Privacy Notice

Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, and its affiliates (referred to as “ADDED”, “we”, “us”, “our” and “The Company”) respect the privacy of its users and highly value their trust in us. This privacy notice explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect the user's personal data collected through our website, applications, and or any other related services provided by ADDED.

We process your personal data in accordance with the applicable data protection laws of the United Arab Emirates, including the UAE Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL), and, where relevant, other international data privacy regulations.

WHO ARE WE?

ADDED is a government entity established under Law No. 7 of 2018, with its principal office located at Baniyas Tower, Al Falah Street – Saeed bin Ahmed Al Otaiba, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. ADDED is the competent authority responsible for regulating, facilitating, and promoting economic activities within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Its mandate includes licensing commercial and investment activities, fostering entrepreneurship, developing new industries and markets, enhancing the private sector, and attracting both domestic and foreign investment to support sustainable economic growth..

For more information about ADDED, please visit https://www.added.gov.ae/en/about-us.

WHAT DATA DO WE COLLECT?

Depending on your relationship with ADDED and the services you use, we process the following types of personal data:

• Personal Information: Full name, gender, date of birth, nationality
• Contact Information: Address, telephone number, email address
• Identification Information: Government-issued IDs such as passport, Emirates ID, driver’s license, visa details
• Business Information: profession, roles in own and others’ customer relationships.
• Relationship Information: Information about your marital status and children
• Demographic Information: Income, education level
• Financial Information: Information related to the type of product and service agreement, employment data, transaction Information, credit history, account number, and insurance history.
• Digital & Technical Information: IP address, Device Type, cookies, session history on websites
• Multimedia Information: Images
• Transaction Information: Information about the transactions you make on our Services, such as the name of the recipient, your name, the amount, and/or timestamp.
• Other: In addition to the categories above, we also process other types of personal data when necessary for a specific type of processing. We will inform you about this when we collect the information.

HOW WE MAY COLLECT YOUR PERSONAL DATA?

We may collect your personal data through the following channels:

• Directly from you when you fill in any forms on our website;
• correspond by phone or in writing (including by email);
• visit our premises and interact with the staff;
• from cookies on our website (please refer to our “Cookie Policy” for details) or similar technologies

HOW WE MAY USE YOUR PERSONAL DATA?

We use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. The personal data we collect would be used for one or more of the following purposes:

We occasionally conduct online customer surveys to get your feedback. We use the survey data for research and to improve our services. The participation in those surveys is optional.

WHAT ARE THE LEGAL GROUNDS ON WHICH WE PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL DATA?

We process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:

• Performance of a Contract- Processing is necessary to fulfil a contract with you or to take steps at your request prior to entering a contract. This enables us to perform actions required to conclude or execute our agreement with you.
• Legal Obligation- Processing is necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation to which we are subject. This ensures we meet our legal responsibilities.
• Legitimate Interests- Processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided that your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This allows us to pursue activities that benefit our organization, such as improving our services.
• Consent- Processing is based on your explicit consent for a specific purpose. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
• Vital Interests- Processing is necessary to protect someone's life. This applies in situations where processing is essential to safeguard an individual's life.
• Public Task- Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller. This applies when processing is required to perform a task in the public interest or for an official function.

WHO DO WE SHARE YOUR DATA WITH?

Within ADDED, we share your personal data with authorized personnel who require such access to perform their official duties, and strictly on a need-to-know basis.

Your personal data may also be disclosed to third parties, including service providers, professional advisers, national authorities, and other government entities, where such disclosure is necessary to support our operations and deliver our services.

Additionally, ADDED may disclose personal data to third parties in the following circumstances:

• Legal and regulatory obligations: Where disclosure is required to comply with applicable laws, regulations, or legal processes, or to enforce or defend ADDED’s legal rights. In such cases, personal data may be shared with regulators, law enforcement agencies within the UAE or abroad, or with our legal advisers.
• Protection of rights and safety: Where it is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of ADDED, our customers, investors, suppliers, or other stakeholders. In such instances, personal data may be disclosed to our legal advisers or other professional service providers engaged to support such activities.

We do not sell, exchange, or otherwise distribute the data collected for commercial or marketing purposes.

All disclosures are made in compliance with the applicable data protection laws and with appropriate safeguards in place to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of your personal data.

DO WE TRANSFER YOUR DATA OUTSIDE OF THE UAE?

We do not transfer or share personal data outside the United Arab Emirates, except where such transfer is necessary for compliance with legal or regulatory obligations, or upon obtaining the explicit consent of the data subject. In such cases, we ensure that appropriate contractual and technical safeguards are implemented to protect personal data in accordance with the applicable data protection laws and regulations of the UAE.

HOW LONG DO WE RETAIN YOUR PERSONAL DATA?

We will process and store your personal data for the duration of our business relationship and for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected. In addition, we may retain your personal data as long as required to comply with legal or regulatory obligations.

We have policies in place to manage the creation, retention, and disposal of records. These policies ensure personal data is kept accurate, securely deleted when no longer needed, and, where possible, anonymized to protect your identity.

WHAT ARE YOUR RIGHTS?

In accordance with the UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data (PDPL), you have several rights relating to how your personal data is collected, used, and stored. These rights are designed to give you greater control and transparency over your data.

You may exercise the following rights, subject to applicable legal and regulatory limitations:

• Right to Inform: You have the right to be informed about the collection and use of your personal data by us or, on our behalf, by a third party.
• Right to Receive Information: You have the right to request confirmation of whether your personal data is being processed or not, and to receive a copy of that data in a structured and readable format.
• Right to Correction or Erasure of Personal Data: You can request the correction or updating of inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated personal data. Additionally, you may request the deletion of your personal data in specific circumstances, such as when the data is no longer necessary for the purpose it was collected or when you withdraw your consent (if consent was the legal basis).
• Right to Restrict Processing: You may request the limitation of processing in certain scenarios, such as when the accuracy of the data is contested or the processing is unlawful, but you oppose deletion.
• Right to Stop Processing: You can object to the processing of your personal data for the purpose of direct marketing, conducting statistical surveys
• Right to Processing and Automated Processing: You can object to any decisions resulting from automated processing, including profiling, particularly those decisions which have legal impact on or adversely affect you.
• Right to Request Transfer of Personal Data: Where technically feasible, you may request to receive your personal data in a commonly used and machine-readable format and transmit it to another data controller.
• Right to withdraw Consent: Where we rely on your consent to process personal data, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of prior processing based on consent.
• Right to Complain: If you believe your data protection rights have been violated, you have the right to file a complaint with the UAE Data Office or another relevant supervisory authority.

To exercise any of these rights, you may contact our Privacy Office at [privacy@ded.abudhabi.ae]

We will respond to your request within the timeframes prescribed by UAE law. Please note that we may request verification of your identity before fulfilling any request.

HOW DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA SAFE AND SECURE?

We are committed to protecting the security of the personal data you provide to us or that we otherwise process about you. To support this commitment, we have implemented appropriate technical, physical, and organizational measures to ensure a level of security that is appropriate to the risks associated with the processing of your data.

DO WE LINK TO THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES?

Our website may include links to third-party websites that are not operated by ADDED. Please be aware that we do not control these third-party sites and are not responsible for the content, data practices, or security measures they deploy. These links are provided for your convenience only and do not constitute an endorsement of any products, services, or information, nor do they imply any association with the operators of the linked websites. When you access an external site, you are subject to its own terms and conditions and privacy policies.

HOW TO TRACK CHANGES TO THE PRIVACY NOTICE?

We may update this notice from time to time to reflect changes in applicable laws or our practices regarding the collection and use of Personal Data. We encourage you to check this page periodically to stay informed of how we protect your personal data and uphold your rights.

HOW TO CONTACT US

If you have a query, concern, or complaint in relation to the collection or usage of your Personal Data under this Notice, kindly write to us at [privacy@ded.abudhabi.ae].