Díli, 11 June 2026 – Deputy Ombudsman for Good Governance, Rigoberto Monteiro has warned that Timor-Leste urgently needs a “digital resilience” policy to protect citizens’ human rights online, as new data shows nearly half the population now uses social media. Speaking at a youth-led discussion organized by Foinsa’e Halo Mudança, Monteiro cited UN and ASEAN positions affirming that rights enjoyed offline must also be protected in digital spaces. He revealed that Timor-Leste has 687,000 social media users (48.3% of the population) and 575,000 internet users, with usage growing 18.4% in just one year.
However, Monteiro cautioned that rapid digital growth has brought serious problems, including misinformation, hate speech, online bullying, and unhealthy internet use such as free access to pornographic sites. He also noted low public awareness of artificial intelligence and a breakdown of healthy social interaction. To address these threats, he called on the state to finally pass the long-pending Cybercrime Law and Personal Data Protection Law, expand internet infrastructure including Starlink in village headquarters, and reform the education curriculum to include digital literacy.
The Deputy Ombudsman outlined four key capacities for a digitally resilient nation: anticipating risks, responding quickly to technological change, withstanding cyberattacks, and maintaining strong digital governance. He also referenced the 2026 encyclical Magnifica Humanitas by Pope Leo XIV, which states that artificial intelligence must always respect human dignity and rights, serving as a tool to help people rather than replace or dominate them.
Monteiro concluded that the time has come for Timor-Leste to adopt digital resilience as a national priority, warning that without urgent action, the same digital spaces that connect citizens will continue to expose them to serious harm. “Digital rights are human rights,” he said, calling on both the government and the public to push for immediate legal and educational reforms.
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