Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 7 May 2025, a roundtable discussion was held in the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis Committee on Innovation Development and Information Technologies, focusing on user rights on online platforms, the emerging social relations in this area, and contemporary challenges.

The event was attended by members of the Legislative Chamber, representatives from the Agency for Information and Mass Communications, media experts, and media representatives.

During the roundtable, it was noted that under the open policy being implemented in Uzbekistan, the internet and social media are increasingly becoming important tools for rapidly meeting citizens' information needs and discussing pressing public issues. In this context, participants discussed the importance of clearly legislating the rights and legitimate interests of online platform users.

In this regard, the representatives of the Agency for Information and Mass Communications shared that, with the involvement of several government and public organizations, as well as media experts, a draft law regulating this area has been developed.

As highlighted, the goal of the draft law is to legally define citizens' rights in using online platforms and websites, as well as protect them from illegal content that spreads false information, incites hatred, violence, and cruelty.

The draft law aims to significantly liberalize existing legislation concerning online platforms and close the gaps in legal regulation. Specifically, the adoption of this document will legally establish the rights of online platform users, provide legal clarity and consistency on the issue of information dissemination on the internet, set clear conditions for the operation of platform and website owners in Uzbekistan, and create conditions for forecasting their business models.

Moreover, the project is focused on improving the legal framework for constructive dialogue and cooperation among participants in the information sector — online platforms, bloggers, influencers, and regulatory government bodies, as well as enhancing internet safety, protecting children from harmful content, and providing legal guarantees against discriminatory content with the possibility of seeking support from authorized bodies when necessary.

As reported, the draft law specifically addresses the accountability of influencers and bloggers, while simplifying the obligations of bloggers.

During the roundtable, the new legal institutions introduced by the draft were thoroughly discussed, and a decision was made to submit the draft for public discussion.