Privacy Policy

Souq Qatar ("we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of every user of our marketplace platform, accessible at souq-qatar.net. This Privacy Policy explains in detail what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, who we share it with, and the rights you have over it.

By creating an account, browsing, placing an order, or using any feature of the Platform, you consent to the collection, use, storage, and processing of your personal information as described in this policy. If you do not agree with these practices, please do not use the Platform.

This policy is aligned with the principles of Qatar's Data Privacy Protection Law (Law No. 13 of 2016) and applicable international best practices.

We collect the following categories of information to operate, secure, and improve our services:

• Account information: full name, email address, phone number, and an encrypted password. Your role (buyer, seller, or admin) is also recorded.
• Profile information: delivery addresses, preferred city, profile picture, and language preference (Arabic or English).
• Order information: purchased items, quantities, prices, delivery address, payment method, voucher codes, and full order history.
• Seller verification information (standard sellers): full legal name, shop name, email, phone, and uploaded identity documents (passport and Qatar ID).
• Enterprise seller verification information: company name, brand name, commercial registration number, business address, contact details, and uploaded CR and brand authorization documents.
• Wallet information: transaction history, deposit records, payment references (encrypted), and current balance.
• Communications: messages exchanged between buyers and sellers through the in-app messaging system, including timestamps and read status.
• Device and usage data: IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, pages visited, time spent, click patterns, and app activity logs.
• Reports and disputes: information submitted when reporting a user or product, including reasons, descriptions, and evidence images.

We use your personal information for the following legitimate purposes:

• Creating and managing your account, including authentication and session management.
• Processing and fulfilling orders, including delivery coordination and order status updates.
• Verifying seller identity, business legitimacy, and brand authorization to maintain marketplace trust.
• Managing your wallet balance, processing deposits and payments, and recording refunds.
• Facilitating secure communication between buyers and sellers within the Platform.
• Sending order confirmations, delivery updates, seller weekly summaries, and important account notifications.
• Preventing fraud, scams, and prohibited activities through automated content filtering and behavioral analysis.
• Investigating and resolving reports, disputes, and complaints submitted by users.
• Improving our services, user experience, search relevance, and platform security.
• Complying with legal obligations under Qatar law, including record-keeping and reporting requirements.
• Generating anonymized, aggregated statistics that do not identify any individual user.

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

• Consent: you have provided explicit consent by creating an account and using the Platform.
• Contractual necessity: processing is necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations to you, such as delivering orders.
• Legal obligation: processing is required to comply with Qatar law and regulatory requirements.
• Legitimate interests: processing serves our legitimate interests in operating a secure, fraud-free marketplace, balanced against your privacy rights.

We do not sell your personal information to any third party. We share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

• With sellers: your name, delivery address, and phone number are shared with the seller to fulfill your order.
• With payment processors: encrypted payment references are shared to securely process card and wallet transactions.
• With delivery providers: your name, address, and phone number are shared to coordinate shipping and delivery.
• With government authorities: when required by Qatar law, court order, or legitimate legal proceedings.
• With service infrastructure providers: hosting, database, and analytics providers who help us operate the Platform, under appropriate data protection agreements.
• In connection with a merger, acquisition, or asset sale: we may transfer information as part of that transaction, with continued protection under this policy.

We implement industry-standard technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information:

• Passwords are encrypted using one-way hashing and are never stored in plain text.
• Payment references and sensitive financial data are encrypted at rest and in transit using TLS.
• Identity verification documents (passport, Qatar ID, CR, brand authorization) are stored privately and are accessible only to authorized administrators for verification purposes.
• Access to personal data is restricted on a need-to-know basis and is logged for audit purposes.
• We conduct regular security reviews and vulnerability assessments.
• In the event of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify affected users and relevant authorities in accordance with Qatar law.

To protect users from scams and off-platform fraud, we employ automated filtering on all in-app messages. The system detects and blocks:

• Phone numbers, email addresses, and social media handles.
• External URLs, especially those linking to other websites or payment portals.
• Attempts to direct users to complete transactions outside the Platform.
• Flagged messages are retained for review and may be used to take enforcement action against violating accounts.

You have the following rights regarding your personal data. To exercise any of these rights, contact us through the Contact Us page or at hello@souqqatar.qa:

• Access: you can view your personal data through your profile and account settings at any time.
• Correction: you can update your profile information, delivery addresses, and contact details at any time.
• Deletion: you can request deletion of your account and associated personal data, subject to legal retention requirements for order and transaction records.
• Data portability: you can request an export of your personal data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Objection: you can object to the processing of your personal data for direct marketing or other non-essential purposes.
• Withdrawal of consent: you can withdraw your consent to data processing at any time, though this may limit your ability to use certain features.
• Complaint: you have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority in Qatar.

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to operate and improve the Platform:

• Essential cookies: required for authentication, session management, and core functionality. These cannot be disabled.
• Preference cookies: remember your language (Arabic/English), city, and display settings.
• Analytics cookies: help us understand how users interact with the Platform so we can improve it.
• You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect functionality.

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy:

• Account data is retained for as long as your account is active. Upon deletion, non-essential data is removed within 30 days.
• Order and transaction records are retained for a minimum of 5 years as required by Qatar tax and commercial law.
• Identity verification documents are deleted after verification is complete, unless retention is required for legal compliance or ongoing dispute resolution.
• Chat messages are retained for the lifetime of the associated conversation and for up to 90 days after closure, unless needed for an active investigation.
• Report and dispute records are retained for up to 3 years after resolution.

The Platform is open to users aged 13 and above. Users under 18 must obtain the consent of a parent or legal guardian before registering an account or providing personal information. By allowing a minor in your care to use the Platform, you (the parent or guardian) consent to the collection and use of the minor's personal information as described in this policy and accept responsibility for their activity on the Platform.

We take the privacy of minors seriously and do not knowingly collect more personal information than necessary to provide our services. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.

Your personal information is primarily stored and processed within the State of Qatar. In certain cases, data may be transferred to and processed by service providers located outside Qatar (such as cloud hosting or analytics providers). In such cases, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, including data protection agreements and compliance with Qatar's data transfer requirements.

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites or services (such as delivery tracking or payment gateways). We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these external sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or Platform features. Significant changes will be communicated through the Platform or by email. The effective date indicated at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, or if you wish to exercise any of your data rights, please contact us:

• Through the Contact Us page on the Platform.
• By email at hello@souqqatar.qa.