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On 25 May 2018, the European Union's General Assembly put General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) into effect to ensure that individuals get greater control of their personal data and organizations secure their personal data. Similarly, inspired by GDPR, on 12 July 2018, Bahrain enacted its main data protection regulation, Law No. 30 of 2018 with respect to Personal Data Protection ("PDPL"). PDPL came into force on 1st August 2019 and supersedes any law with contradictory provisions. The Personal Data Protection Authority (the “ Authority”) oversees the compliance of entities with the provisions of PDPL.
Both GDPR and PDPL apply to entities that collect and process personal data belonging to EU and Bahrain residents, respectively. PDPL and GDPR apply to the processing of “Personal data,” which means any kind of information relating to an identified or identifiable person. Following is a more in-depth comparison between the two regulations.
Article: 2
PDPL applies to the processing of data by total or partial automatic means, and the processing by non-automatic means of data that form part of a filing system or are intended to form part of a filing system.
Also, PDPL applies to the following persons:
With respect to the last point, businesses must appoint a local representative in Bahrain to carry out their obligations and notify the Authority of that appointment. This provision indicates that PDPL has extraterritorial application scope just like GDPR.
Articles: 3, 4(1)
Recitals: 2, 14, 22-25
GDPR “applies to natural persons, whatever their nationality or place of residence, concerning the processing of their personal data.”
Regarding extraterritorial scope, GDPR applies to organizations that are not established in the EU, but instead monitor individuals’ behavior, as long as their behavior occurs in the EU.
GDPR also applies to organizations located outside the EU (those that do not have an establishment in the EU) if they offer goods or services to, or monitor the behavior of, data subjects located in the EU, irrespective of their nationality or the company’s location.
'PDPL provides individuals rights relating to their personal data, which they can exercise. Under PDPL, the data controller should ensure the identity verification of the data subject before processing his/her data subject request. Also, the data controller must not charge for data subjects for making the data subject requests. The data subject may file a complaint to the Authority against the data controller, where the data subject does not accept the data controller’s decision regarding the request, or if the prescribed period has expired without the data subject’s receipt of any notice regarding his request.
GDPR also ensures data subject rights where the data subjects can request the controller or processors to implement their rights. GDPR allows controllers and businesses to either charge a reasonable fee or refuse to respond to manifestly unfounded or excessive data subject requests. Furthermore, under GDPR, the controller must inform the data subject of the reasons for not taking any action on their request without delay and within one month of receipt, at the latest. The following section explains each right and how they differ across the two laws.
Articles: 18
Under this right, the data controller is required to provide the following information to the data subject when requested.
The data controller must comply with this right within a period not exceeding 15 working days of request. A data controller, within a period not exceeding 10 days from receipt of the request made may notify the applicant to complete any deficiency in his/her request.
The data controller can reject a request if the data subject misuses his/her right in obtaining information. In this case, the data controller needs to notify the applicant, within a period not exceeding fifteen working days of receipt of the request, of its reasoned decision to either accept or reject the request, depending on the circumstances.
Articles: 5-14, Recitals: 58-63
This right requires the controller to provide the following information to the data subject when requested. This should be given in a concise, transparent, intelligible, and easily accessible form, using plain language:
The controller must provide the information necessary to ensure fair and transparent processing whether or not the personal data is collected from the data subject. This information includes the duration of data storage, the controller’s legitimate interests, and the existence of the rights to access erasure, rectification, restriction of processing, data portability, and filing complaints to the supervisory authority.
Data subjects must be informed of the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling at the time when personal data was obtained.
Articles: 19, 20, 21
The data subjects have the right to object to the processing of their personal data under the following two cases:
PDPL grants the data subjects the right to object to direct marketing which is aimed at a particular person using their personal data, such as behavioral targeting, and ads sent via text messaging (SMS) or email.
Under PDPL, data controllers should cease the processing upon receiving a request from the data subject to do so.
The data controller is required to notify the data subject, within ten working days of receipt of request with any of the following:
Articles: 7, 18, 21
GDPR provides data subjects with the right to object and withdraw consent to personal data processing. Data subjects have the right to object to the processing of their personal data. This can be done based on legitimate interest or public interest.
Once this right is exercised, the controller must stop processing the individual's data unless it demonstrates grounds that override the data subject's request.
No Article
PDPL does not provide a specific right to access, instead, it primarily focuses on the right to be notified of when the personal data is being processed.
Article: 15
Recitals: 59-64
GDPR states that, when responding to an access request, a data controller must indicate the following:
The information must be provided without undue delay and in any event within one month of the request’s receipt.
Article: 23
Under PDPL, a data subject has the right to request to rectify, block or erase the personal data relating to him/her when the processing of such data is in breach of the provisions of PDPL, in particular, if the data is inaccurate, incomplete, outdated or if its processing is illegal.
Where the data controller has responded to a deletion/rectification/blocking request – wholly or partially, he must, within fifteen days from responding to such request, notify any third party, to whom the data have been disclosed, of the erasure that was made pursuant to the request, unless this proves impossible or unachievable.
The data controller is required to respond to the request, free of charge, within a period not exceeding ten working days of receipt of the request.
This right does not apply to public registers.
Articles: 12, 16, 17, 18
Recitals: 59, 65, 66
The right to erasure only applies in instances where consent is withdrawn. There is no other legal ground for processing or when personal data is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.
The data subject requests under the right to deletion must be responded to without delay and in any event within one month of the receipt.
The deadline can be extended to two additional months where there is great complexity or depending on the number of requests. In any of these cases, the data subject must be notified of any such extension within one month of receiving the request, along with the reasons for the delay and the possibility of complaining to the supervisory authority.
The right to restrict processing applies when the data subject contests data accuracy, the processing is unlawful, and the data subject opposes erasure and requests restriction. The controller must inform data subjects before any such restriction is lifted.
Under GDPR, the data subject also has the right to obtain from the controller the rectification of inaccurate personal data and to have incomplete personal data completed.
Article: 22
Under PDPL, if a decision is based solely on automated processing of personal data intended to assess the data subject regarding his/her performance at work, financial standing, credit-worthiness, reliability, or conduct, then the data subject has the right to request processing in a manner that is not solely automated.
This right shall not apply where the decision is taken in the course of entering into or performance of a contract with the data subject, provided that suitable measures to safeguard his/her legitimate interests have been taken, such as hearing the data subject’s view.
Article: 22
GDPR provides data subjects the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, that produces legal effects or similarly significantly affects them.
No Article
PDPL does not provide the right to data portability.
Articles:12, 20, 28
Recitals: 68, 73
GDPR defines the right to data portability as the right to send data in a “structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.” This right may be exercised only when it is technically feasible to do so.
Article: 10(1)(5), 14
Under PDPL, the Data Protection Guardian (Data Protection Officer) should maintain a register of the processing, which the data controller is obliged to notify the Authority about under Article 14 of PDPL.
The data controller shall maintain the register if a Data Protection Guardian is not appointed. The register shall comprise at least, of the information prescribed under Article 14 of PDPL. The Data Protection Guardian shall provide the Authority with an updated version of the register once every month.
Article: 30
Recital: 82
Data controllers and data processors must maintain a record of processing activities.
GDPR prescribes a list of information that a data controller must record:
The processing information recorded by a data controller or processor shall be in writing or electronic form.
Articles: 12, 13
The data controller is prohibited from transferring personal data outside Bahrain unless the transfer is made to a country or region that provides sufficient protection to personal data. Those countries need to be listed by the Authority and published in the Official Gazette.
Data controllers can also transfer personal data to countries that are not determined to have an adequate level of protection of personal data where:
Articles: 44-50,
Recitals: 101, 112
GDPR states that personal data shall be transferred to a third country or international organization with an adequate protection level as determined by the EU Commission.
Suppose there is no decision on an adequate protection level. In that case, a transfer is only permitted when the data controller or data processor provides appropriate safeguards that ensure data subject rights.
Appropriate safeguards include:
Articles: 8, 10(1)(4)
Under PDPL, the Data controller is required to implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to guarantee the protection of data against accidental or unauthorized destruction, accidental loss, as well as against alteration or disclosure of, access to, and any other unauthorized forms of processing.
Such measures shall ensure providing the appropriate level of security taking into account the latest technological security measures, the associated cost, the nature of the data to be processed, and the potential risks involved.
For data breaches, Data Protection Guardian is required to notify the authority.
Articles: 5, 24, 32-34, Recials: 74-77, 83-88
GDPR requires organizations to take appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure personal information processing security. These measures may include the following:
Under GDPR, organizations must notify supervisory authorities of any personal data breach that is likely to result in a risk to natural persons’ rights and freedoms without undue delay and not later than 72 hours after becoming aware of the breach. The information may also be provided in phases, and a justification must accompany any delay. The communication of the breach to data subjects, however, must take place without undue delay.
Articles: 58
PDPL carries a range of criminal and civil penalties and administrative fines for violating certain provisions. A person can be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, and/or a fine not less than BD 1000/- and not exceeding BD 20,000/- for the violation of specific provisions of PDPL.
The Authority can issue orders to stop violations, including emergency orders and fines. Data subjects can also seek civil compensation.
Articles: 83, 84
Recitals: 158, 149
GDPR has an upper cap on its monetary penalties, either: 2% of global annual turnover or €10 million, whichever is higher, or 4% of global annual turnover or €20 million, whichever is higher. This depends on the level of violation, which is decided by the member states and public authorities.
Global privacy regulations are encouraging organizations to automate their data privacy operations. Robotic automation is no longer a want, but a need, in this current digital landscape. Several organizations offer software that helps companies comply with global privacy regulations, but these solutions have been restricted to mainly process-driven tasks or rudimentary data-driven functions.
Securiti's AI-powered bot, Auti, is the only solution that combines reliability, intelligence, and simplicity of use, with end-to-end automation. Auti is the only solution that can help ensure complete compliance with modern privacy laws at scale.
Anas Baig is a Product Marketing Manager with a proven track record in the cybersecurity industry. He has been a prominent contributor to numerous esteemed publications, including Infosecurity Magazine, CSO Online, Tripwire, Security Affairs, Network Computing, Security Boulevard, and several other renowned cybersecurity blogs.His in-depth knowledge and extensive experience in the industry make him a trusted source for cutting-edge insights and information in the ever-evolving world of cybersecurity.
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