Data Privacy
Practical support for the Saudi Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL), the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the privacy expectations of your customers and partners. Each law is its own framework, and we treat it that way.
Personal data is now a regulated asset, not just a business one.
Customers, employees and partners trust organisations with personal data. Privacy laws turn that trust into legal obligations: know what you hold, use it for clear purposes, protect it, respect individual rights and be ready when something goes wrong.
Valtrenix helps organisations turn those obligations into working practice. We bring privacy, security and governance together so the answers to regulator, customer and board questions are backed by evidence.
The Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL)
The PDPL is the Kingdom’s main law on personal data. It applies to processing of personal data of individuals in Saudi Arabia and is supervised by the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA).
What the law is
The PDPL was issued by Royal Decree and later amended, and is supported by Implementing Regulations and related regulations, including rules on transfers of personal data outside the Kingdom. Together they set out who must do what when personal data is collected, used, shared, stored and deleted.
Who it affects
Any organisation that processes personal data of individuals in Saudi Arabia, including those based elsewhere, may be in scope. That covers banks, healthcare, retail, telecoms, government suppliers, technology firms and any business that holds customer or employee data. We confirm applicability for your situation before advising.
What the PDPL asks organisations to do
- Collect personal data for clear, lawful purposes and keep it to what is needed
- Obtain and manage consent where it is the basis for processing, and allow it to be withdrawn
- Tell individuals what is collected, why, how long it is kept and who receives it
- Honour individual rights, such as access, correction, destruction and obtaining a copy of data
- Keep records of processing activities and know where personal data flows
- Apply security safeguards proportionate to the sensitivity of the data
- Control disclosure and cross-border transfers, and manage processors and suppliers by contract
- Notify the regulator and affected individuals of personal data breaches where required
- Take care with sensitive data such as health, financial and genetic information
- Assign accountable roles and keep evidence that the programme is working
Provisions, thresholds and timelines are set by the current text of the law and regulations, which can change. We confirm the current text before giving advice. This page is general information, not legal advice.
From understanding your data to running privacy day to day
A practical path that works for organisations at any starting point.
- 01
Scope and map
Confirm whether and how the PDPL applies, then map personal data, systems, vendors and flows.
- 02
Assess the gaps
Compare current practice with the law and its Implementing Regulations. Rate gaps by risk and tie each to evidence.
- 03
Design the controls
Policies, notices, consent and request processes, transfer arrangements and breach response sized to your organisation.
- 04
Embed in operations
Roles, training, records and review routines so privacy continues after the project ends.
- 05
Prove and sustain
Evidence packs for regulators, customers and auditors, with periodic reassessment as processing changes.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
The GDPR is a separate law from the PDPL, with its own text, its own regulators and its own requirements. It is enforced in each EU member state by a national supervisory authority.
What the regulation is
Regulation (EU) 2016/679 sets the rules for processing personal data of individuals in the European Union. It is built around principles such as lawfulness, fairness and transparency, purpose limitation, data minimisation, accuracy, storage limitation, security and accountability.
Who it affects
Organisations established in the EU, and organisations elsewhere that offer goods or services to people in the EU or monitor their behaviour. Many non-EU organisations are also asked by European customers to show GDPR-aligned practice through contracts. We confirm applicability for your situation before advising.
What the GDPR asks organisations to do
- Identify a valid lawful basis for each processing activity and document it
- Give clear privacy information to the people whose data you handle
- Respect individual rights, including access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability and objection
- Keep records of processing and demonstrate accountability
- Carry out data protection impact assessments where processing is likely to be high risk
- Put controller and processor contracts in place and oversee suppliers
- Use a valid mechanism when personal data is transferred outside the EU
- Report personal data breaches to the supervisory authority, generally within 72 hours where required
- Build data protection into systems and processes by design and by default
- Appoint a Data Protection Officer where the regulation requires one
The GDPR is handled as its own engagement, with its own scope, evidence and regulator expectations. Requirements are set by the current text of the regulation and by supervisory authority guidance, which we confirm before advising. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Choose where to start
PDPL Compliance (Saudi Arabia)
Practical alignment with the Saudi Personal Data Protection Law and its Implementing Regulations, from gap assessment to operating privacy controls.
Learn more Data PrivacyGDPR Compliance
Support for organisations that handle personal data of people in the European Union, from scoping to day-to-day privacy operations.
Learn more Data PrivacyPrivacy Impact Assessment
Structured assessment of privacy risk for new systems, vendors and processing activities before they go live.
Learn more Data PrivacyDPO as a Service (DPOaaS)
An experienced external Data Protection Officer, or privacy lead, provided on a retainer so the role is covered without a full-time hire.
Learn moreData privacy FAQs
Does the PDPL apply to my organisation?
It can, if you process personal data of individuals in Saudi Arabia, whether or not you are based in the Kingdom. We assess applicability for your specific situation.
Is the GDPR relevant if we are only in Saudi Arabia?
Usually only if you offer goods or services to, or monitor, people in the EU, or if European customers require it by contract. It is a separate law from the PDPL, so we assess each on its own terms.
Do we need a Data Protection Officer?
It depends on which law applies, the type of processing and its scale. We confirm the requirement for your case, and our DPO as a Service provides the role as an external appointment where one is needed.
Is this legal advice?
No. We provide privacy consulting and compliance support. Where a legal opinion is needed, we work alongside your legal counsel.
Do you publish fees or timelines?
No. Scope drives effort, so we agree both with you after understanding your data and systems.