By Wendy Mkandawire
The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has warned the public that it will take action against the unlawful processing of personal data following the circulation of content on social media depicting individuals in intimate acts.
In a letter published on Wednesday, 19 August ,2026, MACRA stated that violators face fines of up to K20 million and five years of imprisonment under the Data Protection Act of 2024.
MACRA stated that the Data Protection Act of 2024 is aimed at protecting the privacy and personal data of every individual. The Act covers any operation performed on personal data, including collection, recording, storage, and publication.
The Authority stressed that individuals found recording intimate content depicting another person, or who publish, share, and forward such content, will be fined K20 million and imprisoned for 5 years.
MACRA further reminded the public that distributing pornographic materials through an information system is also an offense under Section 85(2) of the Electronic Transactions and Cyber Security Act of 2016.
The penalty under that law is a fine of K10 million and up to 15 years of imprisonment.
The Authority has urged the general public to respect a person’s privacy and dignity and to immediately cease any unlawful processing and dissemination of personal data.
MACRA warned that punishment will be imposed on all those who violate the Act as it moves to curb the spread of non-consensual intimate content online.
