Oman
Summary
Law: Royal Decree No. 6 of 2022 promulgating the law on the protection of personal data dated 9 February 2022 ('the Law') (only available in Arabic here)
Regulator: The Law designates the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology ('MTCIT') as the regulatory authority responsible for giving effect to the Law.
Summary: The Law was published in the Official Gazette on 13 February 2022 and marks the introduction of Oman's first comprehensive data protection law. In particular, the Law will take effect a year from its date of issuance, on 13 February 2023. The Law also outlines that the Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology will executive regulations to supplement the Law. Notably, the Law repeals and replaces any conflicting legislation, including Chapter 7 of Royal Decree No. 69/2008 promulgating the Electronic Transactions Law ('the Electronic Transactions Law').
The Law iconsists of 32 articles which, among other things, introduce data protection principles and rights for data subjects that bring the country's legislative regime into closer alignment with global data protection laws. Furthermore, the Law appoints the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology as the regulatory authority responsible for enforcement.