Azerbaijan.US
Azerbaijan’s parliament has approved new amendments regulating online behavior, expanding restrictions on content deemed offensive to public morality and societal values.
The changes, adopted in the third reading, amend the Law “On Information, Informatization and Protection of Information.” They apply to publicly shared content on social media platforms and other online resources.
Under the new rules, the dissemination of content involving profanity, offensive gestures, or visual material considered contrary to public morality and national values is prohibited. Lawmakers say the measures are aimed at addressing the growing spread of unethical and provocative content online.
What changes for everyday users
For ordinary users, the new law primarily means greater responsibility for what is posted publicly online. While extreme or explicit content was already restricted under previous regulations, the updated wording broadens the scope to include material interpreted as showing “disrespect to society.”
Because these definitions remain relatively broad, users may become more cautious about:
language and tone used in public posts,
visual content shared on social platforms,
commentary that could be interpreted as offensive rather than critical.
In practice, this is likely to lead to increased self-censorship, particularly on large social networks where content visibility is high.
Authorities’ rationale
Supporters of the amendments argue that existing legislation did not fully cover all forms of harmful online content. They cite the influence of social media algorithms, which often amplify emotionally charged or viral posts, regardless of their social impact.
Officials also emphasize the need to protect children and young people from content that may encourage inappropriate behavior or distorted social norms.
Open questions
The key issue raised by the new law is where the line will be drawn between maintaining public standards and limiting freedom of expression. Since terms such as “disrespect” and “public morality” are not precisely defined, much will depend on how the rules are enforced in practice.
For users, this means paying closer attention not only to what they say online, but also how it may be interpreted in a public context.
