Privacy Policy
Effective date: 1 July 2025
Welcome to TheDutchContractor.com (“we,” “us,” “our”). We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal data when you visit or use our website, in compliance with UAE law including the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL).
By accessing or using our website, you consent to the practices described in this policy (subject to your rights under applicable law).
1. Key definitions
Personal Data / Personal Information: Any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (data subject), including but not limited to name, email address, telephone number, IP address, location data, etc.
Sensitive Personal Data: Data that reveals racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, health data, biometric data, criminal record, etc. (processing of which requires extra care under PDPL).
Data Controller: The entity that determines the purposes and means of processing personal data (i.e. us, TheDutchContractor.com).
Data Processor: A third party that processes personal data on our behalf under our instructions (e.g. hosting providers, email delivery services).
Data Subject: A natural person whose personal data we process (e.g. users, visitors, customers).
Processing: Any operation or set of operations performed on personal data, such as collection, use, storage, disclosure, erasure, etc.
2. Scope & applicability
This policy applies to all personal data we collect about you when you interact with our website, register accounts, make inquiries, subscribe to newsletters, contact us, or otherwise communicate with us.
The law applies to controllers and processors located in the UAE, as well as to those outside the UAE who process the personal data of UAE residents.
If your use is governed by a specific free-zone (e.g. DIFC, ADGM) or sector rule, additional rules may also apply, and those special regimes may supersede or complement this policy. Global Practice Guides+1
3. Purposes and lawful bases for processing
We may process your personal data for one or more of the following purposes:
| Purpose | Data types involved | Lawful basis / justification |
|---|---|---|
| To provide, operate, maintain, and improve our website and services | Name, email, contact details, usage data, device data, IP address | Necessary for performance of our contract / services |
| Registration, account management, authentication | Name, email, password, contact info | Necessary for contract / service provision |
| Communication, customer support, responses to inquiries | Contact info, correspondence | Legitimate interest in operating our business and communicating |
| Marketing, newsletters, promotional communications (where opted in) | Email, preferences, usage data | Your consent (you may withdraw) |
| Analytics, site usage analysis, improving user experience | Usage data, diagnostics, cookies | Legitimate interest (or consent where required) |
| Compliance, legal obligations, dispute resolution | Transaction data, identity data, communications | To comply with legal obligations, defend legal rights |
| Safety, fraud detection, security | Device data, logs, IP, transaction data | Legitimate interest in securing systems and preventing misuse |
For sensitive personal data, we will only process if a more stringent basis applies (e.g. explicit consent, or legally permitted circumstances).
4. What personal data we collect & how
4.1 Data you give us
Information you provide directly (e.g. registration, contact form, inquiry, request) such as name, email, phone, address, business/organization name.
Content you send us (e.g. messages, feedback).
Payment or billing data if relevant (processed via third-party payment providers — we do not store full card data).
4.2 Data we collect automatically
Usage data (pages visited, time, referring site, device type, browser, IP address, page requests).
Cookies, tracking technologies (see our Cookies Policy or the section below).
Analytics data (via tools such as Google Analytics, etc.).
4.3 Data from third parties / public sources
We may obtain data from third-party services (e.g. social media platforms, publicly available sources) subject to their policies and your consent.
5. Cookies and tracking technologies
We use cookies, web beacons, local storage, log files, and similar technologies to:
Enhance site functionality
Remember preferences
Understand user interactions
Provide analytics and performance metrics
You can control cookies via browser settings. However, disabling cookies may affect your ability to use certain features of the site.
6. Disclosure of personal data / sharing with third parties
We may share your personal data in the following cases:
Service providers / processors: to process data on our behalf (e.g. hosting, email delivery, analytics, payment processing) under contract and confidentiality obligations.
Legal or regulatory obligations: when required by law, court order, governmental request, or to protect rights.
Business transfers: in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization, sale of assets, or similar, with appropriate confidentiality provisions.
With your consent: when you consent to our sharing (for a particular purpose).
Where data is shared with processors, we require them to follow data protection requirements (including confidentiality, security, purpose limitation).
7. Cross-border transfers of personal data
Transfer of personal data outside the UAE is permitted subject to compliance with PDPL rules.
Such transfers can occur if:
1. The recipient country has adequate data protection; or
2. Appropriate contractual safeguards are in place (e.g. binding contractual clauses imposing PDPL-equivalent obligations); or
3. You have explicitly consented; or
4. It is necessary for contract, legal obligations, or public interest reasons permitted by law.
We will ensure any international transfer is subject to appropriate safeguards to protect data.
8. Data retention
We retain personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or to comply with applicable laws or to resolve disputes.
When no longer needed, we delete or anonymize the data.
In some sectors, law or regulators may require retention for specific periods (e.g. financial, contractual, audit record periods).
9. Security measures
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data, including (but not limited to):
Encryption, pseudonymization, or anonymization when feasible
Access controls, role-based permissions
Regular security assessments, audits, vulnerability testing
Secure backups, disaster recovery
Employee training and confidentiality obligations
However, no security system is impenetrable, and absolute security cannot be guaranteed. In the event of a data breach that risks your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and the UAE Data Office (when required) in accordance with PDPL requirements.
10. Your rights as a data subject
Under UAE PDPL, you have the following rights (subject to legal limitations):
Right of access — to know whether we process your personal data, and obtain a copy of it.
Right to rectification / correction — to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
Right to erasure (deletion) — under certain circumstances, request deletion of personal data.
Right to restrict processing — temporarily stop or limit the use of your personal data under certain scenarios.
Right to object — object to processing for direct marketing, profiling, or other purposes as permitted by law.
Right to data portability — receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format and/or transmit it to another controller.
Right to withdraw consent — for processing based on consent, you can withdraw at any time without affecting processing done before withdrawal.
Right to lodge a complaint — you may file a complaint with the UAE Data Office or other competent authority if you believe your rights under PDPL have been violated. Global Practice Guides+2PwC+2
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us as per Section 15 (Contact Us) below. We will respond within the timeframe required by law.
11. Automated decision-making / profiling
If we use automated decision-making or profiling (for example, to personalize content, offers, or recommendations), we will disclose such processing, the logic involved, and your right to opt out (where applicable). We will not use sensitive personal data in fully automated decisions without appropriate safeguards (e.g. your explicit consent).
12. Children & minors
Our website and services are not directed to individuals under the age of 16 (or the applicable age under local law). We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If we become aware that we have collected data from a minor without proper consent, we will take steps to delete it.
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time (e.g. to reflect changes in law, technology, or our practices). We will post the updated version on our website with a new “Last updated” date, and where required by law, notify you (e.g. via email) of material changes.
14. Third-party links & services
Our site may contain links to third-party websites, advertisements, plugins, or services. This policy does not apply to those third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing personal data to them.
15. Contact us & data protection officer (DPO)
If you have any questions, requests, or complaints about this privacy policy or our processing of your personal data, please contact:
TheDutchContractor.com
Address: Al Khabeesi Building, Plot 128-246 - G-01, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Email: bellamy@thedutchcontractor.com
Phone: +971588771578
If required, we may designate a Data Protection Officer (DPO). You can contact the DPO at the same address.
16. Miscellaneous
If any part of this policy is found invalid or unenforceable under applicable law, the remaining provisions shall remain valid.
This policy is governed by the laws of the UAE (except where a Free Zone jurisdiction’s law applies).