Latest news and stories about regulation in technology in Portugal for expats and residents.
Seguro highlights the need for proactive engagement from Portugal and the European Union in the fields of technology and AI.
The Public Prosecution Service (Procuradoria-Geral da República or PGR) has prohibited magistrates from using artificial intelligence to predict the probability of conviction or the risk of recidivism among defendants. The new rule mandates that AI tools may only serve as auxiliary instruments and cannot be used to generate automated profiles for suggesting coercive measures.
The Ministério Público (Public Prosecution Service) is Portugal's independent state prosecution body, responsible for leading criminal investigations, bringing charges, and representing the public interest in court.
The MP operates autonomously from the government and the police, though it directs criminal investigations carried out by the Polícia Judiciária, PSP, and GNR. It is led by the Procurador-Geral da República (Attorney General), who is appointed by the President on the government's proposal.
The MP gets involved in high-profile cases including corruption, financial crime, and incidents of potential institutional negligence. It also defends the legality of government actions and protects citizens' fundamental rights through the courts.
The National Cybersecurity Centre (Centro Nacional de Cibersegurança or CNCS) reported 3,864 security incidents in 2025, a 40% increase over the previous year. Coordinator Lino Santos noted that human factors, such as phishing, account for roughly half of these cases, which include harassment, stalking, and digital scams.
The National Cybersecurity Center (Centro Nacional de Cibersegurança or CNCS) is the government agency responsible for promoting and coordinating cybersecurity across Portugal. It monitors digital threats, provides guidance to citizens and businesses on protecting data, and manages the national response to significant cyber incidents.
The government has introduced the National Data Center Plan (Plano Nacional de Centros de Dados or PNDC) to position Portugal as a European hub for digital infrastructure. The strategy aims to simplify complex regulations and address fragmented oversight to attract more investment. While the sector welcomes the guidelines, industry experts warn that the success of the initiative depends on effective execution.
The National Data Centre Plan (Plano Nacional de Centros de Dados or PNDC) is a government strategy introduced in March 2024 to attract investment in digital infrastructure. It establishes guidelines for developing data centers to strengthen Portugal's position as a hub for technology and cloud services in Europe.
AliExpress is set to appeal a 550 million euro fine imposed by the European Commission, arguing the penalty for failing to curb illegal product sales under the Digital Services Act is disproportionate.
Anthropic faces a class action lawsuit in Portugal initiated by the Citizens’ Voice – Consumer Defence Association over the company's failure to provide an electronic complaints book for its services.
New European Union regulations now mandate customs duties on all orders from third countries, removing the previous 150-euro exemption for platforms like Shein and Temu.
The Regulatory Entity for Social Communication (ERC) has launched administrative offence proceedings against the LiveMode platform for failing to meet the 72-hour deadline for submitting mandatory registration information.
New regulations for online shopping from non-EU platforms come into effect this Wednesday, impacting customs and import procedures.
The implementation of new European regulations has led to a reduction in the number of crypto-asset operators active in Portugal.
The PSD has proposed a digital seal to address the rise in illegal online gambling, a sector that saw over 780 charges filed by the Public Prosecution Service in six years and reached 380,000 self-excluded registrations by March.
The Institute for Education, Quality and Assessment has acknowledged delays in grading national exams, citing technical difficulties while facing criticism from experts regarding the integrity of the assessment system.
The Portuguese Tax Authority is leveraging new technology to streamline the calculation of the location coefficient for Municipal Property Tax (IMI), impacting property valuations based on local infrastructure and services.
The National Data Protection Commission is urging Parliament to expedite legislative amendments to address severe staffing shortages that are currently preventing the enforcement of fines for personal data breaches.
The mandatory implementation of two-factor authentication for the Direct Social Security portal has been postponed from May 12th to May 16th due to technical issues with access code delivery.
Police forces state that crimes such as grooming and child pornography are on the rise. Experts advocate for limits on social media, but admit that banning it alone does not solve the problem.
A hacker has reportedly stolen one million customer records from CTT's Locky locker service, prompting the company to confirm the breach and offer support to affected users.
The President has enacted a decree to transpose European regulations on digital services, establishing a single market framework that mandates service providers to address illegal content and increase transparency regarding recipients.
The European Commission is reviewing a joint request from Portugal, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Austria to implement a windfall tax on energy company profits, acknowledging the proposal while distinguishing current market conditions from the 2022 energy crisis.
Over 2,400 organisations are warning of severe child protection risks following the expiration of the European legal framework for monitoring online child sexual abuse.
The European Union is moving to regulate financial influencers on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram to mitigate risks associated with digital financial advice.
The Tax Authority has clarified that while employee stock plans can qualify for reduced IRS taxation, eligibility is contingent upon rigorous documentation and strict adherence to regulatory requirements, with no advance confirmation provided.
The rise of 'bossware' for employee monitoring is becoming common globally, despite questionable productivity benefits and strict legal restrictions in countries like Portugal.
The Authority for Working Conditions (ACT) reports that most of the 4,000 notified companies are actively addressing gender pay gaps, with only 100 sanctions issued for non-compliance to date.
Portugal faces criticism for its vulnerability to spam and online scams, prompting calls from Anacom, the Cybersecurity Alliance, and Deco for legislative reform and enhanced consumer protection measures.
In early November, the Portuguese Government approved a new cybersecurity law that will come into effect in April. This law implements the NIS2 Directive (EU) 2022/2555, aiming to enhance digital resilience in the country and ensure compliance with European standards. It introduces significant penalties for non-compliance, including million-euro fines, and imposes stricter responsibilities on organizations to protect their digital infrastructure, thereby addressing reputational risks associated with cybersecurity breaches.
Europe can only realise its AI ambitions by ramping up investment not just in compute and networks but in trusted, advanced connectivity. Success depends equally on policy — harmonised rules, interoperable standards, cross‑border data governance and targeted financing — alongside technology, infrastructure, skills and public‑private partnerships to accelerate deployment and adoption.
Caixa Geral de Depósitos has updated its code of conduct to introduce explicit AI guardrails, mandating human review of content produced by artificial intelligence to mitigate algorithmic bias. The move highlights a growing focus on governance and accountability in financial services, while underscoring that many companies still rely on internal policies that are not formalised within their codes of ethics. The change has implications for compliance, consumer protection and how banks integrate AI responsibly into products and communications.
Europe has sent an important signal by recognising the Right to Repair. However, this right will only be effective if it is accompanied by a real right of access to software and digital platforms. Opinion by Roberto Gaspar
Companies wishing to obtain a licence to test autonomous cars must pay a 5,000 euro fee and a 40,000 euro deposit. The deposit amount drops to 3,000 euros for individuals, according to an ordinance published this Thursday in the Diário da República. After approving the regime...
An analysis of the risks associated with implementing regulations without a long-term strategic vision in the Portuguese context.
