CW+ Premium Content/CW Middle East

Egypt’s parliament has passed data protection legislation as the country sets its sights on building datacentres and attracting foreign investment. The country’s personal data protection law, which has been introduced to protect the personal data of Egypt’s citizens and residents, is an important stepping stone in its plans to develop a datacentre industry. Amr Talaat, minister of communications and information technology, said the law “supports the diligent efforts exerted by the ministry to protect citizens’ and residents’ personal data”. Talaat said it was an important step in supporting Egypt’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency’s plans to “create a safe environment for the circulation of information in the cyber space”. The legislation became law after receiving Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el Sisi’s approval. According to a report in Egypt Today, the law prohibits gathering or processing individuals’ data or spreading them by any means without the permission of the individuals concerned, except in cases ...