But Saudi Arabia has weak privacy laws and a track record of persecuting dissidents. They are warning tech giants like Microsoft and Google that they could be forced to hand over private citizen data to Saudi hitmen. Data handed over a silver platterMarwa Fatafta, an analyst with digital rights group Access Now, described Saudi Arabia as a country with a "dismal" human rights record. "Have they really [Google and Microsoft] investigated how they plan to mitigate potential human rights abuses or privacy violations, building such infrastructure?" Countries such as Saudi Arabia, he said, often told companies that "if you want to operate in this country, you've got to keep the data in this country.

---

Persons: Prince Mohammed bin Salman's, Rewan Al, Haddad, umOfUs, FAYEZ NURELDINE, Fatima al, Salma al, Alan Woodward, you've, James Lynch, Fairsquare, Crown Prince Mohammed, James, Lynch, Prince Mohammed, it's, Woodward Organizations: Microsoft, Google, Service, Saudi, Human Rights Watch, New York Post, Getty, Twitter, Leeds University, University of Surrey, Crown Locations: Saudi Arabia, Wall, Silicon, Riyadh, Saudi, AFP