Egypt cracks down on illegal e-marketing

CAIRO – 26 March 2025: Egypt's Personal Data Protection Law has established specific regulations and penalties for electronic marketers to ensure compliance with data privacy standards.

Article 43 of this law stipulates that anyone who violates the provisions of electronic marketing, as outlined in Articles 17 and 18, will be subject to a fine of no less than two hundred thousand Egyptian pounds (EGP 200,000) and not exceeding two million Egyptian pounds (EGP 2,000,000).

Article 17 of the same law prohibits any electronic communication for the purpose of direct marketing to a data subject unless the following conditions are met:

Obtaining Consent: Consent must be obtained from the data subject.

Sender Identification: The communication must clearly identify its origin and sender.

Valid Contact Information: The sender must provide a correct and sufficient address for contact.

Marketing Purpose Disclosure: The electronic communication must clearly indicate that it is being sent for direct marketing purposes.

Easy Opt-Out Mechanism: Clear and accessible mechanisms must be in place to enable the data subject to reject the electronic communication or withdraw their consent to receive it.

Furthermore, Article 18 of the same law mandates that the sender of any electronic communication for direct marketing purposes must adhere to the following obligations:

Specified Marketing Purpose: Clearly state the specific marketing purpose of the communication.

Confidentiality of Contact Data: Not disclose the contact data of the data subject.

Record Keeping: Maintain electronic records proving the data subject's consent and any modifications or lack of objection to the continuation of receiving electronic marketing communications for a period of three years from the date of the last transmission.

The executive regulations of this law will specify the rules, conditions, and controls related to direct electronic marketing.