Privacy Policy

This privacy policy explains what personal data MiddleEastEcom.com collects, why we collect it, who we share it with and what rights you have. It applies to everyone who visits the site in English, Arabic or Chinese.

The short version: we only collect what you choose to send us through a form, we use it to handle your request, and we never sell it.

Who we are

MiddleEastEcom.com ("MiddleEastEcom", "we", "us") is a free guide and provider-matching site for sellers in the Gulf. The site is operated by [Company legal name and address], which is the data controller for the personal data described here.

For any privacy question or request, email hello@middleeastecom.com.

What data we collect

We don't ask you to create an account. You can read every guide, use every calculator and browse the directory without giving us any personal details.

We collect personal data only when you submit one of our forms:

Form	What you give us	What we use it for
Contact form	Name, email, message, and optionally company and phone	Replying to your message
Quote form	Name, email, the service you need, target country, and optionally company, phone, shipping origin, volume, product category and notes	Matching you with suitable providers and passing your request to them
Partner form	Name, email, service category, and optionally company, website, coverage area and message	Reviewing your application to be listed or to partner with us
Newsletter	Email address	Sending the newsletter you signed up for

With every form submission we also record the site language you were using, the page you sent it from, and the date and time. This helps us reply in your language and understand which guide prompted the request.

Technical data

To protect our forms from abuse, our server reads your IP address when you submit a form and limits how many submissions it accepts in a short time. This check runs in memory and the IP address is not saved with your submission.

Our hosting provider may keep standard server logs, such as IP address, browser type and the pages requested, for security and troubleshooting. We don't use these logs to build profiles of visitors.

What we don't collect

We don't use analytics, advertising pixels or tracking cookies. We don't buy data about you from third parties, and we don't ask for payment details, ID numbers or other sensitive data. Please don't include sensitive personal data in your messages.

Why we use your data and our legal basis

We use your data only for the purpose you sent it for:

• To answer your enquiry (contact form). Legal basis: your consent, and our legitimate interest in responding to people who write to us.
• To match you with providers (quote form). Legal basis: your consent and your request.
• To review partner applications (partner form). Legal basis: your consent, and steps taken at your request before any agreement.
• To send the newsletter (newsletter form). Legal basis: your consent, which you give when you subscribe. You can withdraw it at any time.
• To keep the site secure and comply with the law. Legal basis: our legitimate interest in preventing spam and abuse, and our legal obligations.

How you give consent depends on the form:

• Contact, quote and partner forms: before you submit, you tick a box agreeing to this privacy policy and to being contacted about your request.
• Newsletter: there's no tick box. The line under the sign-up box says that by subscribing you agree to our privacy policy, so entering your email and subscribing is your consent.

We don't use your data for automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.

Who we share your data with

We never sell, rent or trade personal data. We share it only in these cases:

• Matched providers. When you send a quote request, we pass your request details to the providers we match you with, so they can contact you and quote. We do this because you asked us to. Each provider then handles your data under its own privacy policy.
• Service providers who work for us. Processors such as our hosting provider, CRM, spreadsheet or email tools help us run the site and handle submissions. Form submissions can be sent automatically to these tools through secure webhooks configured by the site operator. Processors may only use your data to provide their service to us.
• Legal reasons. We may disclose data if the law requires it, or to protect our rights, users or the public.
• Business changes. If the site is sold or merged, personal data may move to the new owner, who must keep the promises in this policy.

How long we keep your data

We keep form submissions only as long as we need them for the purpose you sent them:

• Contact and quote requests: for up to [24 months] after our last contact with you, so we can follow up and handle any questions about a provider match.
• Partner applications: for as long as you are listed or in discussion with us, then up to [24 months].
• Newsletter: until you unsubscribe. After that we keep only a record that you opted out, so we don't email you again.

We may keep data longer if the law requires it or to resolve a dispute. When data is no longer needed, we delete it or make it anonymous.

How we protect your data

Form data is sent over an encrypted HTTPS connection and stored on our server. Access to stored submissions is restricted to authorised people using a secret key. Outgoing webhooks are signed so the receiving tool can check they really came from us.

No system is completely secure. If a data breach is likely to harm you, we'll notify you and the relevant authority as the law requires.

International transfers

Our site is hosted by [Hosting provider and server location], and the tools we use may store data in other countries. This means your data may be processed outside Saudi Arabia, the UAE or your home country.

When we transfer personal data abroad, we rely on the safeguards the law allows, such as adequacy decisions, standard contractual clauses or your consent, and we transfer only the data needed for the purpose.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, data protection laws give you rights over your personal data. These include Saudi Arabia's Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL), the UAE's Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on personal data protection, and the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

1

Be informed

Know what we collect, why and who receives it. This policy is our notice to you.

2

Access and copy

Ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

3

Correct

Ask us to fix data that is wrong or incomplete.

4

Delete

Ask us to delete your data when we no longer need it or you withdraw consent.

5

Withdraw consent or object

Stop the newsletter or other processing based on consent or our legitimate interests. This doesn't affect what we did before.

6

Restrict and port

Under GDPR and the UAE PDPL, ask us to limit how we use your data or to send it to you in a portable format.

To use any of these rights, email hello@middleeastecom.com. We may ask you to confirm your identity first. We reply within 30 days, or sooner where the law requires it.

You also have the right to complain to a data protection authority.

In Saudi Arabia that is the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA). In the UAE it is the UAE Data Office. In the EU or UK it is your local data protection authority.

We'd appreciate the chance to fix your concern first, so please contact us.

Cookies and local storage

We don't use tracking or advertising cookies. The site uses one small preference cookie to remember your language choice, and your browser's local storage to save checklist progress on your device. Our cookie policy explains both and how to clear them.

Children

MiddleEastEcom is a business resource for sellers and isn't aimed at children. We don't knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has sent us their details, contact us and we'll delete them.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when the site or the law changes. The "last updated" date at the top of the page shows when it last changed. If a change is significant, we'll make it clear on this page before it applies.

Contact us

For questions about this policy or your data, email hello@middleeastecom.com or use our contact page.

Data controller: [Company legal name and address]

This policy describes how we handle personal data. It isn't legal advice about your own obligations as a seller.