Legal and regulatory responses to cybercrime in Saudi Arabia: a comparative evaluation

Abstract

Saudi Arabia’s accelerated digital transformation under Vision 2030 has intensified the need for a coherent legal framework capable of regulating cybercrime, digital commerce, electronic transactions, and personal data protection. This framework is primarily built upon four foundational legislative instruments: the Anti-Cyber Crime Law (2007), the Electronic Transactions System (EOTS, 2006), the E-Commerce System (ECS, 2019), and the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL, 2021). Although these instruments have substantially strengthened the Kingdom’s digital regulatory architecture, important challenges remain regarding legislative coherence, institutional coordination, procedural effectiveness, and alignment with evolving international standards. This study employs a comparative doctrinal legal analysis, informed by a socio-legal perspective, to examine the four legislative instruments through statutory interpretation, comparative evaluation with leading international frameworks, and synthesis of contemporary legal scholarship and published empirical compliance studies. The analysis identifies significant legislative and institutional challenges, including gaps in identity theft regulation, cyberbullying protection, platform liability, online dispute resolution, digital evidence procedures, regulatory fragmentation, data governance, and AI-related regulation. It further demonstrates that many implementation challenges stem less from legislative design than from institutional coordination, procedural capacity, and regulatory adaptation to rapidly evolving digital technologies. Based on these findings, the study proposes a three-tier reform strategy centered on procedural modernization, institutional strengthening, and adaptive legislative development, while remaining consistent with Saudi Arabia’s constitutional framework, Islamic legal principles, and Vision 2030 objectives. The study argues that effective international alignment does not require institutional uniformity; rather, Saudi Arabia can strengthen digital governance through context-sensitive legal reforms that preserve national regulatory autonomy while incorporating internationally recognized best practices.