Last updated 26 June 2026
This policy explains what personal data Where2Hang collects, why, how it is used and stored, and the rights you have. It is written to align with the UAE Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021, the “PDPL”). By creating an account you confirm you have read it.
1. Who we are
Where2Hang is a venue-discovery service for Abu Dhabi and the UAE. For any privacy question, or to exercise your rights below, contact us at admin@where2hang.com. We act as the controller of the personal data described here. [confirm: registered legal entity name and address once incorporated.]
2. What we collect
- Account details — your name, email address and password (stored encrypted).
- Profile information you provide at sign-up — age range, gender, relationship status, whether you are a resident or tourist, and the region you are from. These are optional descriptors used to improve recommendations and produce aggregate insights.
- Activity in the app — searches, venues you save, check-ins, and any ratings or reviews you submit.
- Marketing preference — whether you opted in to marketing email, and the time you did so.
- Technical data — basic device and usage information needed to run and secure the service. Your approximate or precise location is used only when you ask for nearby results, and is not stored for tracking.
3. Why we use it, and our lawful basis
Under the PDPL we rely on your consent, given when you create an account, and on the necessity of processing to provide the service you have asked for. We use your data to run your account, power search and recommendations, show what is happening at venues, and understand in aggregate how the service is used. We process marketing-related data only where you have opted in.
4. Marketing email
We send marketing email — venue offers, event alerts and going-out picks — only to members who opted in at sign-up. Every marketing email contains an unsubscribe link, and you can withdraw your consent at any time; doing so removes you from all future marketing sends. Essential account email (such as sign-up confirmation and password resets) is not marketing and is sent regardless, because it is needed to operate your account.
5. Sharing and aggregate insights
We do not sell your personal, identifying data. We may share aggregated and anonymised insights — patterns that cannot identify you, such as how busy an area tends to be or the broad profile of a venue’s visitors — with venues, partners and tourism bodies. We use trusted service providers to operate the app (hosting, database and email delivery), who process data only on our instructions. [confirm: final list of partner categories and any data-product terms.]
6. Where your data is stored (international transfer)
Our database and app infrastructure are hosted by our technology providers on servers located outside the UAE (currently in the Bahrain region) and email is delivered via a provider operating in the EU. By using the service you consent to your data being transferred to and stored in these locations, under appropriate safeguards. [confirm: the specific PDPL cross-border transfer basis and any adequacy/contractual safeguards before launch.]
7. How long we keep it
We keep your personal data while your account is active. If you ask us to delete your account, or after a long period of inactivity, we delete or irreversibly anonymise your personal data, except where we must retain something to meet a legal obligation. Aggregated, anonymised insights that cannot identify you may be kept.
8. Your rights
Under the PDPL you may, in respect of your personal data:
- ask for a copy of it, and information about how it is used;
- ask us to correct it if it is wrong;
- ask us to delete it, or to stop or restrict certain processing;
- withdraw consent at any time (including unsubscribing from marketing);
- object to processing in certain circumstances; and
- complain to the UAE Data Office if you believe your rights have not been respected.
To exercise any of these, email admin@where2hang.com. We will respond within the period the PDPL requires.
9. Security
Access to data is restricted by row-level security rules so people and venues only see what they are entitled to, data is encrypted in transit, and administrative access is limited. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable measures to protect your information.
10. Children
Where2Hang is intended for adults and is not directed at anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect data from children.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the service develops or the law requires. The date at the top shows when it last changed; significant changes will be brought to your attention in the app.
12. Contact
Questions about this policy or your data: admin@where2hang.com.