By Justin B. Cornish, Brian A. Meenagh, Alice Marsden and Omar M. Elsayed

Protecting Personal Data

Whilst it is not widely recognized that countries in the Middle East have specific established laws applicable to data protection, privacy and data protection are regulated by other laws in the region.

In Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the constitutions, together with certain statutes, recognize individual rights to privacy in specific circumstances. In addition, in Saudi Arabia, protection of

By Omar Elsayed

Although some surveys of privacy law suggest otherwise, privacy requirements do in fact exist in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)and are very relevant to companies operating there or seeking to provide services to customers in KSA.

Background

The paramount body of law in KSA is the Sharīʿah. The Sharīʿah is comprised of a collection of fundamental principles derived from a number of different sources, which include the Holy Qu’ran and the Sunnah, which are

Thumbnail image for iStock_000005643842XSmall.jpgGoogle has consented to the entry of a proposed Agreement Containing Consent Order with the US Federal Trade Commission, subjecting the company to sweeping government oversight of its privacy disclosure and product development and release practices, nominally arising out of the roll-out of its Buzz product in February 2010. The auditing and reporting requirements are staggering in scope, breadth and duration, reaching Google’s entire business, not merely online communication products such as Gmail. One interpretation of the (rather amazing) document