The Communication Council approves protocol against discriminatory content in media

The Council for the Development and Promotion of Information and Communication approved the “Action Protocol for the Service: Request for Determination of Possible Discriminatory, Violent, or Sexually Explicit Content through a Technical Content Report.” The decision is contained in Resolution No. CDPIC-PREC-2026-0012-R, signed in Quito on September 2, 2026, and published in the Third Supplement No. 377 of the Official Registry on Friday, September 25, 2026, p. 20.

The instrument is issued under article 68.1 of the Organic Law of Communication, which empowers individuals and civil society organizations to request the issuance of a Technical Content Report from the Council for the Development and Promotion of Information and Communication. The same article specifies that this report is not binding, although it must be considered by a public authority when deciding a specific case, and that it does not constitute a requirement for initiating the corresponding legal actions.

The resolution is further supported by article 51 of the General Regulations to the Organic Law of Communication, which develops the procedure for handling requests, and by articles 47 and 49 of the Organic Law of Communication, which define the nature of the Council as a collegiate body with functional, administrative, and financial autonomy and assign it the promotion and guarantee of the rights to information and communication.

What the resolution approves

Article 1 of Resolution No. CDPIC-PREC-2026-0012-R approves the protocol developed by the Technical Directorate of Content Investigation and Analysis and technically approved by the General Coordination of Information and Communication Development, and stipulates that the document forms an integral part of the resolution.

According to the recitals, the protocol is a technical-administrative instrument aimed at establishing the internal procedure for the reception, management, analysis, and handling of requests related to the determination of possible discriminatory, violent, or sexually explicit content, through the issuance of the corresponding Technical Content Report.

The Second General Provision declares the protocol mandatory for the administrative units and servants involved in its various stages, within the scope of their respective powers.

Deadlines and procedure for complaints

The resolution incorporates the terms provided for in the communication regulations for the handling of requests:

• The person who feels affected may request the technical report within thirty (30) days from the issuance of the content.
• The request must specify the possibly discriminatory, violent, or sexually explicit content and the corporate name or trade name of the medium that disseminated it.
• The Council may require the medium to provide a backup of the content, which must be submitted within a maximum term of five (5) days.
• The technical report must be issued within forty-five (45) days from the receipt of the request.
• The Council may analyze content ex officio and, if applicable, bring it to the attention of the Ombudsman’s Office.

Background, validity, and responsible parties

The administrative processing is detailed in the resolution itself:

• On August 14, 2026, the General Coordinator of Information and Communication Development approved the technical document of the protocol.
• On August 17, 2026, through memorandum CDPIC-CGDIC-2026-0053-M, the draft resolution was requested from the General Coordination of Legal Counsel.
• On September 1, 2026, through memorandum CDPIC-CGAJ-2026-0076-M, the Legal Viability Report was submitted, concluding that there is legal basis and competence for approval.
• The First General Provision entrusts the implementation and compliance of the protocol to the General Coordination of Information and Communication Development.
• The Second Final Provision establishes that the resolution is effective from the date of its signing, without prejudice to its publication in the Official Registry.

The resolution is signed by Dr. César Antonio Martín Moreno, President of the Council for the Development and Promotion of Information and Communication, and was certified on September 14, 2026, by Atty. María Isabel Merizalde Ocaña, General Secretary. Among the copy recipients are Mgs. Juan Xavier Giler Mogrovejo, General Coordinator of Legal Counsel; Mgs. Andrés Alejandro Balarezo Corella, General Coordinator of Information and Communication Development; Mgs. Andrés Manolo Garate Altamirano, Technical Director of Content Research and Analysis; and Mstra. Sonia Cristina Reyes Alvarado, Director of Legal Counsel.

The protocol orders the internal circuit through which the Council for the Development and Promotion of Information and Communication will handle citizen complaints regarding media content, with defined deadlines for the complainant, the requested medium, and the entity itself. Its publication in the Official Registry marks the starting point of a procedure that directly affects media outlets, journalists, and citizens, and adds to the ex officio powers of the Council and the channel of the Ombudsman’s Office.

Source: Official Registry, Third Supplement No. 377, Friday, September 25, 2026, section I, page 20 (official reference: Resolution No. CDPIC-PREC-2026-0012-R).