Under the patronage of His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Executive Affairs, Mr. Abdulhadi Al-Mansouri, inaugurated the “Data Exhibition” today at the Ministry’s headquarters in Riyadh. This important event, organized in cooperation with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), is themed “Our Data: Accessible with Awareness, Protected with Responsibility, Investing in the Future,” and represents a pivotal step in the Kingdom’s journey towards establishing a secure and reliable digital economy.
National and international context for data security
The organization of this exhibition comes at a time when the Kingdom is accelerating its progress towards achieving the goals of Vision 2030, which places digital transformation and the recognition of data as a national asset at the heart of its priorities. With the massive expansion in the use of digital technologies across all government and private sectors, the urgent need has arisen to establish regulatory and legislative frameworks that ensure the protection of this data and regulate its exchange. Internationally, this approach aligns with global efforts to enhance individual privacy, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, reflecting the Kingdom's commitment to international best practices and reinforcing its position as a trusted regional digital hub.
Exhibition objectives and strategic dimensions
The exhibition primarily aims to raise awareness of the importance of data classification and its vital role in enhancing information security and protecting it from breaches and misuse. It also focuses on defining the concept of "data quality" and illustrating how accurate and complete data is the cornerstone of sound, fact-based decision-making, at both the leadership and executive levels. Furthermore, the exhibition highlights the importance of data integration and sharing among various government entities, which contributes to improving government performance and providing better services to citizens and residents.
Awareness of the Personal Data Protection System
The Personal Data Protection System, overseen by the Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), features prominently at the exhibition. The focus is on raising awareness among Ministry staff and participating entities about the rights guaranteed to data subjects under the system, as well as the obligations it imposes on entities that collect and process personal data. This awareness is crucial to ensuring full compliance with the system, avoiding violations, and building trust between individuals and institutions.
Expected impact at the local and international levels
At the local level, the exhibition is expected to contribute to establishing a culture of data protection within the government sector, positively impacting national data security and the protection of individual privacy. It also supports the Kingdom's efforts to build a data-driven and innovation-based economy. Internationally, these initiatives enhance the confidence of investors and global companies in the Saudi regulatory environment and facilitate cross-border data exchange for commercial and economic purposes, thus bolstering the Kingdom's attractiveness as a destination for technology and digital investments.
