Data's Nature and Its Prevailing Right under Islamic Law

Abstract

Currently, data has acquired significant economic value due to the fast-paced development of information technology and data analysis. Due to the emergence of data as a key resource in the economy, the development of legal rules governing them has become increasingly important. Meanwhile, the protection of personal data is one of the civil rights of every individual, and their information should be appropriately protected. Under GDPR, personal data is protected in the European Union. There are still a number of countries, however, that do not have an independent law on data protection, or that have not yet finalized the draft law they have on data protection. Among the Islamic countries, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan lack comprehensive laws on the protection of personal data. Other Islamic countries with regulations concerning the protection of personal data can refer to Islamic jurisprudence for clarification if there is a gap in these laws. Thus, in this study, we discussed the nature of data in Islamic law and the laws governing it. Regarding this, it is noteworthy that data is considered property under Islamic law and is governed by ownership laws.