What rights do I have over my personal data under UAE data protection law?

Under the UAE's Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021), individuals — called data subjects — are given a set of rights over their personal data. These generally include the right to be informed about how your data is processed, the right to request access to the data a controller holds about you, the right to have inaccurate data corrected, and the right to request erasure of your data in defined circumstances. The law also recognises rights to restrict or stop certain processing, to object to particular uses, to data portability (receiving your data in a structured, machine-readable form where applicable), and to withhold or withdraw consent. There are conditions and exceptions — for example, where the controller must keep data to comply with another legal obligation. To exercise a right, you normally submit a request directly to the organisation (the controller), which must respond within the period set by the law and its Executive Regulations. If they refuse or ignore you, you can escalate to the UAE Data Office. For complex disputes, you can compare verified UAE legal professionals on LEXAI.