Media: According to the Basic Law, the role of media is to educate the masses and promote national unity, but it does not provide for freedom of speech or the press. In addition, Freedom House 2010 evaluates Saudi Arabia's media environment to be among the most repressive in the region. Several major media outlets are owned by members of the royal family and individuals are not permitted to criticise the royal family publicly. Private media outlets can legally be banned or publication temporarily halted if the content is deemed offensive to the country's religious establishment or the ruling authorities. Distribution of foreign print media is reportedly often subject to delays and censorship. According to the US Department of State 2010, criticism of specific government bodies or actions typically involves negative repercussions for those doing the criticising. According to Freedom House 2011, the government has also taken steps to limit the influence of new media, blocking access to over 400,000 websites that are considered immoral or politically sensitive. In general, all Internet traffic is administered by a single provider (a ministry), which controls access to the Web and censors websites with information deemed 'contrary to Islamic values'. In September 2008, the head of the Supreme Judiciary Council issued an edict allowing the killing of the owners of satellite television channels if they air immoral content. Moreover, a prominent blogger who criticised corruption in the country and persistently called for political reform was imprisoned without charges from December 2007 to April 2008 for comments made on his blog. Freedom House 2011 describes Saudi Arabia's media environment as 'not free' and ranks it 178th out of 196 countries, while Reporters Without Borders 2011 ranks the country 157th out of 178 countries.

Civil Society: According to Freedom House 2010, civil society traditions in Saudi Arabia are weak, as society remains organised on a kinship basis and most civil society groups that have emerged within recent years are state generated and supported. Freedom House 2011 reports that the royal family has a tradition of consulting with select members of Saudi society; however, this process is not equally open to all citizens, and criticism of the political system and the royal family is fully restricted. The royal family forbids the formation of political parties, and an organised political opposition exists only outside of the country, with many activists based in London. For that very same reason, no civil society organisations are formally active in the fight against corruption.

Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia (CDHR): The CDHR is an American-based non-profit educational organisation that is focused exclusively on the Saudi government's domestic and foreign policies and their implications and ramifications for the Saudi people and the international community. CDHR gathers information from a wide range of sources about current events in Saudi Arabia and analyses and interprets their impact on Saudi society, the Greater Middle East and the international community. Among many issues, CDHR promotes political reform and transparency and accountability in the use of Saudi public funds.

National Society for Human Rights (NSHR): The NSHR is a financially and administratively independent non-governmental organisation that works to protect and defend human rights in a way that do not contradict Islamic Law. The NSHR receives complaints about human rights violations, organises conferences and workshops and issues reports on the status of human rights in Saudi Arabia that are available on the organisation's website.