United Arab Emirates: Closed consultation on amendments to Personal Data Protection Regulations 2020

On 17 May 2023, the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) closed its consultation on the proposal to amend the Personal Data Protection Regulations 2020. In particular, the proposal establishes additional areas of regulation to support the implementation of the Data Protection Law (DIFC Law No. 5 of 2020). The proposed amendments include the following key aspects: guidelines for DIFC-based entities to identify and report personal data breaches, transparency and accountability measures to protect data subjects' rights in digital communications and services, specifications on obligations for controls in digital technology systems concerning controls and safeguards, and integration of privacy by design and fairness principles into machine-learning systems or similar products.