Saudi Arabia: Strict regulations to prevent the commercial exploitation of student data
In a pivotal step aimed at bolstering trust in the digital education system, the National Center for E-Learning in Saudi Arabia has launched a comprehensive and updated policy to protect the privacy of learner data. This move comes in response to the rapidly evolving challenges posed by modern technology. The policy aims to regulate the collection and processing of data across all educational platforms, establishing clear boundaries to prevent the commercial exploitation of this sensitive information.
The context of digital transformation and data protection
This policy aligns with the Kingdom's strategic directions within Vision 2030, which prioritizes cybersecurity and national data governance. With the increasing reliance on e-learning tools and artificial intelligence, the urgent need has arisen for a regulatory framework that ensures student and teacher data is not commodified. This step is an extension of the Kingdom's efforts to regulate the digital space, in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Law, to guarantee a secure educational environment that respects privacy and encourages responsible innovation.
Strict ban on commercial exploitation and AI training
The new policy explicitly prohibits the use of student data for any marketing or advertising purposes. It also imposes strict restrictions preventing the sale of this data or its integration with external sources for the purpose of analyzing consumer behavior, thus ensuring that the educational process remains purely educational and free from commercial exploitation. In a regulatory precedent, this policy prohibits the use of student data to develop or train commercial or general artificial intelligence models outside the educational system, except with explicit and specific consent that complies with applicable regulations. This aims to prevent technology companies from using student data as free fuel for training their algorithms.
Human First: Controls of Automated Decision-Making
Recognizing the risks of relying solely on algorithms, the policy mandates mandatory human intervention in critical decisions. Automated systems are prohibited from making sensitive educational decisions such as failing, passing, or denying educational opportunities without responsible human review. Regulations require educational institutions to disclose and be transparent when using artificial intelligence tools for performance analysis, ensuring that these systems remain free from bias against any group of learners.
Protecting the palace and data sovereignty
The policy prioritizes the privacy of children and minors, imposing additional protection standards that require parental consent before any action and prohibit non-educational tracking. It also grants learners and their parents broad rights, including access to, correction of, or deletion of data once its educational purpose is fulfilled. On the technical front, the policy mandates that service providers store data within the Kingdom in accordance with national data sovereignty requirements, while adhering to the highest standards of encryption and cybersecurity. Compliance with this policy is a prerequisite for obtaining e-learning licenses, making adherence to it a benchmark for quality and sustainability in the Saudi market.
