Personal Data Protection Law compliance software
Operationalise the Kingdom's Personal Data Protection Law: processing records, data subject rights, transfer controls and breach readiness.
What PDPL requires
The Personal Data Protection Law is Saudi Arabia's national privacy regime, administered by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA). It governs how personal data belonging to individuals in the Kingdom may be collected, processed, stored, transferred and disclosed.
PDPL imposes obligations that are operational rather than purely documentary: maintaining records of processing activities, establishing a lawful basis for each processing purpose, honouring data subject rights within defined timeframes, controlling cross-border transfers, and responding to personal data breaches.
Because PDPL controls overlap heavily with the privacy and third-party requirements of the NCA Essential Cybersecurity Controls and ISO/IEC 27001, organisations that run these as separate programmes typically collect the same evidence two or three times.
Who it applies to
- Any organisation processing personal data of individuals in Saudi Arabia
- Entities transferring personal data outside the Kingdom
- Controllers and processors handling sensitive categories of data
- Organisations already subject to ECC that must evidence privacy controls
At a glance
- Regulator: SDAIA
- Scope: Personal data of individuals in Saudi Arabia
- Key duties: Processing records, lawful basis, subject rights, transfers, breach response
- Languages: Arabic and English
How GRCLens supports PDPL
PDPL runs on the same shared control model as every other framework in GRCLens, so evidence captured once can satisfy several obligations at the same time.
Records of processing
Maintain a structured register of processing activities with purpose, lawful basis, retention period and data categories.
Data subject rights workflow
Track access, correction and deletion requests against statutory deadlines, with a complete handling record.
Cross-border transfer controls
Record transfer destinations, safeguards and approvals so cross-border processing can be evidenced on demand.
Mapped to ECC and ISO 27001
Shared controls are assessed once and reused, removing duplicate evidence collection across privacy and security programmes.
PDPL frequently asked questions
Does PDPL apply to organisations outside Saudi Arabia?
PDPL can apply to organisations located outside the Kingdom where they process the personal data of individuals inside Saudi Arabia. Organisations serving Saudi customers from abroad should assess their exposure rather than assume they fall outside scope.
How does GRCLens handle data subject requests?
Requests are logged with a type, a subject, an owner and a statutory deadline, and the platform records each handling step so the response can be evidenced later.
Can PDPL and NCA-ECC be managed together?
Yes. Both frameworks run on the same shared control model, so overlapping controls are assessed once and the evidence satisfies both obligations.
Talk to us about PDPL
Security Solution Consultants provides PDPL and privacy advisory services alongside the platform, so you can combine tooling with hands-on expertise.
Contact us