As Algeria's digital economy expands, understanding data protection requirements has become essential for businesses operating in the region. This guide covers the key regulations, compliance obligations, and best practices for handling personal data in identity verification processes — with specific focus on Law 18-07 (personal data protection), Regulation 24-64 (digital banking), Instruction 06-2025 (payment service providers), and Law 05-01 (AML/KYC).
The Regulatory Landscape
Algeria's data protection framework draws from Law 18-07 on the protection of natural persons in the processing of personal data, enacted in 2018. This legislation establishes fundamental principles that align with international standards while addressing specific requirements for the Algerian context.
Core Principles
- Lawfulness: Personal data must be processed lawfully with proper legal basis
- Purpose Limitation: Data collected for specific, explicit purposes only
- Data Minimization: Collect only what is necessary for the stated purpose
- Accuracy: Keep personal data up to date
- Storage Limitation: Retain data only as long as needed
- Security: Implement appropriate technical and organizational measures
Data Residency and On-Premise Requirements
One of the most significant requirements for eKYC providers in Algeria is data sovereignty. Personal data of Algerian citizens — particularly sensitive biometric information collected during identity verification — must remain under the control of the data controller and may not be transferred to foreign servers. This is why global SaaS-based identity verification providers operating from foreign infrastructure cannot legally serve Algerian regulated industries: they cannot satisfy Law 18-07 or sector-specific requirements under Regulation 24-64 (digital banking) and Instruction 06-2025 (PSP). On-premise deployment is not just preferred — it is required.
Assurique's architecture is built on this principle: the full verification pipeline — document analysis, biometric matching, liveness processing, and decision — runs on-premise within your infrastructure with zero internet dependency during operation. No biometric data ever leaves your servers.
"Data localization isn't just a regulatory checkbox — it's the only legal path. On-premise deployment satisfies Law 18-07 data sovereignty, gives you full data control, and builds trust with Algerian customers and regulators."
Compliance Implementation
1. Consent Management
- Obtain explicit, informed consent before processing personal data
- Provide clear information about data usage in Arabic and French
- Implement easy consent withdrawal mechanisms
- Maintain records of consent for audit purposes
2. Security Measures
- Encrypt all personal data at rest and in transit
- Implement access controls with role-based permissions
- Regular security audits and penetration testing
- Incident response procedures for data breaches
3. Data Subject Rights
Ensure mechanisms exist for individuals to exercise their rights:
- Right to access their personal data
- Right to rectification of inaccurate data
- Right to erasure (with legal limitations)
- Right to data portability
Compliance Checklist
- Deploy on-premise — store all personal data on servers within your own infrastructure (Law 18-07, Regulation 24-64, Instruction 06-2025)
- Implement explicit consent mechanisms
- Encrypt all biometric and identity data
- Establish data retention and deletion policies
- Document all processing activities
- Train staff on data protection obligations