digital trade agreements Cambodia is negotiating or party to — tracking national positions, ratification progress, reservations, and negotiation timelines.

ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement(ASEAN DEFA)Active Scrubbing

Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA)

National Position

Active member state in 9-chapter DEFA negotiations. National delegation participating in SEOM text scrubbing ahead of planned November 2026 signing ceremony.

Ratification Status & Process

7 chapters in legal scrubbing post-57th SEOM Manila

Responsible Agency / Lead Ministry

Ministry of Commerce (MOC) & Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (MPTC)

Target Date: 2026-11-15Treaty Portal
Section 04 · News & Updates

Recent News & Investigative Reports

Recent regulatory developments, investigations, and reporting tagged to Cambodia or regional ASEAN impact.

No dispatches or investigative reports currently tagged for Cambodia.

EngageMediaEngageMedia

DRONE — Digital Rights Oversight & Network Evaluator is an independent policy intelligence platform developed by EngageMedia. It monitors ASEAN digital trade frameworks, legal scrubbing, cross-border data transfer laws, and algorithmic governance threats.

Maintained by: EngageMedia Research Team

Research Modules

  • Data & AI Governance
  • Digital Trade Agreements
  • Platform Accountability
  • Country Directory

Observatory Hub

  • Jurisdiction Observatory
  • Verified Policy Ledger
  • Curated Knowledge Hub
  • Encrypted Leaks Portal

EngageMedia Network

  • EngageMedia Official Site

    Open tech, media & rights across Asia-Pacific

© 2026 EngageMedia • DRONE Project • Released under CC BY 4.0 Human Rights License.