Saudi Arabia’s Cybersecurity Recognized as 2nd Best Globally

This picture taken on January 11, 2020, shows a general view of Riyadh. (AFP)
This picture taken on January 11, 2020, shows a general view of Riyadh. (AFP)
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Saudi Arabia’s Cybersecurity Recognized as 2nd Best Globally

This picture taken on January 11, 2020, shows a general view of Riyadh. (AFP)
This picture taken on January 11, 2020, shows a general view of Riyadh. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia has secured second place in the global Cybersecurity Index in the World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY) for 2023 by the Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD).

Saudi Arabia also ranked 17th overall in 2023 – jumping seven places from 2022 – in the overall competitiveness ranking.

With Saudi Arabia frequently ranking among the top economies in the world for cybersecurity, the latest recognition by IIMD is a testament to the efforts of entities like the National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA), one of Saudi Arabia’s key national security enablers.

Saudi Arabia has cemented its leadership position through several initiatives to build a sound and sustainable cybersecurity ecosystem in the Kingdom. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has also designated the Kingdom as a global leader in cybersecurity, ranking Saudi Arabia second on its Global Cyber Security Index.

NCA is the primary national authority for cyber concerns in the Kingdom. It works to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s cyberspace, enabling it to protect national security and vital state interests. The Authority defends the Kingdom’s critical infrastructure, priority economic sectors, and government services and activities from cyber threats.

NCA sets the necessary standards for licensing the import, export, and use of hardware and software in terms of cybersecurity, while ensuring compliance with these standards. NCA’s work contributes to the creation of a secure and thriving economy that guarantees the prosperity of Saudi Arabia, and its people.



Google Will Pay Texas $1.4 Billion to Settle Claims the Company Collected Users’ Data without Permission

A Google logo is seen at the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California, US, November 1, 2018. (Reuters)
A Google logo is seen at the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California, US, November 1, 2018. (Reuters)
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Google Will Pay Texas $1.4 Billion to Settle Claims the Company Collected Users’ Data without Permission

A Google logo is seen at the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California, US, November 1, 2018. (Reuters)
A Google logo is seen at the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California, US, November 1, 2018. (Reuters)

Google will pay $1.4 billion to Texas to settle claims the company collected users' data without permission, the state’s attorney general announced Friday.

Attorney General Ken Paxton described the settlement as sending a message to tech companies that he will not allow them to make money off of “selling away our rights and freedoms.”

“In Texas, Big Tech is not above the law,” Paxton said in a statement. “For years, Google secretly tracked people’s movements, private searches, and even their voiceprints and facial geometry through their products and services. I fought back and won.”

The agreement settles several claims Texas made against the search giant in 2022 related to geolocation, incognito searches and biometric data. The state argued Google was “unlawfully tracking and collecting users’ private data.”

Paxton claimed, for example, that Google collected millions of biometric identifiers, including voiceprints and records of face geometry, through such products and services as Google Photos and Google Assistant.

Google spokesperson José Castañeda said the agreement settles an array of “old claims,” some of which relate to product policies the company has already changed.

“We are pleased to put them behind us, and we will continue to build robust privacy controls into our services,” he said in a statement.

The company also clarified that the settlement does not require any new product changes.

Paxton said the $1.4 billion is the largest amount won by any state in a settlement with Google over this type of data-privacy violations.

Texas previously reached two other key settlements with Google within the last two years, including one in December 2023 in which the company agreed to pay $700 million and make several other concessions to settle allegations that it had been stifling competition against its Android app store.

Meta has also agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement with Texas in a privacy lawsuit over allegations that the tech giant used users' biometric data without their permission.