Tech and Law

This guide seeks to clarify the categories addressed by the Personal Data Protection Law and to explain the obligations that are imposed once the law is issued, and the technical responsibilities associated with the executive regulations of the law that have not yet been issued. The guide also deals with the different types of licenses required to carry out data collection, processing, or storage activities, distinguishing between the different types of personal data that require different degrees of protection, as well as the activities excluded from the Personal Data Protection Law.

This paper deals with the 2014 proposal to amend the Egyptian Telecommunications Regulatory Law and then moves on to the content of the amendments that have already been approved and entered into force in 2022. These amendments include harsher penalties related to the import or manufacture of telecommunications equipment and the introduction of penalties for new criminalized forms. The paper also deals with the powers of NTRA to grant permits to import, use and operate equipment, in addition to the justifications of the Ministry of Communications and the Egyptian Parliament for approving the amendment of the law and finally, comments on those justifications.

Since the executive regulations of the Anti-Cyber and Information Technology Crimes Law (Cybercrime Law) were issued, the General Prosecution has expanded in referring cases of digital nature to the Economic Court, being the competent court for hearing this type of crimes.

The Anti-Cyber and Information Technology Crimes Law (Cybercrime Law) has handled the sanctity of private life in a separate chapter under the title of “Crimes Related to Violating the Sanctity of Private Life and Informatic Illegal Content.

With the acceleration of the issuance of laws related to rights and freedoms on the Internet, and laws related to communication technology in general, questions about the reasons and motives associated with the adoption of some of these legislations increase. In addition to other questions about the timing of their issuance, who was involved in making them, their relevance to each other, and their implications.