1Who we are
designwhere is an online guide to design places, events and experiences, available at designwhere.app.
The controller of the personal data described here is:
[Company legal name]
[Street address, city, country]
[Trade licence / company number]
privacy@designwhere.app
Replace the bracketed placeholders with your registered company details, and add a data protection officer or EU/UK representative here if you are required to appoint one.
2What we collect
We collect only what we need to run the Service.
| Category | Examples | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Account data | Name, surname, email address, password (stored encrypted), country and city, phone number, website and Instagram handle | You, when you register or edit your profile |
| Partner data | Profile name and photo, profession, short description and bio, plan chosen, documents attached to a partner application | You, when you apply or complete your partner profile |
| Listing data | Place, event and experience details, photographs, addresses, opening hours, prices | Partners, when they publish a listing |
| Activity data | Saved places, RSVPs and requests, messages you send us | You, as you use the Service |
| Technical data | IP address, browser and device type, pages visited, approximate location derived from IP | Collected automatically |
| Location data | Your precise location, only if you allow it in the map | Your browser, with your permission |
We do not ask for special categories of data, and we do not store full payment card numbers.
3Why we use it
- To run your account — signing you in, keeping your saved places, showing your partner dashboard.
- To publish listings — reviewing what partners submit and showing it on the map and in search.
- To handle applications — assessing a partner application and the documents sent with it.
- To manage plans and payments — recording which plan a partner is on and issuing invoices.
- To communicate — confirming an RSVP, answering a question, sending service notices.
- To send updates — newsletters and announcements, where you have opted in.
- To improve the Service — understanding which pages and filters people use.
- To keep the Service safe — preventing fraud, abuse and unauthorised access.
- To meet legal obligations — accounting, tax and responding to lawful requests.
4Legal bases
Where the GDPR or a similar law applies to you, we rely on the following bases:
- Contract — running your account, publishing your listings, handling your plan.
- Legitimate interests — keeping the Service secure, understanding how it is used, and telling partners about changes that affect them.
- Consent — marketing emails, analytics cookies and precise location. You can withdraw consent at any time.
- Legal obligation — keeping records we are required to keep.
Check this section against the laws that apply where your users are — UAE PDPL, GDPR and UK GDPR set out different requirements.
5Cookies and similar technologies
We use cookies and local storage to keep you signed in, remember your preferences and understand how the Service is used.
- Strictly necessary — sign-in session, security tokens, saving your consent choice. These cannot be turned off.
- Preferences — the city or region you last looked at, filters, map settings.
- Analytics — aggregated statistics about page visits. Set only with your consent.
You can clear or block cookies in your browser settings; some parts of the Service will not work properly if you block the necessary ones.
Replace this section with the actual list of cookies you set, including provider and retention period, once your cookie banner is in place.
6Who we share it with
We do not sell personal data. We share it only with the parties below, and only as far as needed:
- Hosting and email providers that operate our servers and send our messages.
- Map and imagery providers that supply the map tiles and place data.
- Payment providers that process partner plan payments; they handle card details directly and we never see the full number.
- Analytics providers, where you have consented.
- Event organisers — when you RSVP or send a request, the organiser of that event receives the details needed to manage your attendance.
- Professional advisers and authorities, where we are required to disclose information by law.
If the business is sold or reorganised, personal data may transfer to the new owner under the same protections.
7International transfers
Our providers may process data in countries other than your own. Where data leaves the country you are in, we rely on recognised safeguards such as standard contractual clauses or an adequacy decision.
You can ask us for a copy of the safeguards that apply to a particular transfer.
8How long we keep it
- Account data — while your account is open, then up to 12 months after you close it.
- Listings — while published, plus a period afterwards so past events remain searchable.
- Partner applications and their attachments — up to 24 months after a decision.
- Invoices and accounting records — for the period required by tax law.
- Technical logs — normally no more than 12 months.
When a retention period ends, data is deleted or irreversibly anonymised.
Adjust these periods to the ones you actually apply and to the minimum your accounting rules require.
9Security
We use technical and organisational measures appropriate to the risk: encrypted connections, access limited to the people who need it, hashed passwords and regular backups.
No service can promise perfect security. If a breach affects your personal data and is likely to put you at risk, we will notify you and the relevant authority as required by law.
10Your rights
Depending on where you live, you can ask us to:
- give you a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
- correct anything that is wrong or incomplete;
- delete your data, where we have no continuing reason to keep it;
- restrict or object to a particular use;
- transfer your data to another service in a portable format;
- withdraw a consent you previously gave.
Write to privacy@designwhere.app and we will answer within one month. We may ask you to confirm your identity first.
If you are not satisfied with our answer, you may complain to the data protection authority where you live or work.
11Marketing
We send newsletters and announcements only to people who asked for them. Every message carries an unsubscribe link, and you can also change your choice in your account settings.
Service messages — a password reset, an RSVP confirmation, a change to these policies — are sent regardless, because they are part of running your account.
12Children
The Service is not aimed at children and we do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has given us personal data, write to us and we will delete it.
13Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the Service develops or the law changes. The date at the top of the page shows when it was last revised, and we announce material changes on the Service before they take effect.
14Contact
Questions about this policy, or a request about your own data:
[Company legal name]
[Street address, city, country]
privacy@designwhere.app
See also our Terms of Use.