Article 29 of the Saudi Electronic Transactions Law
المادة 29 من نظام التعاملات الإلكترونية · الفصل العاشر: أحكام ختامية
Personnel of the Ministry, the Authority and the Center must keep confidential the information of certification services providers and their customers that they learn through their work, and may not disclose it except in cases provided by law.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يلتزم منسوبو الوزارة والهيئة والمركز بالمحافظة على سرية المعلومات الخاصة بمقدمي خدمات التصديق أو عملائهم التي اطلعوا عليها بسبب عملهم، وألا يفشوها لأي سبب كان إلا في الحالات المنصوص عليها نظامًا.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 29 explained in plain English
This article imposes a duty of confidentiality on the official bodies that oversee electronic transactions, which are (according to Article 1):
- the Ministry: the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
- the Authority: the Communications and Information Technology Authority.
- the Center: the National Center for Digital Certification.
Who is bound? The personnel of these bodies.
What information is protected? Information relating to certification services providers or their customers, when the employee learned it because of their work.
What is the obligation? To maintain the confidentiality of this information and not to disclose it for any reason, except in cases provided by law.
Why does this matter? Because by virtue of licensing, supervision and oversight these bodies see sensitive information about providers and certificate holders. This article reassures customers that their data is not revealed merely because a supervisory body had access to it.
The article does not specify the penalty for breaching this obligation, and does not list the cases in which disclosure is allowed, but refers to what the Law provides. It sits alongside Article 28, which provides that the Law does not prejudice related laws.
Practical example
An employee of the Authority saw a list of a certification services provider's customers and their data during an inspection of the provider in Riyadh. The employee must keep this information confidential and not disclose it for any reason, except in cases provided by law.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 29 of the Saudi Electronic Transactions Law
May Communications Authority staff disclose the data of certification services providers' customers?
No. Personnel of the Ministry, the Authority and the Center must keep this information confidential and not disclose it for any reason except in cases provided by law.
What information does the duty of confidentiality cover?
Information relating to certification services providers or their customers that personnel learned because of their work.
Who is bound by this confidentiality?
Personnel of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Communications and Information Technology Authority and the National Center for Digital Certification.
More articles on Certification Services and Digital Certificates
- Article 15
The article divides oversight of the Law: the Ministry sets policies and plans and represents the Kingdom; the Authority applies the Law, licenses and monitors certification services providers, and sets the fee with the Minister's approval.
يتم الإشراف على تطبيق أحكام هذا النظام وفقا للآتي: 1 - تقوم الوزارة بوضع السياسات العامة ورسم الخطط والبرامج التطويرية للتعاملات والتواقيع الإلكترونية ، ورفع مش
- Article 16
The article establishes a National Center for Digital Certification in the Ministry to oversee the tasks of issuing and managing digital certification certificates, and refers the details of its seat, composition and competences to the Regulations.
1- ينشأ في الوزارة - بموجب هذا النظام - مركز وطني للتصديق الرقمي، يتولى الإشراف على المهمات المتعلقة بإصدار شهادات التصديق الرقمي وإداراتها. 2- تحدد اللائحة الق
- Article 17
The National Center for Digital Certification is competent to approve digital certification certificates issued by foreign bodies, which are treated like their domestic counterparts in accordance with the Regulations' controls and procedures.
يختص المركز باعتماد شهادات التصديق الرقمي الصادرة من الجهات الأجنبية خارج المملكة وتعامل هذه الشهادات معاملة نظيراتها بداخل المملكة، وذلك وفقا للضوابط والإجراءا
- Article 18
The article lists eight obligations of a certification services provider, including prior licensing, issuing and protecting certificates, an accessible database, confidentiality, and handing documents to the Authority when its activity stops.
يجب على مقدم خدمات التصديق الالتزام بما يأتي: 1 - الحصول على الترخيص اللازم من الهيئة قبل البدء في ممارسة نشاطه. 2 - إصدار شهادات التصديق الرقمي ، وتسليمها وحفظ
- Article 19
A certification services provider may not stop its licensed activity, assign its license or merge into another entity without the Authority's prior written approval, in accordance with the Regulations' procedures.
لا يجوز لمقدم خدمات التصديق التوقف عن مزاولة نشاطه المرخص به أو التنازل عن الترخيص الصادر له أو الاندماج في جهة أخرى إلا بعد الحصول على موافقة كتابية مسبقة من ا
- Article 20
A certification services provider guarantees the validity of the certified information in the certificate at the time of delivery and the validity of the link between the holder and their electronic data, and is liable for harm to anyone who relied on it in good faith.
يتحمل مقدم خدمات التصديق مسؤولية ضمان صحة المعلومات المصدقة التي تضمنتها الشهادة وقت تسليمها وصحة العلاقة بين صاحب الشهادة وبياناتها الإلكترونية، وتقع عليه مسؤو
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.