Qatar’s data analytics market is projected to reach approximately $820m in 2026, prompting new academic calls for clearer legal rules to govern the commercial use and licensing of processed information, according to a comparative study published in Doha.
The market estimate is based on figures from TASMU, the digital programme of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT).
Authored by Qatari researcher Nour Dukhail Allah al-Nabet and Qatar University College of Shariah and Islamic Studies assistant professor Mourad Boudaia, the paper evaluates the financial, jurisprudential, and legal status of personal data.
The study, titled ‘The Jurisprudential and Legal Foundations of the Financial Nature of Personal Data: A Comparative Study with Qatari Law’, appeared in the Bait Al Mashura Journal.
Al-Nabet and Boudaia stated that raw personal data remains tied to an individual’s privacy, personal rights, and human dignity.
Once data is processed, analysed, and organised, however, it acquires economic value and becomes an asset with a financial character that companies can license or commercially maximise, provided individual rights remain protected, they stated.
To establish this commercial framework, the authors compared classical Islamic legal traditions with modern Qatari statutes.
While the Hanafi School adopts a narrow view of property, the Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali schools recognise certain intangible rights and benefits as holding financial value under specific conditions, the paper stated.
The researchers favoured this broader view of financial rights to address legal questions surrounding the commercial use of processed data without compromising individual privacy.
“From a legal perspective, the study examines Qatar’s Civil Code No 22 of 2004, particularly Article 56, in relation to the legal concept of property and the scope of rights that may be subject to financial dealings,” stated the report.
“The study also refers to Article 37 of the Constitution of Qatar, which safeguards individual privacy, and Law No 13 of 2016 on Protecting Personal Data Privacy. The law establishes a framework governing the collection, processing and retention of personal data, while setting out obligations for entities handling such data and protections for individuals,” it further stated.
Despite these existing laws, the authors pointed out that the study identifies areas that could benefit from further clarification, particularly the distinction between raw personal data and data that has been processed and transformed into an economically valuable asset.
They recommended expanding the definition of data processing under Article 1 of Law No 13 of 2016 to formally separate raw information from commercialised data outputs.
Al-Nabet and Boudaia also called for detailed rules governing contracts, licensing arrangements, and the commercial use of processed data, alongside strict safeguards for data subjects.
The study noted that these regulatory updates are needed as the global big data analytics market is projected to reach $655.53bn by 2029.
