Social Trust in Property Ownership: A Study in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Ownership refers to the legal rights, obligations, and interests, all of which are formally recognised by a legal system. The regulation of property ownership dictates access to and control over land and other resources. In modern society, property ownership relies heavily on technology for identifying, record-keeping, and verifying property ownership to ensure compliance with the legal system. However, this reliance on technology introduces challenges such as fraud, incorrect information, and potential challenges like double sales as technology continues to advance. Further challenges can be encountered when it is regulated by several governmental entities to secure ownership. This research focuses specifically on the legal system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, acknowledging the global nature of challenges but tailoring the investigation to the unique context of this region. To address the challenges inherent in the land registration system, the research proposes a STF. Unlike existing approaches that primarily lean on technology, this framework delves into the underlying factors contributing to challenges and identifies key considerations for establishing a safe process for transferring ownership. The framework encompasses four categories of social needs for trusting systems: organisation, provenance, technical, and legal. Each category comprises a set of factors that should be considered during the development of the system. Importantly, this framework is designed in alignment with the interests of stakeholders who regularly engage with the systems and is validated by experts in governmental entities. The validation process is based on qualitative data and analyse using thematic analysis. The STF supports the analysis of user requirement specifications to identify the necessary requirements. The user needs are analysed to identify the requirements needed using the scenario-based approach of transferring ownership, with the knowledge that this scenario avoids the challenges outlined. The identified requirements serve as essential inputs for constructing models using the Event-B formal methods, a mathematical approach that ensures the correctness and consistency of the requirements. The formal model is built using a correctness-by-construction methodology, that allows the deduction of assurances for the trustworthy process of transferring ownership. The model undergoes evaluation by formal method specialists to guarantee the construction of an accurate model through the utilisation of discount expert review. Applying the formal method significantly affects system development. It aids in articulating implicit assumptions and clarifying system requirements. They highlight challenges with system requirements, and their rigour helps to understand the challenge better. Additionally, the formal method reduces implementation time and error by a large amount.