Courts, land and rights
Personal data rights in Algeria under law 18-07
Short answer
- Law
- Loi n° 18-07 du 10 juin 2018 1
- Published in
- Journal Officiel n° 34 of 10 June 2018 1
- Authority
- Autorité nationale de protection des données à caractère personnel, seat in Algiers 1
- Rectification deadline
- Ten days from the request, free of charge 1
- Administrative fine
- DA 500,000 1
- Appeal against the authority
- Conseil d'Etat 1
Scope and key terms
Article 3 defines données à caractère personnel (personal data) as any information about an identified or identifiable natural person 1. The responsable du traitement (controller) is the natural or legal person, public or private, that alone or with others sets the purposes and means of processing 1. A controller is treated as established in Algeria if it carries on an activity on Algerian territory 1.
Article 7 states that personal data may be processed only with the express consent of the person concerned, with exceptions set out in the law 1.
The rights of the person
| Right | Article | What the law says |
|---|---|---|
| Information 1 | 32 1 | The person whose data is collected must be informed, save where already aware 1 |
| Access 1 | 34 1 | Confirmation whether data is processed, the purposes and the categories of data 1 |
| Rectification 1 | 35 1 | Free of charge, the controller corrects within ten days of the request 1 |
| Objection 1 | 36 1 | Objection to processing on legitimate grounds 1 |
| Direct marketing 1 | 37 1 | Limits on prospecting by automated calls, fax and email, and a ban on hiding the sender's identity 1 |
The national authority
Article 22 creates the Autorité nationale de protection des données à caractère personnel (national authority for the protection of personal data), placed with the President of the Republic, with its seat in Algiers 1. Article 25 tasks it with checking that processing complies with the law and with informing people and controllers of their rights and duties 1. Its president and members must keep the data they see secret (article 26) 1. The law refers to a national register kept under article 28 1.
The authority's decision on a declaration must give reasons and be notified to the controller within ten days of filing 1. It may withdraw a declaration receipt or authorisation without delay if processing harms national security or morals 1. Its decisions may be appealed to the Conseil d'Etat (Council of State) 1. An official website for the authority could not be reached for this page.
Fines and penalties
Under article 47, the authority fines a controller DA 500,000 for refusing, without legitimate reason, the rights of information, access, rectification or objection, or for failing to make the notifications in articles 4, 14 and 16 1. Offences are recorded in minutes sent without delay to the prosecutor (article 51) 1. Criminal penalties include the following 1.
| Offence | Article | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Breach of article 2 1 | 54 1 | Two to five years and DA 200,000 to 500,000 1 |
| Processing without consent, contrary to article 7 1 | 55 1 | One to three years and DA 100,000 to 300,000 1 |
| Letting unauthorised persons access data 1 | 60 1 | Two to five years and DA 200,000 to 500,000 1 |
| Obstructing the authority's checks 1 | 61 1 | Six months to two years and/or DA 60,000 to 200,000 1 |
| Transfer to a foreign state in breach of the law 1 | 67 1 | One to five years and a fine starting at DA 500,000 1 |
Transition and registers
Under article 75, those processing data when the law was promulgated had at most one year from the installation of the national authority to comply 1. Law 18-08 of the same date, published in Journal Officiel n° 35 of 13 June 2018, set up an electronic portal for company creation run by the Centre National du Registre du Commerce (CNRC), with a single form signed and authenticated electronically 5.
How Algeria compares with Morocco
Morocco's law 09-08 of 2009 gives similar rights of access, rectification and objection, with rectification within ten clear days 2. Its authority, the CNDP, takes declarations, authorisation requests and requests to transfer data abroad through its site 3. Its fines run from DH 10,000 to DH 300,000, doubled for legal persons 2. A CNDP deliberation states that Morocco joined Council of Europe Convention 108 on 28 May 2019 4. Algeria's accession to that convention could not be confirmed from an official source.
Common questions
Can I see the data an Algerian company holds on me?
Yes. Article 34 gives a right of access to the data, purposes and categories 1.
How fast must an Algerian controller correct my data?
Within ten days, free of charge 1.
What fine can Algeria's data authority impose?
DA 500,000 for refusing rights or failing to notify 1.
Where do I appeal a decision of Algeria's data authority?
To the Conseil d'Etat 1.
What is the penalty for sending personal data abroad unlawfully in Algeria?
One to five years in prison and a fine starting at DA 500,000. The upper fine limit could not be read in the copy opened 1.
Rules and fees change. Check the official source linked on this page before you act on it. Spotted an error? Email hello@maghrebregisters.com.
Sources
- Journal Officiel de la République Algérienne: N° 34, lois n° 18-06 et n° 18-07 du 10 juin 2018 (Official Journal No. 34, laws 18-06 and 18-07) (10 June 2018)
- Ministère de la Justice, Maroc (portail Adala): Dahir n° 1-09-15 du 18 février 2009 portant promulgation de la loi n° 09-08 relative à la protection des personnes physiques à l'égard du traitement des données à caractère personnel (Law 09-08 on the protection of individuals in the processing of personal data)
- CNDP: Commission nationale de contrôle de la protection des données à caractère personnel, accueil (Home page)
- CNDP: Délibération n° D-181-2021 portant avis sur le projet de décret relatif au registre public des bénéficiaires effectifs (Deliberation D-181-2021, opinion on the draft decree on the public register of beneficial owners) (2021)
- Journal Officiel de la République Algérienne: N° 35, loi n° 18-08 du 10 juin 2018 modifiant et complétant la loi n° 04-08 (Official Journal No. 35, law 18-08 amending law 04-08) (13 June 2018)
Related
- Morocco's law 09-08 on personal data and the CNDP
Morocco law 09-08: prior declaration or authorisation, rights of data subjects, transfers abroad, the CNDP, fines in dirhams and public registers.
- Access-to-information laws and data protection authorities in North Africa
Morocco law 31-13 and Tunisia law 2016-22 on access to information, deadlines and appeals, and data protection laws in Morocco, Algeria and Egypt.
- Criminal records in Algeria: the casier judiciaire, its three bulletins and rehabilitation
Algeria's criminal record under law 18-06 of 2018: bulletins 1, 2 and 3, who may obtain them, records of companies, and rehabilitation periods.
- Company registers in Algeria: the CNRC and the trade register
How Algeria's trade register works under law 04-08: the CNRC, the register extract, legal notices in the BOAL, the 2018 e-portal and a common identifier.