Privacy Policy
SouqCompare for UAE · Last updated 5 October 2026
This policy explains what personal data SouqCompare (“we”, “us”) collects when you use this website in UAE, why we use it, who we share it with and the rights you have under Federal Decree-Law No. (45) of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data.
1. Shoppers: you don't need an account
You can search and compare prices without signing up. We don't ask for your name, email or phone to use the comparison, and we don't keep your searches linked to you.
An account is only needed if you want price alerts. It holds your email address - no password - and, only if you add them, your name and mobile number. You sign in with a one-time code we email you. You can remove alerts or delete the whole account at any time under My account; deleting it removes your email and all your alerts at once.
2. What we collect and why
| When | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You click “Go to shop” | Which offer you clicked and when, the page you came from, your browser type, a random session number in a cookie, and a one-way scrambled (hashed) form of your IP address - never the address itself | To count real clicks for the stores we work with (billing), and to spot click fraud and bots |
| You send the contact / advertising form | Name, company (optional), email, mobile number, your message, the country site, and a hashed form of your IP address | To answer you, and to protect the form against spam |
| You set a price alert (shopper account) | Your email address, the products and target prices you chose, when you signed in, and when we emailed you an alert; if you add them, your name and mobile number. Sign-in codes are stored only in a scrambled form and expire after 10 minutes | To sign you in and to email you when a price drops to your target - nothing else. We never sell or share your email, and we don't send newsletters |
| A store creates a store account | Store details, the contact person's name, work email, mobile number, a securely scrambled password, and when they last signed in | To run the store account, review and list the store, and contact the store about its listing |
| Any visit | Technical data your browser sends (IP address, device and browser type, the page requested), handled by our hosting and security providers | To deliver the website, keep it secure and stop attacks; your country is used to open the right country site |
The legal grounds are: what is needed to provide the service you ask for, our legitimate interest in running a secure and fair comparison site, legal obligations, and - where the law requires it - your consent.
3. Cookies
- sc_sid - a random number set only when you click through to a store (30 days), so one shopper clicking twice counts as one click. It holds no personal details.
- sc_store - keeps store teams signed in to their store portal.
- sc_shopper and sc_in - set only when you sign in for price alerts: keep you signed in on this device for up to 60 days. Signing out removes them.
- Security cookies from our network provider (Cloudflare), used to tell people from bots and to block attacks.
- If we show Google ads on this site, Google may set its own cookies to show and measure ads; see Google's policy at policies.google.com/technologies/ads.
You can delete or block cookies in your browser settings; the comparison keeps working without them.
4. Who we share data with
- Stores: when you click through, the store sees that the visit came from SouqCompare and a click reference number - not your name or contact details.
- Service providers who run the website for us under contract: hosting and sending our emails (Amazon Web Services, servers in the European Union), network, security and file storage (Cloudflare).
- Authorities when the law requires it.
We don't sell personal data.
5. Data stored outside UAE
Our servers are in the European Union (Sweden) and our network provider works worldwide. Where personal data leaves UAE, we only use providers that protect it to a standard at least as high as Federal Decree-Law No. (45) of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data requires, under written contracts.
6. How long we keep data
- Click records: as long as needed for store billing, disputes and fraud checks, then deleted or kept only as totals.
- Contact / advertising messages: until the matter is closed, then deleted when no longer needed.
- Store accounts: while the account exists, and afterwards only as long as the law requires (for example for invoices).
- Shopper accounts and price alerts: until you delete them under My account. Each alert email has a link to stop that alert.
7. How we protect data
Encrypted connections (HTTPS), scrambled (hashed) passwords and IP addresses, access to the admin tools only for authorised staff, sign-in limits against password guessing, and regular backups. No system is perfectly safe; if a breach affects your data we will act and inform you and the authorities as the law requires.
8. Your rights in the United Arab Emirates
Under Federal Decree-Law No. (45) of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data, you have the right to:
- get information about the personal data we process about you and a copy of it
- receive your data in a structured, machine-readable form and have it sent to someone else, where this applies
- ask us to correct inaccurate data or complete incomplete data
- ask us to erase your data when it is no longer needed or was processed unlawfully
- ask us to restrict or stop processing, and object to processing for direct marketing
- not be subject to a decision based only on automated processing that has legal or similarly serious effects on you (we make no such decisions)
To use these rights, email [email protected] (or send us a message) and say “Privacy request”. We may ask you to confirm who you are, and we reply within the time the law allows. If you are not satisfied, you can complain to the UAE Data Office.
- We don't sell your personal data, and we don't send you marketing messages unless you have asked for them.
- We do not knowingly collect personal data from children; this website is meant for adults.
9. Changes
We may update this policy when the website or the law changes. The date at the top shows the latest version. See also our Terms of Use.