Qatar attends GCC workshop on privacy, personal data protection

Represented by the National Cyber Security Agency, Qatar participated in a joint workshop between the countries of the Co-operation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) on privacy and protection of personal data for citizens in GCC countries. The event concluded in Riyadh on Tuesday. In the two-day workshop, Qatar was represented by the agency's Director of National Governance and Compliance Affairs Engineer Dana al-Abdulla, and Jassim al-Muftah, who is an expert from the National Cyber Security Agency. During the workshop, Eng Dana al-Abdulla presented the Qatari law in protecting the privacy of personal data, in which she highlighted the leading role that Qatar plays in the field of data protection, as the National Cyber Security Agency implements laws and regulations related to personal data protection as well as establishing partnerships with regional and international entities specialised in this field.Eng al-Abdulla explained that His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani's issuance of Law No 13 of 2016 on Protecting Personal Data Privacy reflects Qatar's commitment to protecting the privacy of its individuals. For its part, the National Office for Personal Data Protection participated in a workshop held by a committee for 'Legislations and Regulations for Online Applications', which is one of the committees of the General Secretariat of GCC.Represented by the National Cyber Security Agency, Qatar submitted a draft proposal for a guiding framework on the personal data privacy system for the member states, which aims to unify the visions among member states regarding the management of the personal data privacy system, taking into account the differences that may exist in legislation and regulations between countries. The draft proposal comes in continuance of the objectives of the GCC in achieving integration among member states in all fields for enhancing scientific and technical excellence. This guiding framework also aims to provide guidelines compatible with global trends in enforcing the privacy of personal data that qualifies member states and places them in the group of leading countries in this field and broadens horizons of economic prosperity based on safe use of knowledge. (QNA)