Breaking Down Saudi Arabia's New Evidence Law

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recently announced the issuance of the Evidence Law, which comes into effect on July 8, 2022. This law governs all commercial and civil transactions and, in part, administrative and criminal cases. It permits and legitimizes the submission of digital evidence in an electronic form and gives it the same status as written evidence.

The law considers but is not limited to, emails, digital signatures, and digital media as evidence, and the fact that digital evidence is admissible in court. More importantly, it indicates that Saudi courts can use digital software and tools in evidentiary procedures.

One might think, what discipline underpins digital evidence? What is it? And how can organizations effectively handle digital evidence?