Privacy policy
Last updated: 27 August 2026
The short version
- Your disability data is sensitive, and we treat it that way. We do not require it to open an account, and we never show it to anyone unless you tell us to.
- We do not sell your data or use it for advertising. We do not pass your needs on to the restaurants or hotels you visit.
- Your card is private by default. It becomes readable only if you create a share link — you choose what it shows, and you can revoke it instantly.
- Your location is never stored on our servers. It is used inside your browser to measure distance, and is neither sent to us nor saved.
- You can download your data or delete your account whenever you want. Both buttons are inside your account — no need to email us.
This is a plain-language summary; the full detail follows below.
Who we are
“Determination Guide” is a guide that helps people of determination and their families judge whether a place will work for them before they go. We are the Data Controller for the purposes of UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data.
For privacy matters, contact: info@example.com
Exactly what we collect
| Category | What it includes | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Display name, email, an encrypted password, registration date. | You provide it |
| Access profile | Your need or disability type and the aids you use. | Entirely optional |
| Needs card | Preferred name, languages, how to communicate with you, what helps and what to avoid, distress signs, an emergency contact. | Entirely optional |
| Contributions | Places you add, your reviews, photos you upload, reports you send, feedback about the platform. | You publish it |
| Technical | Your IP at sign-up (to limit automated accounts), and browser details in ordinary server logs. | Collected automatically |
| Location | Approximate coordinates when you tap “my location” — used inside your browser and never stored by us. | With your permission each time |
Disability and health data
UAE law classes health-related information — including disability — as “sensitive personal data”, a category held to a higher standard. So we commit to the following:
- We will never require disability information to create an account or browse the guide. The platform works fully without it.
- Entering it constitutes your explicit consent to use it for one purpose: ranking places by how well they suit you, and building your card.
- You can withdraw that consent at any moment by clearing your access profile and card, without losing your account.
- This data is never used for automated decisions about you, for profiling you, or for any marketing purpose.
- If you publish a review, you can hide your name and appear as “A visitor” from the privacy settings in your account.
Why we process it
- Running your account: To sign you in and keep your lists and contributions. Basis: performing the service you asked for.
- Ranking results around your needs: Basis: your explicit consent, which you can withdraw.
- Publishing your contributions: Because the guide only works on real experiences. Basis: your consent when you publish.
- Protecting the platform: Limiting automated accounts and false reports. Basis: our legitimate interest in running a safe service.
What we never do
- We do not sell, rent or trade your data with any commercial party.
- We do not use it for targeted advertising, and we run no advertising trackers.
- We do not tell any venue that you searched for it, saved it, or viewed its page.
- We never attach your disability profile to your name in any report or statistic we share.
Outside services
Some parts of the site rely on outside services. By the nature of the web, those services receive your IP address. We send them none of your account or card data:
| Service | Why | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Google Fonts | Legible Arabic typefaces | Every page |
| OpenStreetMap | Map imagery | The map and place pages |
| unpkg (Leaflet) | The map display library | The map and place pages |
| Gravatar | A default avatar when none is uploaded | Review lists |
Cookies and on-device storage
We use no tracking or advertising cookies. What we do use is limited and necessary:
k_lang— Your chosen language, for a year.k_needs— Your needs if you pick them without signing in, so ranked results work. It stays on your device.k_a11y_*— Your accessibility settings (text size, contrast, dark mode, reduced motion). Stored in your browser and never sent to us.- Standard WordPress sign-in cookies, removed when you sign out.
How long we keep it
- Account and profile data: as long as your account exists.
- On deletion: your data, card, lists and reviews are permanently removed. Places you added remain in the guide for other visitors, detached from your name.
- Technical server logs: a short period, for operations and security.
Your rights and how to use them
UAE law gives you clear rights, and we have built most of them as buttons inside your account rather than making you wait on a reply:
| Your right | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Access and get a copy | “Download my data” in Preferences |
| Portability | The export is machine-readable JSON. |
| Rectification | Personal details and access profile |
| Erasure | “Delete account” in Security |
| Withdraw consent | Clear your access profile and card, or revoke the share link. |
| Restrict or object | info@example.com |
We answer emailed requests within a reasonable period, at no charge.
Security and breaches
- Passwords are stored encrypted and nobody, ourselves included, can read them.
- Changing your password or email, or deleting your account, requires re-entering your password even on an open session.
- Card share links are randomly generated at a length that resists guessing, and are revoked the moment you ask.
- If a breach occurs that is likely to harm your rights, we notify the UAE Data Office within 72 hours of becoming aware, and notify you without delay where the risk is high.
Children and minors
The platform is intended for adults. Many of our users are parents building a card on behalf of a child — that is an intended and welcome use, and consent rests with the parent or guardian. If we learn of an account created by a minor without that consent, we remove it.
Accuracy of place information
Place information is community-contributed and team-reviewed; it is not an official certification of compliance. Facilities change — a lift breaks, an entrance closes. That is why we always show the last-verified date and let you report anything wrong. For visits where a surprise would matter, please call ahead.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the platform or the rules around it change. The last-updated date appears at the top of this page, currently 27 August 2026. Where a change materially affects sensitive data, we will flag it inside the site.
Contact and complaints
For any question, request or complaint about your privacy, write to us at info@example.com.
And if our answer does not satisfy you, you have the right to complain to the UAE Data Office, the competent supervisory authority.