المملكة: Prohibiting the sharing of data in exchange for money.. “Sdaya” pursues illegal trading

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority introduced “Sdaya, today, launched the “Policy for Realizing Value from Data” project through the “Estalaa” platform, with the aim of establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework that transforms government data stocks into productive national assets that support the knowledge economy and enhance non-oil revenues, while imposing a fence of strict controls to protect privacy and prevent monopolistic practices.

The new policy established the strategic principle that data produced within the corridors of government agencies are “national assets” of high value, which must be managed and invested in a way that serves the public interest, with These parties retain all intellectual property rights to their digital assets.

Sedaya has set red lines for trading this Digital wealth, as it prohibited its participation outside the government scope except under official agreements with the private sector, while government agencies were given the green light to develop their own data products and invest in them commercially in accordance with the system.

The authority called on all government institutions to exploit their data to increase spending efficiency and achieve financial sustainability, stipulating at the same time the application of “privacy by design” standards in all stages of processing, to ensure the protection of personal information in accordance with the data protection system and its regulations.

The policy stressed that striving to achieve financial returns should not To affect the principle of “open data”, stressing the prohibition of imposing any financial fees on data available to the public, as it is a public right and a pillar of transparency that may not be infringed under the pretext of investment.

The regulatory provisions addressed any monopolistic practices that may arise from the exploitation of data power, emphasizing the necessity of opening the way for the private sector to access data and develop innovative products in a fair competitive environment that prevents domination and supports entrepreneurs.

The policy obligated government agencies to exchange “unprocessed” data among themselves completely free of charge to enhance institutional integration, while strictly adhering to identity concealment mechanisms before any sharing process, to ensure that individuals’ privacy is not exposed.

The regulation restricted the movement of private agencies licensed to use the data. The policy linked any data investment activity to the necessity of prior coordination with the Ministry of Finance and the Non-Oil Revenue Development Center, to ensure that pricing and value realization mechanisms are compatible with the state’s sovereign financial systems. SDAIA revealed its intention to create a “national registry for realizing value from government data,” to be a binding central reference for documenting all products and services based on Data, and ensuring that it is subject to continuous monitoring and evaluation.