The Qatari government has passed a law requiring a minimum level
of protection for personal data within the State of Qatar. It is
the first GCC member state to issue a generally applicable data
protection law. Law No. 13 of 2016 Concerning Personal Data
Protection (the Data Protection Law) was issued on 3 November 2016.
It will come into full effect in six months' time (unless this
period is extended).
The Data Protection Law gives rights to natural persons whose
personal data is processed online, or obtained through any other
means in order to be processed online, or processed through a
combination of online and more conventional methods. As such, the
Data Protection Law is designed to address concerns of individuals
on the availability and security of their personal information
through technology.
