Sudan Journalists Syndicate rejects media registration rules as a threat to press freedom
June 6, Khartoum — The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate on Friday rejected new registration procedures for online platforms and digital media outlets issued by the Ministry of Culture and Information, saying the requirements constitute a threat to press freedom and go far beyond routine administrative regulation.
In a statement, the syndicate said the ministry’s 2026 registration form for websites and digital platforms “is nothing more than a surveillance tool that collects sensitive data on journalists and media institutions under the cover of administrative organisation.”
The ministry launched the registration procedures in April, requiring digital news websites, online platforms, and digital newspapers to regularise their status. It extended the registration deadline and the completion of legal permits to 15 June. The ministry says the measure aims to organise the digital media sector, but it has drawn criticism from journalists and media organisations who say some requirements go beyond regulatory purposes and intrude on the privacy of media workers.
The syndicate said the form requests broad and unprecedented information covering financial, technical, personal, and security data — a scope it said far exceeds normal administrative registration requirements. It described the form as a model of “comprehensive compliance” designed to build a wide-scale surveillance information system rather than simply regulate the electronic media sector.
Among the syndicate’s chief concerns is the absence of any legal texts or guarantees clarifying why data is being collected, how it will be stored, which entities are authorised to access it, and how long it will be retained — raising questions about privacy protection and data security.
The syndicate warned that collecting such information, or using any data gathered under the form to pursue, restrict, or target journalists and media institutions in an already unstable security environment, could expose media workers to surveillance or targeting by various actors.
It also criticised the inclusion of what it called a “security vetting” requirement among registration conditions, saying this could lead to the exclusion of journalists or outlets for non-professional reasons and would make the practice of journalism conditional on prior security approvals.
The syndicate called on the Ministry of Culture and Information to cancel the current form and develop a regulatory framework that protects press freedom and balances organisational requirements with rights and freedoms, including clear legal guarantees for the protection of journalists’ personal and professional data.