Guatemala Approves Cybersecurity Law with 121 Votes in Favor

The Congress of Guatemala approved the Cybersecurity Framework Law, known as initiative 6347, on November 3, 2026, with 121 votes in favor and 10 against. This legislation establishes a comprehensive framework for the prevention, investigation, response, and sanctioning of digital incidents, creating three key institutions: the National Cybersecurity Council, the National Cybersecurity Directorate, and the Cybersecurity Incident Response Center of Guatemala (CRIC-GT). The law criminalizes cyber offenses such as unauthorized access to systems and computer fraud, with penalties ranging from two to eight years in prison, which increase if they affect critical infrastructure or national security. The regulation imposes data protection obligations and sets deadlines for incident reporting. The law will come into effect 30 days after its official publication, and the Ministry of the Interior will have six months to issue the corresponding regulations. This approval occurs in the context of a global cybersecurity crisis, following significant cyberattacks on platforms such as Binance and BitMart.