The United Arab Emirates through its Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, Mr. Omor Al Olama, has publicly announced its preparedness to introduce a new federal data protection law, the first federal law of its kind in the UAE.
This introduction comes at a much-needed time when personal data need to be provided against unlawful processing and exploitation. The data protection law would be implemented under the “Projections for 50” and initiative of the United Arab Emirates political, economic, and social guide for the next fifty years.
Currently, in the UAE, there is no unified set of privacy or data protection laws at the federal level, and there is no single national data privacy regulator. Consequently, while there are UAE laws that provide general privacy rights, the concept of processing or transferring data is not extensively regulated for companies, and this might lead to personal data breaches. According to the Minister, the Data Protection Law will guarantee personal privacies and the ability for the private sector to grow, innovate and prosper. He also said that the new law would give an individual the right of access, right of correction and the right to be informed.
The Data Protection Law is a step towards establishing a data protection regime in the UAE that would provide an adequate level of protection for the purposes of data transfers from the European Union and other regulated jurisdictions.