On the 14th of September, the commencement of the amended Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) in accordance with Royal Decree No. M147 of 5/9/1444H comes into force, which was initially promulgated in 2021 under Royal Decree No. (M/19) dated 9/2/1443H. This pivotal update to the PDPL initiated by the Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) in November 2022, encompassing a range of amendments aimed at aligning with international data protection standards, such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and bridging existing gaps within the legislation. It is expected to be a more business-friendly data transfer framework as international transfers are now generally permitted.
