Saudi Arabia: Closed public consultation on Updated National Data Sharing Policy

On 18 April 2024, Saudi Arabia's Data Protection Authority (SDAIA) closed the public consultation on the updated National Data Sharing Policy, including a framework for private and public entities to request data. The policy revision aims to enhance the culture of data sharing across governmental entities, streamline the exchange process, and address challenges to ensure data quality and modernity. According to the sharing policy, data sharing should be based on 8 principles, namely promoting a culture of sharing, the once-only principle, legitimacy of purpose, authorized access, transparency, shared responsibility, data security, and ethical use. It specifies general rules for data sharing, whereas government entities automate their data sharing via the government integration channel. If data sharing via these channels is impossible, the office is allowed to approve an alternative method. According to the policy, the necessary steps for conducting the data-sharing process are sending the data-sharing request to the office of the entity required to share the data and verifying the classification level of the requested data. Upon meeting all sharing requirements, the appropriate controls are determined to ensure compliance with the principles of data sharing and achieving the specified objectives for each before signing a data sharing agreement if the applicant is a non-governmental entity.