Dubai DET Privacy Notice

Last updated: 02 September 2025

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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

DET acts as the Data Controller of your Personal Data.

If you follow a link to a service provided by another government department, agency or third party, that organisation will be the Data Controller for any Personal Data you share with them and will publish and manage their own privacy notice.

Definitions

  • 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 [email protected].

Google Analytics & 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 Personal 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.

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 [email protected]. 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: [email protected]

General enquiries, complaints or suggestions: [email protected]

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.

Changes to this 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.