Law: Law No. 18-07 of 25 Ramadhan 1439 Corresponding to June 10, 2018 Relating to the Protection of Individuals in the Processing of Personal Data (only available in French here) ('Law No. 18-07')

Regulator: The Law provides that an independent Algerian data protection authority is established within the office of the President of the Republic of Algeria

Summary: Law No. 18-07 establishes general personal data protection requirements such as express consent, data processing notifications, data subject rights, restrictions on direct marketing and data transfers. Notably, Law No. 18-07 provides for significant potential penalties including potential imprisonment for between two to five years. In addition, an e-commerce law was also enacted in 2018, Law No. 18-05 of 24 Chaâbane 1439 corresponding to May 10, 2018 relating to electronic commerce (only available to download in French here) ('Law 18-05'). Law 18-05, among other things, sets out further protections for e-consumers, regulates cross-border e-commerce, and details obligations related to advertising through electronic means. In broad terms, although these new laws have been introduced, there is little information released publicly on the enforcement of data protection or official guidance on compliance in Algeria.