The government restricted freedoms of the press and of speech, particularly in instances related to national security. The law also specifically prohibits the publication of material insulting Islam, the emir, the constitution, or the neutrality of the courts or public prosecutor's office. The law mandates jail terms for anyone who «defames religion,» and any Muslim citizen may file criminal charges against an author the citizen believes has defamed Islam, the ruling family, or public morals. The number of such cases filed against journalists and television stations continued to increase significantly; 678 were filed during the year, most of which resulted in fines. In comparison, fewer than 200 were filed in 2009.

Тhe government monitored Internet communications, such as blogs and discussion groups, for defamation and security reasons. The Ministry of Communications continued to block Web sites considered to «incite terrorism and instability» and required Internet service providers to block religious and pornographic Web sites that «violate Kuwait's customs and traditions,» in addition to political sites which the government finds offensive. For example, the Web site of UK-based Shia cleric Yasser al-Habib was blocked. There were reports that the government attempted to collect the personally identifiable information of a person in connection with that person's peaceful expression of political, religious, or ideological opinion or beliefs. Internet cafe owners were obligated to obtain the names and civil identification numbers of customers and to submit the information to the Ministry of Communication upon request.