Saudi Arabia’s Personal Data Protection Law: An Overview
The Saudi Arabia’s Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) is the first data privacy law that was enacted by the Saudi Arabian government. The law was designed to protect the privacy of personal data of individuals that is collected, processed, and stored by businesses operating in Saudi Arabia.
But that’s not it! The PDPL also applies to any person or business that collects or processes personal data in Saudi Arabia, regardless of whether they are based in the country or not. The law applies to all types of personal data, including data that is collected online and offline.
If this sounds a lot like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you’re absolutely right. The GDPR has set the standards for many data privacy laws around the world, including Brazil’s LGPD, California’s CCPA, and Virginia’s VCDPA. And now, it’s PDPL too. There are a few differences, though.
Personal data is defined under the PDPL as any information that can identify an individual, such as their name, address, phone number, or email address. The law requires businesses to obtain explicit consent from individuals before collecting or processing their personal data, and also let them know what it will be used for, how long it will be stored, and why.
Under the PDPL, businesses must also use personal data only for the specific purposes for which it was collected. This means that businesses cannot use personal data other than the purpose for which it was collected without obtaining additional consent from the individual.
Businesses must also take appropriate measures to protect personal data from unauthorized access or disclosure. This means that businesses must implement technical and organizational measures to protect personal data from accidental or unlawful destruction, alteration, or disclosure. Businesses must also implement appropriate security measures to protect personal data from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.
In addition, the PDPL gives individuals the right to access their personal data and to request correction or deletion of their data. Individuals also have the right to withdraw their consent for the use of their personal data. Businesses must respond to these requests quickly and within a reasonable time frame.
In summary, PDPL gives end users the right to:
Know where, how and why their data is being collected
Request correction if data is in accurate or has changed
Request access to their data in a clear, readable format
Request deletion of their data from an organization
Compliance with PDPL
To comply with the PDPL, businesses operating in Saudi Arabia must take steps to ensure that they are following the law. This may involve appointing a data protection officer to oversee compliance with the law. Businesses may also need to implement appropriate security measures to protect personal data, such as firewalls, encryption, and access controls. Businesses may also need to develop policies and procedures for the handling of personal data, including policies for data retention and deletion.
In addition, businesses may need to provide training to employees on data protection best practices. This may include training on how to handle personal data, how to identify and report data breaches, and how to respond to data subject requests.
Under the PDPL, businesses must also disclose a data breach within 72 hours (about 3 days) of discovery – particularly if the breach compromises user data. This doesn’t give organizations much time to come up with a strategy, so having a solid plan in place to avoid a breach in the first place is very important under PDPL.
Non-compliance with the PDPL can result in significant fines and penalties. The Saudi Arabian Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) is responsible for enforcing the PDPL, and it has the power to impose fines of up to SAR 10 million (approximately USD 2.7 million) for serious violations. In addition, individuals may have the right to seek compensation for damage suffered because of a violation of their data protection rights. This is even more strict than the fees levied by the GDPR, CCPA, and VCDPA. If Facebook, Meta, Google, or Apple had made the same mistakes under PDPL as they did under GDPR, imagine how much worse their fines would be!
Therefore, it is important for businesses operating in Saudi Arabia, or businesses who handle the data of users residing in Saudi Arabia, to take the PDPL seriously and ensure that they follow its requirements. This may involve conducting a data protection impact assessment to identify risks and vulnerabilities related to the processing of personal data. Businesses may also need to update their privacy policies and procedures to ensure that they are in compliance with the law. In addition, your business should be aware of cookie consent, DSAR management, session recording, and consent preference management.
Final take...
Overall, the PDPL is an important data protection law that establishes rules for the collection, processing, storage, and transfer of personal data in Saudi Arabia. Businesses must take the appropriate steps to ensure that they are in compliance with the law in order to avoid deeply significant fines and penalties.
Adzapier can help you prepare for PDPL
At Adzapier, our goal is to help keep the internet a safer place – for businesses and end users. We want you to have the tools you need to avoid unnecessary fines in the future. And you can! In just 30 minutes, our data privacy experts can go over the main products you’ll need, especially if you know or are specifically targeting end users in Saudi Arabia. Even if you don’t, you never know where your end users might access your site, and whether they’ll give you their information. Whether that be through a form, a service, or purchasing a product.
Talk to one of our data privacy experts today and get set up within just about 30 minutes. We’ll even give you a 14-day free trial of our products and see your business take off. Don’t wait! Call today and get started.
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