INTRODUCTION

We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Notice governs the processing of your Personal Data by the Department of Economy and Tourism and its affiliates (“DET”). It explains how we process your Personal Data and applies to Personal Data you provide directly or which we obtain from other sources.

References to “our”, “us” or “we” within this Privacy Notice are to DET.

WHO WE ARE

The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism

The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) is an entity established pursuant to Law No. 20 of 2021 and having its principal address at P.O. Box 594, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. DET is the principal authority for the economic development of Dubai and is responsible for licensing commercial activity in Dubai.

You can find out more about DET at: https://www.dubaidet.gov.ae/en/about-det.

DATA CONTROLLER

Processing means any operation performed on Personal Data (e.g., collection, storage, deletion).
Personal Data means information that directly or indirectly identifies you or can be reasonably linked to you.
Sensitive Personal Data means information about race/ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, health and genetics, biometrics (for identification), and criminal convictions.
Data Controller means the person or body determining the purposes and means of processing Personal Data.
Widget means a mini-program on a web page (e.g., search boxes, pop-ups, dropdowns, or links) that may collect Personal Data via cookies.

WHAT WE COLLECT FROM YOU

Contact details: address, email address, telephone number.
Identification data: name, date of birth, age, gender, nationality, country or emirate of residence, national/Emirates ID, biodata, interests, occupation.
>Web data: cookies, IP address, social media profile, website interaction data.
Sensitive Personal Data: for example, ID photograph, passport copy, and health/medical data including dietary preferences and restrictions.

FOR WHICH PURPOSES WE USE YOUR PERSONAL DATA AND THE LEGAL BASIS

Purpose for Processing	Category of Personal Data	Legal basis
Allow you to access government services and make transactions	Contact details, identification data, Sensitive Personal Data	For reasons of public interest or in the exercise of our governmental functions
Handle “Contact Us” enquiries (e.g., Dubai Can, Dubai Fitness Challenge/Dubai Ride/Dubai Run, investor/start-up enquiries, ambassador programmes, e-ticketing, sponsorships)	Contact details, identification data, Sensitive Personal Data	For reasons of public interest or in the exercise of our governmental functions
Include your event/activity in Dubai Calendar	Contact details, identification data	For reasons of public interest or in the exercise of our governmental functions
Process registrations for initiatives (e.g., Dubai Fitness Challenge, Dubai Ride, Dubai Run, Dubai Can, Dubai Eats, Gastronomy, MyDubai Communities)	Contact details, identification data	For reasons of public interest or in the exercise of our governmental functions
Respond to your enquiry about studying or starting a business in Dubai	Contact details, identification data	For reasons of public interest or in the exercise of our governmental functions
Enable account creation and subsequent logins on our websites	Contact details, identification data, web data	For reasons of public interest or in the exercise of our governmental functions
Register your subscription to receive updates via email/phone/WhatsApp	Contact details, identification data	Consent
Verify your identity when you are the winner of a contest or promotion	Contact details, identification data, web data, Sensitive Personal Data	Consent
Conduct Customer Happiness or other surveys	Contact details, identification data	For reasons of public interest or in the exercise of our governmental functions
Inform you about events, festivals, promotions or competitions	Contact details, identification data	Consent
Connect with you as a business owner on the “BUILD BUSINESS IN DUBAI” chatbot	Contact details, identification data, web data	Consent
Process enquiries/feedback/complaints via the DET Customer Happiness WhatsApp channel	Contact details, identification data	For reasons of public interest or in the exercise of our governmental functions
Process your engagement on social media platforms and Personal Data received from third parties	Web data, contact details	Consent
Manage our websites (usage monitoring, threat detection, performance improvement)	Web data	Consent
Book hotels or organise trips for you, including dietary preferences	Personal Data; Sensitive Personal Data	Consent

DIRECT MARKETING

Where you have provided consent, we (or permitted third parties) may contact you via post, telephone, email, SMS/MMS or social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, X, WhatsApp) about events, competitions, schemes, initiatives, promotions or similar opportunities to those you have used or enquired about.

How to unsubscribe from receiving marketing communication?

You can unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe link in our email communications or by emailing privacy@dubaidet.ae.

GOOGLE ANALYTICS AND BRIGHTCOVE

Google Analytics

Pages you visit, time on site, how you arrived, and what you click.
We apply IP anonymisation and remove Personal Data from titles/URLs.
We do not combine analytics information with other datasets in a way that directly identifies you.

Brightcove

IP address, videos viewed, engagement with videos, and viewing duration.
We do not combine video analytics with other datasets in a way that directly identifies you.

Social media features and Widgets

Our websites include links to DET’s social media channels and Widgets that may collect Personal Data by placing cookies. Your interactions are governed by the platforms’ privacy notices:

WHEN DO WE COLLECT YOUR DATA FROM THIRD PARTIES?

Social media accounts (e.g., Facebook, Google, X) used to log in to our website.

Organisers/co-organisers and service providers assisting with events, schemes or initiatives.

Contractors and business partners who help organise events, promotions, festivals, and marketing campaigns.

HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR PERSONAL DATA?

We retain Personal Data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this Notice, unless a longer period is required by contractual obligation or law. We regularly assess retention to ensure data is kept for the shortest period necessary.

WHO DO WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL DATA WITH?

The Personal Data we collect may be shared with other government departments, agencies and public bodies. Where necessary, we disclose Personal Data to selected third parties, vendors and service providers in compliance with applicable privacy laws.

With selected third parties (examples)

Airlines, hotels, banks & financial institutions
Government departments & law enforcement agencies, Free Zones
Tourist attractions, tour operators, event organisers
Organisations running competitions on our behalf
Organisations sending you information about offers, events or attractions
Organisations and service providers DET collaborates with to arrange and deliver programmes, competitions and initiatives

With other governmental bodies

We disclose Personal Data when required by law or to protect DET’s rights and property (e.g., national security agencies, Dubai Police, Dubai Courts). We will not sell or rent your Personal Data to third parties.

PROFILING

Where we have your consent, we may evaluate aspects about your preferences and interests to tailor our marketing. We undertake profiling only to help make communications more relevant.

WHERE WE STORE/TRANSFER YOUR PERSONAL DATA

Personal Data is stored in the UAE, US and Germany. Where Personal Data is transferred outside the country in which you are located, we ensure appropriate safeguards are applied in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

SECURITY OF PERSONAL DATA

We take reasonable steps to protect Personal Data from misuse, loss or unauthorised access, including firewalls, password access and secure servers. We review our collection, storage and processing practices and restrict access to Personal Data to staff and providers who need to know it, under strict confidentiality obligations.

Where we share Personal Data within DET or with third parties, it is handled in compliance with relevant laws such as the UAE Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) and this Notice. If you suspect misuse, loss or unauthorised access, please contact us immediately.

GOOGLE RECAPTCHA

For some services we use Google reCAPTCHA to protect your submissions. Your use of reCAPTCHA is subject to Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES

Following a link to another website

If you go to another website from DET websites, read the privacy notice on that site to understand how your Personal Data will be used.

Following a link to DET websites from another website

If you arrive at our site from another website, that site may have provided us with certain Personal Data. Refer to their privacy notice for details.

YOUR RIGHTS

Data Privacy Right	What it means
Right to be informed	Be informed about our collection and use of your Personal Data.
Right to access	Request confirmation and access to Personal Data we process (subject to the rights and freedoms of others).
Right to rectification	Ask us to correct inaccurate Personal Data or complete incomplete data.
Right to erasure	Request deletion of your Personal Data in our possession.
Right to restrict processing	Request that we limit use of your Personal Data where it is not used for the purpose collected.
Right to object	Object to processing for direct marketing (including related profiling) or statistical surveys.
Right not to be subject to automated decision making	Not be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, with legal or similar significant effects.
Right to complain to a supervisory authority	Submit a complaint to the relevant authority. See UAE data protection laws.
Right to withdraw consent	Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent and there is no overriding legal/business reason to retain.

To exercise your rights, email privacy@dubaidet.ae. We may request information to confirm your identity and locate your records.

COOKIE NOTICE

We may collect Personal Data via cookies. You can control cookies via your browser, the “Customise” button on the cookie banner, or the Cookie Preference Centre in the footer. For details, see the Cookie Notice linked in the footer of each website.

CONTACTING US

Questions about this Notice or requests to exercise privacy rights: privacy@dubaidet.ae

General enquiries, complaints or suggestions: info@dubaidet.ae

COMPLIANCE AND COOPERATION WITH REGULATORY AUTHORITIES

We regularly review compliance with this Notice and work with regulatory authorities to resolve complaints regarding the processing of Personal Data.

GOVERNING LAW

This waiver and release shall be governed by the laws of the Emirate of Dubai and the applicable federal laws of the United Arab Emirates, as applied in the Emirate of Dubai, and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of Dubai courts.

CHANGES TO PRIVACY NOTICE

We may revise this Notice at any time by updating this page. Please review it periodically for updates. This Notice should be read together with the Terms of Use of each website and any documents it references.

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Privacy Notice