Chile, Paraguay and Guatemala advance cyber laws

Chile’s Chamber of Deputies approved in general a bill that regulates content generated with artificial intelligence and specifically penalizes deepfakes, creating the legal concept of digital integrity. The text now returns to the Committee on Future, Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, while Paraguay, Guatemala and PARLACEN are also advancing or reorganizing initiatives tied to cybersecurity and digital crime.

What did Chile approve and what changes for platforms?

Chile’s lower house gave general approval to an initiative that requires platforms and companies to label content generated with AI, remove reported material within a maximum of 72 hours and maintain a legal representative in Chile, according to The Standard CIO. Oversight will fall to the Personal Data Protection Agency, and the bill includes fines in monthly tax units.

The Chilean text does not replace the complementary bill on digital violence that has been under debate since 2020. That separate proposal amends the Penal Code to sanction harmful conduct in virtual environments and adds an aggravated offense for sexual deepfakes under article 161-E, now in its second constitutional step in the Senate, according to El Tipógrafo.

What is happening with the debate in Paraguay?

In Paraguay, the bill creating the Cybersecurity Law of the Republic of Paraguay, identified as Exp. D-2585561, is still moving through the process. Its official aim is to establish a comprehensive legal framework to prevent, detect and respond to cyber threats and incidents, and to protect computer systems, information and critical infrastructure.

The Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies held a public hearing on the proposal with the participation of state bodies linked to critical infrastructure, as part of the committee review process. However, during that hearing, a revised version of the text was presented that did not match the one several public and private institutions were analyzing, which led to a decision not to hold an immediate technical discussion and drew criticism of the legislative working method, according to Ratio Paraguay.

That is compounded by opinion analyses in Paraguayan media, which note that the bill has a broad and controversial scope because it also tries to cover critical infrastructure, tariffs, military doctrine, artificial intelligence and nanotechnology. In that sense, La Tribuna says the debate centers on whether the law should focus on current real-world capabilities or hypothetical technological scenarios.

What is the status of the initiative in Guatemala?

In Guatemala, bill 6347 on cybersecurity was sent back to Congress and must restart from its first debate once the committees issue new reports, according to Jorge Ayala, chair of the Economy Committee.

Ayala told the press that the law could be ready in November if it clears committee reports and floor debate, although that depends on the reports being submitted separately and on consensus emerging. In parallel, private-sector stakeholders gathered in forums moderated by business organizations such as Fundesa argued that reopening the process could help strengthen cybersecurity institutions and governance.

What is PARLACEN pushing regionally?

The Central American Parliament presented in Panama a framework law proposal to prevent and combat cybercrime in SICA countries, with the goal of harmonizing rules, strengthening regional cooperation and establishing common tools against electronic fraud, cyberbullying and child exploitation, according to TVN-2.

The initiative is aimed at the eight SICA member countries and seeks to have them adapt their criminal and cooperation frameworks for cyber offenses. Regional coverage by Infobae also notes that the proposal is intended to strengthen cybersecurity and coordination in responding to digital crimes that already affect a large share of the population in those countries.

TVN-2 also said the idea does not start from scratch in every country, but is designed as a tool to update and harmonize existing legal frameworks in response to new technologies and cross-border threats.