BAKU, Azerbaijan - An Azerbaijani lawmaker has proposed a separate law governing social media platforms, including their liability for disinformation and the taxation of revenue earned in the country.
Hikmat Mammadov raised the proposal during the first plenary meeting of the Milli Majlis’ autumn session, according to Vesti Baku.
Mammadov said large private platforms operating in Azerbaijan require a dedicated legal framework that defines their legal and financial responsibilities within the country.
Liability for Disinformation and Manipulation
The lawmaker said legislation should address platform responsibility for disinformation, manipulation and what he described as ideological provocations.
He also called for clear rules specifying what restrictions could be imposed on platforms and how users or state institutions could bring claims against them in Azerbaijani jurisdiction.
Taxation and Digital Sovereignty
Mammadov separately argued that Azerbaijan should regulate taxation of revenue international social media companies earn in the domestic market.
He said a legal mechanism allowing financial claims against platforms could deter conduct that authorities consider harmful to Azerbaijan’s digital and information sovereignty. Report.az also carried the lawmaker’s remarks.
The initiative remains a parliamentary proposal. No draft law, tax rates, fines or platform-blocking procedures have been presented. Its effect on users and businesses would depend on whether lawmakers formally develop the measure and what safeguards and enforcement procedures any bill contains.