Understand What’s Required.
Avoid Costly Mistakes.
Build Trust.

What are the most costly PDPL mistakes?

Failing to implement PDPL properly doesn’t just mean missing a deadline—it can result in significant business risk. We’ve seen common mistakes across organizations in Saudi Arabia, especially among those treating PDPL as a static project rather than an ongoing program. These include:

• Incomplete data mapping that overlooks key systems or third-party processors

• Outdated policies that don’t reflect current practices or new data uses

• Manual DSAR workflows that can’t scale or meet PDPL’s 30-day deadline

• No clear ownership across business units, leading to compliance gaps during audits

• Lack of documentation for consent, DPIAs, or breach response, which auditors may request at any time

These missteps don’t just increase the risk of non-compliance—they also raise the cost of remediation, delay customer trust initiatives, and can create operational bottlenecks. 

Why does early action matter?

“You can't build a digital trust-based economy without having a rigorous data privacy compliance framework in place.”
— James Beriker, Pyxos Founder & CEO

Companies that take action early don’t just reduce risk—they position themselves for long-term success. Instead of scrambling to respond to enforcement or audits, early movers benefit from:

• Lower total compliance costs, by avoiding rushed remediation or emergency consulting

• More time to prepare, with the ability to build privacy into operations step by step

• Access to top experts and technology partners, before demand surges

• Better internal alignment, with legal, IT, and business teams working from a shared roadmap

Most importantly, acting early means you can respond to regulators on your own terms—not in crisis mode.

What does PDPL really require—beyond a checklist?

PDPL compliance isn’t just about having a privacy policy or filling out a checklist. It requires organizations to build a repeatable, auditable framework that covers how personal data is collected, used, stored, shared, and deleted.

This includes appointing a Data Protection Officer (DPO), maintaining updated records of processing activities (ROPAs), managing data subject requests (DSARs), conducting risk assessments for third parties, and putting in place clear processes for breach response. PDPL also mandates ongoing awareness and training across departments—not just a one-time compliance effort.

Simply put: compliance must be embedded into daily business operations, not treated as a legal checkbox.

What does a real PDPL implementation require?

A real PDPL implementation requires more than paperwork or one-time training. It demands a structured, repeatable approach that turns regulatory requirements into business processes. Based on our firsthand work with organizations in Saudi Arabia, here’s what that looks like:

• Assess what personal data you collect, how it flows across systems, and where risks exist

• Design a governance model that defines roles, responsibilities, and escalation paths

• Implement policies, controls, and tools that are embedded into daily operations

• Test and monitor your compliance posture regularly to ensure sustainability and audit readiness

This four-phase methodology reflects SDAIA’s expectations and global privacy standards—and it’s already in use by leading organizations across the Kingdom.

How are leading companies in Saudi Arabia preparing?

Forward-looking organizations in Saudi Arabia are shifting from reactive compliance to building long-term privacy programs. Rather than relying solely on legal counsel or manual documentation, they’re investing in structured governance models, automating key workflows like DSARs and data mapping, and creating cross-functional privacy roles.

Some are establishing internal privacy champions within departments, while others are engaging with local technology partners to support both implementation and audit readiness. The most successful are those aligning PDPL with broader goals—reducing operational risk, protecting customer trust, and staying ahead of future enforcement or regulation.

Resources to Get Started

• Book 30 minutes with one of our PDPL Experts (calendar)

• Take the PDPL Compliance Self Assessment (official SDAIA website)

• Learn how to become an internal Privacy Champion (blog)