The recent showdown over renewal of certain provisions of the USA Patriot Act (often called simply the Patriot Act) and the subsequent enactment of the USA Freedom Act 
have raised a number of questions about the ongoing impact of these laws on data traversing or being stored in the United States. While the new law takes the NSA out of the direct business of maintaining metadata (which includes phone number called, the time and duration of the call, and location
How Oil and Gas Companies can Optimize Technology Performance and Costs During Oil Price Volatility
An unexpected surge in production coupled with weakened global demand has resulted in a 50 percent drop in the price of crude oil since June 2014 and currently averaging US$50 a barrel. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) announced it would leave market forces to determine crude oil price and would not cut oil output. The current oil price is the lowest it has been since Spring 2009. As oil and gas companies begin to
As Bitcoin Gains Momentum, Focus on Regulation Increases
The virtual currency market has emerged in the United Arab Emirates with Dubai’s first Bitcoin ATM introduced in April 2014. Middle East entrepreneurs have begun launching Bitcoin payment products and SMEs are beginning to realise the potential of such technology, with The Pizza Guys becoming the first restaurant in the UAE to accept Bitcoin payments.
Virtual currencies, such as Bitcoin, combine financial and technological instruments and incorporate characteristics of money, accounting, networks and remittances into one concept. As this
5 Ways to Protect your Business from a Cyber Attack
Global cyber-attack threats stand at the highest ever recorded level, jumping 14 percent from 2012 to 2013 (Cisco 2014 Annual Security Report). Furthermore, a recent Microsoft Security Intelligence Report found that operating system infection rates in the GCC countries were almost twice the worldwide average, with up to 13 computers out of every 1,000 being infected.
The general lack of cybercrime disclosure has made measuring the financial impact of cyber breaches challenging. Reporting of cyber attacks remain
New EU Sanctions Target Russian Oil Sector, State-Owned Banks and Military Exports
The European Union (EU) enacted Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 (the Regulation), which contains ‘Stage 3’ sanctions against Russia. These sanctions resemble – but in other ways are different – from the latest US sanctions, and they amount to the stiffest anti-Russian actions taken by Europe since the end of the Cold War. Perhaps most significantly, the EU’s new sanctions are targeting sectors in Russia’s economy which are not directly connected to events in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, as
How to comply with laws that protect personal #data in the #Middle East
Digital Identity Dominates
Having a digital identity for online browsing, transactions and interactions has become necessary to operate in this information age. As more and more lifestyle and business services shift to the digital platform, there has been an explosive growth in personal data capture. The “Big Data” phenomenon has the potential to transform, innovate and optimize entire industries, yet policy makers need to be able to strike the balance between productivity and privacy to protect personal data.
Protecting Personal
Middle East and Africa Technology, IP and Sourcing Focus
Latham & Watkins’ Middle East Technology, IP and Sourcing team has just published the sixth edition of Middle East and Africa Technology, IP and Sourcing Focus.
This edition includes a white paper on preparing a statement of work for a technology or sourcing transaction, guidance on US Trade Controls for companies operating in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, a primer on Data Protection in Saudi Arabia and a round-up of the latest note-worthy telecommunications
Data Protection in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Primer
Although some surveys of privacy law suggest otherwise, privacy requirements do in fact exist in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)and are very relevant to companies operating there or seeking to provide services to customers in KSA.
Background
The paramount body of law in KSA is the Sharīʿah. The Sharīʿah is comprised of a collection of fundamental principles derived from a number of different sources, which include the Holy Qu’ran and the Sunnah, which are the witnessed sayings and
Middle East and Africa Technology, IP and Sourcing Focus – Volume 5
Latham & Watkins’ Middle East Technology, IP and Sourcing team has just published the fifth edition of Middle East and Africa Technology, IP and Sourcing Focus.
This edition includes articles on the running of a competitive RFP process, a note on the use of warranties, indemnities and undertakings in English, South African and UAE law and a Middle East Regional Telecommunications update.
Please contact Justin Cornish, Alice Marsden or Brian Meenagh if you would like to automatically receive
Middle East and Africa Technology, IP and Sourcing Focus – Volume 4
Latham & Watkins’ Middle East Technology, IP and Sourcing team has just published the fourth edition of Middle East and Africa Technology, IP and Sourcing Focus.
This edition includes articles on the importance of due diligence in an outsourcing transaction and on maintaining competitive pricing in a long-term services arrangement and updates on the amendments to the Saudi Arabian Telecommunications Law, the GCC Unified Trade Marks System and regulation of “daily-deals” websites in the UAE.
The edition also includes