Mawqeena · Your privacy, in plain words
Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Mawqeena handles personal data. It is also published in Arabic. If the two versions differ, the Arabic version prevails.
At a glance
- Who's responsible. Mawqeena, a web design studio based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, is responsible for your personal data. Contact us at hello@mawqeena.com or on WhatsApp at +971 50 392 3733.
- What we collect. We mainly collect:
- the contact and business details you give us to build your website;
- the photos, logos and documents you upload; and
- our messages with you.
- Why. We use your data to build, deliver and support your website and to talk with you about it. We also use it to keep our services secure and to meet our legal duties. We never sell your data.
- AI. The Studio and our website concierge (Mawqeena Concierge) use AI models run by Cloudflare. The WhatsApp number and email you give at sign-up are never sent to the AI. We don't use your content to train AI models.
- Short retention. Studio drafts are deleted automatically 30 days after their last change, or 90 days once paid in full. Their photos are deleted within 15 days after that. We don't store concierge chats.
- No tracking. Our website sets no advertising or analytics cookies and loads no third-party tracking scripts.
- Your rights. You can ask to see, correct or delete your data, among other rights, free of charge.
1. Who we are #
1.1 The controller. Mawqeena (موقعنا) is a web design studio based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. We decide how and why your personal data is used for the services described in this policy. That makes us the "controller" of that data under the UAE Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021) and similar laws.
1.2 How to contact us about privacy.
- Email: hello@mawqeena.com
- WhatsApp: +971 50 392 3733
1.3 Our Terms. Please read this policy together with our Terms and Conditions. One version number covers both documents.
2. What this policy covers #
2.1 Where this policy applies. This policy applies when you:
- visit mawqeena.com, including our demo websites;
- use Mawqeena AI Studio at mawqeena.com/studio/;
- use our website concierge or our enquiry forms;
- contact us on WhatsApp or by email; or
- buy and use our services.
2.2 Where it doesn't apply. It doesn't apply to:
- websites we build for you once they're live, because you're responsible for your own visitors' data (section 14); or
- other companies' services, such as WhatsApp, which have their own privacy policies (section 15).
2.3 What personal data means. "Personal data" means any information about an identified or identifiable person, such as a name, phone number or email address.
3. The personal data we collect #
3.1 When you visit our website. Our hosting provider, Cloudflare, delivers our website. To deliver our pages and protect them from attacks, Cloudflare processes technical data such as your IP address, your browser type and the pages you request.
- IP addresses: our own systems don't store your IP address in readable form. To prevent abuse of the Studio and the concierge, we keep counters linked to a scrambled (hashed) version of it, which are deleted within 2 days.
- Browser settings: we also keep a few settings in your browser (section 11).
3.2 Our contact form. Our homepage contact form asks for your name, your business or project name, your WhatsApp number and email, the package you're interested in, a message and your agreement to our Terms and this policy. Links to our old project start page now forward to the website concierge.
- What we store: nothing. What you type stays in your browser. Our website doesn't save it or send it to our servers.
- When you continue: your details either pass to the website concierge on the same page or go into a WhatsApp message that opens in your own WhatsApp. They reach us only if you press Send. If you then ask the concierge a question in live AI mode, section 3.3 applies.
3.3 The website concierge.
Our website concierge is called Mawqeena Concierge.
- Guided mode: your conversation stays in your browser tab and disappears when you reload the page.
- Live AI mode: to answer your questions, we send some details through our server to an AI model:
- the text of your recent questions, with email addresses and long numbers masked; and
- your business name, business type, goal and chosen package.
We don't send your name, phone number, email or notes. We don't store or log your questions or the answers.
- Sending us your enquiry: you give your name, phone number and email and tick that you agree to our Terms and this policy. Your enquiry then opens in your own WhatsApp, and it reaches us only if you press Send.
3.4 Mawqeena AI Studio. When you build in the Studio, we store the following with your draft:
- sign-up details: your WhatsApp number and email (both required), and the version of our Terms and this policy you accepted (one version number covers both), with the date and time;
- business details: your business name and type, goals, city, style choices, notes and any text you confirm from a document;
- your website's contact details: your WhatsApp number and email and, if you add them, a phone number, address, opening hours, Instagram account and map location;
- your website: its texts and settings, with up to 12 earlier versions; and
- project records: your package, the number of AI edits used, your payment status, a short note we may add, and when you sent us summaries.
Within the Studio, your WhatsApp number and email are kept only in your draft's contact section, with no hidden second copy. If you remove them from your website, they're removed from our Studio records too. However, you need a WhatsApp number on your website to download it.
3.5 Photos, logos and documents.
- Photos and logos: these are resized in your browser and then stored with your draft.
- Documents: when you upload a menu or brochure (PDF or Word), we send the file to Cloudflare's document conversion service to extract its text. We don't keep the file. Only the text you confirm is saved with your draft.
- Before sign-up: photos and documents you add before you finish signing up are handled the same way. They're stored by Cloudflare, which may store them outside the UAE (section 7). The Studio shows a link to this policy where you add files.
3.6 Share links. Your draft is unlisted, not private. Anyone with its share link can see it until it's deleted, including its photos and the contact details shown in its contact section. It also shows your draft's package, price and payment status.
3.7 Summaries you send us from the Studio. You can tick a consent box to send us a summary. It includes:
- your name, WhatsApp number and any note;
- the services you're interested in;
- your draft link; and
- details of your draft, package and payment status.
When you tick the box and continue, we receive a copy by email straight away, including your name, WhatsApp number and note. The same summary opens in your own WhatsApp for you to send. If our daily email limit has been reached, only the WhatsApp message is used. Our team also receives a daily email listing recent summaries. It shows the draft reference, business name, stage, package and time.
3.8 WhatsApp and email. When you message us, we receive your name or profile name, your number or email address and whatever you send, such as messages, files and voice notes. Emails to hello@mawqeena.com are forwarded privately to our team's mailbox (section 6.2).
3.9 Projects and payments. For paid work, we keep records such as:
- your quote and the services you bought;
- our invoices; and
- payment confirmations, showing the amount, date and method, and the payer details shown by the bank or payment provider.
We never ask for card details on our website. If you pay by payment link, the payment provider handles your card details directly, and we don't see your full card number.
3.10 Domains, hosting and other services we set up for you. If you ask us to register a domain or set up hosting or another service, we give the provider the details it needs. For a domain, that can be your name, email, phone number and address as the domain's owner.
3.11 Studio improvement signals. To improve the Studio, your browser sends us codes from a fixed list that describe how features are used. For example, a code might show that an edit was undone. These codes never contain what you type, your contact details or your files. We only keep them as combined totals that don't identify you.
3.12 Information about other people. You may give us information about other people, such as staff names, photos or customer testimonials. If you do, you must have their permission, and a parent's or guardian's permission for children. You must also tell them how it will be used.
3.13 Sensitive information. Please don't send us sensitive personal data, and don't type it into the Studio or the concierge. That includes passwords, card numbers, identity document numbers, and health or patient information.
3.14 What you must give us. You need to give us:
- a WhatsApp number and email, to build in the Studio; and
- your contact details, to get a quote or buy a service.
We need these to provide the service and to contact you. Everything else is optional, but without it we may not be able to build what you want.
4. How we use your data and our legal grounds #
4.1 Our legal grounds. We use personal data only where the law allows it. The table shows what we use it for and the legal ground we rely on under the UAE Personal Data Protection Law. If the EU or UK GDPR applies to you, the equivalent ground is shown in brackets.
| What we use it for | Data used | Legal ground |
|---|---|---|
| Building your draft and website, and delivering and supporting our services | Sign-up and contact details, business details, uploads, draft content, project records | Performing our contract with you, or taking steps you ask for before a contract (GDPR: contract) |
| Talking with you about your enquiry and project, on WhatsApp and by email | Contact details, messages, draft link | Contract or pre-contract steps (GDPR: contract) |
| Recording your acceptance of our Terms, and keeping quotes, invoices, payment and business records | Acceptance records, project and payment records | Contract, and our obligations under UAE law (GDPR: contract; legal obligation) |
| Keeping our services secure and preventing abuse | Hashed IP counters, technical data | Necessary to provide the services you request securely, and our legal duty to protect data (GDPR: legitimate interests in security) |
| Improving the Studio | Combined usage totals that don't identify you | Not personal data once combined (GDPR: legitimate interests in improving our services) |
| Showing your finished website in our portfolio | Screenshots of, and a link to, your published website | Your consent (GDPR: consent) |
| Sending you marketing messages | Contact details | Your consent (GDPR: consent) |
| Handling legal claims and complaints, and responding to authorities | Relevant records | Establishing, exercising or defending legal claims, and our legal obligations (GDPR: legitimate interests; legal obligation) |
4.2 Withdrawing consent. Where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time (section 10). Withdrawing it doesn't affect what we did before.
4.3 New purposes. We won't use your data for a purpose that isn't compatible with these purposes without telling you first. Where the law requires, we'll also ask for your consent.
5. How we use AI #
5.1 Where AI is used. The Studio uses AI to:
- write and lay out your draft;
- make AI edits;
- create AI photos; and
- read the text of documents you upload.
The concierge uses AI to answer your questions in live mode.
5.2 Who runs the AI. All this AI processing runs on Cloudflare Workers AI. Cloudflare runs openly available models on its own infrastructure. These currently include OpenAI's gpt-oss and Meta's Llama for text, and Black Forest Labs' FLUX.1 [schnell] for images. Your data isn't sent to the companies that created these models. Before we use any other AI provider, we'll update this policy.
5.3 What the AI receives.
- New draft:
- your business name and type, goals, city and style choices;
- which contact fields you've filled in, but not the details themselves;
- how many photos you've added; and
- your notes, with email addresses, phone numbers and links removed.
In some cases, the document text you confirmed is also used, exactly as you confirmed it.
- AI edit:
- the current texts of your website, such as headings, descriptions, item names and prices;
- your edit request, with contact details and links removed; and
- short summaries of recent changes.
If you've typed contact details into your website's texts yourself, they can be included.
- AI photo: your business type, city and style.
- Document: the file you upload, so its text can be extracted.
- Concierge in live mode: your recent questions, with email addresses and long numbers masked, and your business name, type, goal and package.
5.4 What the AI never receives. The AI never receives:
- the WhatsApp number and email you give at sign-up;
- the name you give when sending us a summary;
- your uploaded photos and logos; or
- your edit keys.
5.5 No training on your content. We don't use your content to train AI models. Cloudflare states that it doesn't use content processed through Workers AI to train AI models. It also states that, for requests like ours, it doesn't keep the inputs or outputs once they're no longer needed, apart from technical details such as timing and usage.
5.6 You stay in control. AI can make mistakes, so:
- you review every draft and edit and decide what to keep;
- paid projects include a review by a Mawqeena designer; and
- you can reach a person at any time on WhatsApp or by email.
5.7 No automated decisions about you. We don't make decisions about you based only on automated processing that have legal or similarly significant effects. The Studio's package suggestion is only a recommendation. We confirm your package and price with you, and you can ask for a different package.
7. International transfers #
7.1 Where your data may go. Our providers operate worldwide, so your data may be processed and stored outside the UAE:
- Cloudflare stores Studio drafts and uploads in its central storage, which doesn't offer a UAE location. It also delivers and processes data across its global network, including AI requests.
- Microsoft provides our team's mailbox from its data centres.
- Meta handles WhatsApp messages on its infrastructure.
7.2 Why these transfers are allowed. We transfer data outside the UAE because it's necessary to perform our contract with you, or to take steps you've asked for before a contract, such as building your draft or answering your enquiry. For Cloudflare, which stores and processes most of this data, we also rely on its data processing terms, a binding contract that includes standard contractual clauses for international transfers. Email and WhatsApp messages travel through Microsoft and Meta because they're necessary to communicate with you about your request.
8. How long we keep data #
| Data | How long we keep it |
|---|---|
| Studio draft, including sign-up details, business details, notes, confirmed document text, website texts and versions, payment status and your acceptance record | Deleted automatically 30 days after the draft's last change, or 90 days for a draft paid in full. Each change restarts the period |
| Photos, logos and AI photos in a draft | Deleted automatically within 15 days after the draft is deleted |
| Photos and logos uploaded but never used in a draft | Deleted automatically 45 days after upload |
| Documents you upload (PDF or Word) | Not kept. Each document is read once to extract the text |
| Payment status record linked to a draft | Deleted automatically about 37 days after we record a payment, or about 97 days for a draft paid in full |
| Acceptance record of a Studio draft that becomes a paid project: draft reference, Terms version, date and time accepted, and payment stage (no contact details) | Kept with our project records (below). For a draft that's never paid, the acceptance record is deleted with the draft |
| Hashed IP counters used to prevent abuse | Deleted automatically within 2 days, some within minutes |
| Daily list of summaries sent to us (draft reference, business name, stage, package and time) | Deleted automatically after 2 days |
| Concierge questions and answers | Not stored |
| Studio improvement signals | Kept only as combined totals that don't identify you |
| WhatsApp messages and emails, including Studio summaries, that don't lead to a project | We review them at least once a year and delete those more than 12 months after our last contact with you |
| Project records: quotes, messages, invoices, payment records and acceptance records | While we work with you, and then for as long as UAE commercial and tax laws require us to keep business records, which can be five years or more |
| Your marketing choices | Until you withdraw consent. After that, we keep a record of your choice so we can respect it |
| Settings stored in your browser | Until you clear them (section 11) |
We may keep data for longer if we need it for a dispute or legal claim, or if the law requires it. We don't keep backup copies of Studio drafts, so a deleted draft can't be recovered.
9. How we protect your data #
9.1 Our security measures. We use measures suited to the risks, including:
- encrypted connections (HTTPS) across our website;
- a strict security policy that blocks third-party scripts on our pages;
- edit keys stored on our servers only in scrambled (hashed) form;
- IP addresses used for abuse prevention only in scrambled form;
- keeping your contact details out of AI requests and our system logs;
- owner tools protected by secret keys, with access limited to those who need it; and
- automatic deletion of drafts and uploads.
9.2 Security incidents. No way of storing or sending data is completely secure, so we can't guarantee absolute security. A security incident may affect your personal data in a way that could put your privacy at risk. If that happens, we'll tell you and the competent authority as the law requires.
9.3 What you can do.
- Share your draft's link only with people you trust.
- On a shared device, clear your browser storage after using the Studio. Anyone using the same browser profile can open your drafts.
- Only pay using details sent from our official WhatsApp number or from an @mawqeena.com email address.
10. Your rights #
10.1 Your rights under UAE law. Under the UAE Personal Data Protection Law, you have these rights:
- Information: to know what data we hold about you, why we use it, who receives it inside and outside the UAE, how long we keep it and how we protect it.
- Access: to get a copy of your data.
- Correction: to have inaccurate or incomplete data corrected.
- Erasure: to have your data deleted when we no longer need it, when you withdraw your consent, or when it's been used unlawfully.
- Restriction: to limit how we use your data in certain cases, for example while we check its accuracy.
- Objection: to object to our use of your data for marketing, or in breach of data protection rules.
- Portability: to receive your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format, or have it sent to another provider where technically possible.
- Human review: to ask a person to review any decision made only by automated processing that significantly affects you. We don't make such decisions.
- Withdrawing consent: to withdraw your consent at any time, where we rely on it.
10.2 Deleting your draft sooner.
- Contact details: you can remove contact details from your draft yourself at any time.
- Whole draft: to have a draft and its uploads deleted before they're deleted automatically, send us the draft link. Send it from the WhatsApp number or email you used to build it.
10.3 How to make a request. Contact us at hello@mawqeena.com or on WhatsApp at +971 50 392 3733.
- Confirming it's you: we may ask you to confirm your identity, for example by writing from the number or email we hold.
- Cost: we don't charge a fee.
- Timing: we aim to respond within 30 days. If we need longer, we'll tell you why.
- If we can't fully help: we'll explain why. For example, the law may require us to keep invoices.
10.4 Complaints. If you're unhappy with how we handle your data, please tell us first so we can put it right. You can also complain to either of these:
- the competent UAE data protection authority, which is currently the Federal Authority for Artificial Intelligence and Data; or
- the data protection authority in the country where you live or work.
10.5 If other laws apply. The data protection law of your country, for example the EU or UK GDPR, may apply to how we use your data. If it does, you have the rights that law gives you, and we'll honour them.
11. Cookies and browser storage #
11.1 No tracking cookies. Our website's own code doesn't set cookies. We don't use analytics, advertising or tracking cookies, or third-party tracking scripts. That's why you don't see a cookie banner. Our hosting provider, Cloudflare, may set strictly necessary security cookies to protect our website from attacks and bots.
11.2 Browser storage. Our website keeps a few items in your browser's local or session storage. They stay on your device, and we don't use them to track you across websites.
| Name | Type | What it does | How long it stays |
|---|---|---|---|
l1500-lang | Local storage | Remembers whether you chose English or Arabic | Until you clear it |
mawqeena-demo-language | Local storage | Remembers your language on our demo websites | Until you clear it |
mq-studio | Local storage | Remembers up to 5 of your recent Studio drafts on this device, including each draft's edit key and business name | Until you clear it |
mq-studio-prefs | Local storage | Remembers display preferences for your drafts, such as messages you've already seen | Until you clear it |
mq-sig-* | Local storage | One item per draft. Holds Studio improvement signals (section 3.11) until they're sent with your next request | Until sent or cleared |
mq-studio-seed | Session storage | Passes your brief from the concierge to the Studio | Deleted as soon as the Studio reads it |
Our team's private tools also use session storage for our own sign-in. This doesn't apply to visitors.
11.3 Your edit keys. The mq-studio item holds your drafts' edit keys. That means anyone using the same browser profile can open and edit your drafts. On a shared device, clear it after use.
11.4 Clearing browser storage. You can delete these items at any time in your browser settings for mawqeena.com. They're usually under "Privacy", "Cookies and site data" or "Clear browsing data". If you clear mq-studio, you lose edit access to your drafts on that device.
11.5 If this changes. We may add analytics or other non-essential cookies or storage in future. If we do, we'll update this policy first and ask for your consent where the law requires.
12. Marketing messages #
We send marketing messages, such as news about our services, only if you've agreed to receive them. You can change your mind at any time by telling us on WhatsApp or by email. Messages about your enquiry, project, payments or the services you use aren't marketing. We'll keep sending them while they're needed.
13. Children #
Our services are for adults aged 18 or over, and we don't knowingly collect personal data from children. If you think a child has given us personal data, contact us and we'll delete it. Your website may show photos or details of children, for example for a nursery or a school. If it does, you must have the consent of a parent or guardian.
14. Your website and its visitors #
14.1 Your responsibility. Once your website is live, you're responsible for the personal data it collects from your visitors and customers. That data may come through contact forms, bookings, orders or WhatsApp buttons. You're also responsible for giving your visitors a privacy notice that meets the laws that apply to you.
14.2 Links on Studio websites. Websites built in the Studio link to services such as WhatsApp, Instagram and Google Maps. When your visitors use these links, those services handle their data under their own policies.
14.3 When we act for you. We may host or maintain your website, or set up tools that handle your visitors' data. When we do, we act on your behalf, as set out in section 26.2 of our Terms.
15. Other websites and services #
Our website, and the websites we build, link to services run by others, such as WhatsApp, Instagram and Google Maps. We don't control these services. Their own privacy policies apply when you use them.
16. Changes to this policy #
16.1 New versions. We may update this policy when our services or the law change. Each version shows its date and version number at the top. Earlier versions stay available at mawqeena.com/terms/ followed by their version number, for example mawqeena.com/terms/2026-10-17/, and we'll send you any earlier version on request. Before 18 October 2026 there was no separate Privacy Policy: privacy was covered by section 11 of that version.
16.2 Telling you about changes. A change may materially affect how we use your data. If it does:
- we'll tell active customers on WhatsApp or by email before it takes effect;
- the Studio may ask you to accept the new version before you continue; and
- if the change needs your consent, we'll ask for it.
17. Contact us #
Mawqeena (موقعنا), a web design studio based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Email: hello@mawqeena.com
- WhatsApp: +971 50 392 3733
- Website: https://mawqeena.com
Questions about anything here? Ask us on WhatsApp at +971 50 392 3733 or email hello@mawqeena.com, and we'll happily explain it in plain words.
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