Data protection has become an increasingly important area of regulation across the Arab world as governments respond to the rapid growth of the digital economy and increasing concerns surrounding privacy and the use of personal data. This article examines the development of data protection regulation in selected Arab countries, focusing on the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. It considers the principal features of their emerging regulatory frameworks, including their scope of application, legal bases for processing, data subject rights, regulatory authorities, cross-border data transfers and enforcement mechanisms. The analysis reveals a broader regional shift from fragmented and sectorspecific approaches towards comprehensive national data protection regimes, many of which reflect elements of international data protection standards, particularly the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). At the same time, significant differences remain in regulatory design, institutional arrangements and approaches to implementation and enforcement. The article argues that data protection regulation in the region remains a work in progress and that effective implementation, regulatory oversight and complementary technical and selfregulatory mechanisms will be important to the continued development of these frameworks
Global Privacy Law Review