Bolivia approves public information access law

Update August 31, 2026: Bolivia’s Senate approved Bill No. 066/2025-2026 on Access to Public Information in detail and sent it to the Chamber of Deputies. The text also changed the follow-up mechanism, now called the Observatory, and set a maximum 90-day deadline for regulations after publication in the Official Gazette.

Bolivia’s Senate approved Bill No. 066/2025-2026 on Access to Public Information, promoted by Senator Soledad Chapetón, and sent it to the Chamber of Deputies for further consideration. The proposal seeks to guarantee the full exercise of the right to access public information and strengthen transparency in how that information is created, managed and administered.

What did the Bolivian Senate decide?

The Senate approved the bill and ordered it sent to Deputies, where it must first pass through committee and then to the floor. The vote closed the process in the upper house and left the text ready for another legislative review.

During the detailed review, lawmakers made changes to the article text. Among them, the body responsible for monitoring the law was renamed the Observatory, and a maximum 90-day period from publication in the Official Gazette was added for issuing the corresponding regulations, according to Opinión.

Who does the bill apply to?

The bill covers state bodies, public institutions and entities, public companies, public universities and other bodies that manage resources or provide public services. Red Uno reported that the central goal is to secure the right to access public information and reinforce state transparency.

The approved version also reaffirms that information held by the state is public by default, unless exceptions are expressly established by law. It also recognizes that anyone may request information without having to justify the reasons for the request, according to Opinión.

What happened with the legislative debate and organizations?

The debate in the Senate had moved forward with backing from sectors linked to journalism and civil society organizations. El Día, Correo del Sur and ERBOL reported that groups such as the National Press Association, Fundación Construir, the Citizen Platform for Access to Justice and Human Rights, the Human Rights Community, the National Association of Journalists of Bolivia and the La Paz Journalists Association were closely following the process.

Those organizations described the approval as progress toward guaranteeing citizens’ right to oversee public administration, according to El Día. In October 2024, an earlier bill promoted by then-Senator Silvia Salame had been approved in the Senate and sent to the Plural Justice Committee of Deputies, although the process did not advance, according to the same outlet.

What about personal data and cybersecurity bills?

In the public navigation tools of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, there is no prominently identified bill on cybersecurity, personal data protection or regulatory compliance in parliamentary process as of August 23 and 26, 2026, respectively. The portals do show sections for bills under review and already approved, but no initiative of that type appears in that general view.

An analysis published in August 2026 by the Ciberseguridad Preventiva blog argues that Bolivia does not have a comprehensive personal data protection law and that privacy protection is handled mainly through the Privacy Protection Action provided for in Articles 130 and 131 of the Constitution. The same approach appears in public statements from Entel executives in August 2026, who link a national cybersecurity agenda to the protection of constitutional rights, including the proper handling of personal data and information transmitted through cyberspace.