Privacy policy

This privacy policy explains what personal data Zoro ("we", "us", "our") collects when you use the Zoro apps for iPhone and Android and the website at zoro.ae (the "service"), why we collect it, who we share it with, and the choices and rights you have.

We handle personal data in line with UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data (PDPL) and other laws that apply in the United Arab Emirates.

The short version

• You can browse ads without an account.
• We collect the information you give us and the information needed to run and protect the service.
• We do not sell your personal data.
• We do not use advertising trackers and we do not track you across other apps or websites.
• You can delete your account, and the data linked to it, at any time.

1. Data we collect

Information you give us when you create an account:

• your name, email address and password
• optionally, your emirate, preferred language, profile photo and phone number

Information you add when you use the service:

• Ads: photos, title, description, price, category details (for example the number of bedrooms, or a car's year and kilometres), area and emirate, an optional map pin you place, and for property ads a permit number where required.
• Chat: the messages, photos and price offers you send and receive.
• Saved items: the ads and searches you save, and your notification and email preferences.
• Identity verification (optional): the photo of your Emirates ID or passport you upload, and the result of the check.
• Reports and blocks: reports you submit and users you block.
• Messages you send us, for example when you email hello@zoro.ae.

Information created when you use the service:

• Activity linked to your account, such as when you post, renew, mark sold or delete an ad.
• Phone number reveals: when someone taps to reveal a seller's phone number, we record that the reveal happened, which account made it and when.
• Moderation records: decisions about your ads and account, and reports made about them.
• Basic technical information our servers receive when you use the service, such as your IP address, device or browser type, app version and the time of requests. We use this to keep the service working and secure.

Information from other users:

• Other users may mention you in a report or in a chat message they send to you.

We do not collect your device's location. The only location linked to an ad is the area, emirate and optional map pin you choose.

2. Why we use your data

• To create and manage your account and let you sign in.
• To publish, review, display, renew and expire your ads, and to show your public profile with your ads.
• To let you chat with other users, save ads and searches, and reveal or share phone numbers.
• To verify your identity and show a Verified badge, if you choose to.
• To send you in-app notifications and service emails, such as verification codes, security alerts, and updates about your ads and messages.
• To send you marketing emails, only if you have opted in.
• To keep Zoro safe: moderating content, handling reports and blocks, preventing fraud, spam and abuse, and enforcing our Terms of use.
• To answer your questions and support requests.
• To fix problems and improve the service.
• To comply with the law and respond to lawful requests from the authorities.

3. Legal bases for using your data

Under the PDPL, we use your personal data on the following bases:

• Our agreement with you: most of the processing above is needed to provide the service you signed up for under our Terms of use, such as your account, ads and chat.
• Your consent: for optional data and features, such as your profile photo, showing your phone number, identity verification and marketing emails. You can withdraw your consent at any time, as explained below. This does not affect processing that happened before you withdrew it.
• Legal obligations: where we must keep or share data to comply with UAE law.
• Safety and protection: where processing is needed to protect users and the service from fraud, abuse and security threats, as permitted by law.

4. Who can see your data and who we share it with

Other users can see:

• Your public profile: your name, profile photo (if added), emirate (if added) and your Verified badge (if you have one).
• Your ads, including their photos, details, area and map pin (if added).
• Your phone number, only if you choose to show it on your ads.
• The messages, photos and offers you send to them in chat.

Other users cannot see your email address, your password, or your identity documents.

Service providers. We use trusted providers who process data on our behalf and only according to our instructions:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS), for storing photos and uploaded files (Amazon S3) and delivering them quickly (Amazon CloudFront).
• An email service provider, for sending emails such as verification codes and, if you opted in, marketing emails.
• Our hosting and server infrastructure, where the service and its database run.

Authorised Zoro staff. Our moderators and support staff can access data when needed to review ads, handle reports, verify identity documents and support users. Identity documents are stored privately and can only be viewed by authorised staff for verification.

Authorities. We share data with police, courts, regulators or other public authorities when UAE law requires it, or when it is needed to protect someone's safety or to prevent or investigate fraud or crime.

Business changes. If Zoro is ever merged, acquired or reorganised, personal data may be transferred to the new operator, who will remain bound by this policy or by protections at least as strong.

We do not sell your personal data, and we do not share it with advertisers or data brokers.

5. International transfers

Some of our service providers, including AWS and our email provider, may store or process data in data centres outside the United Arab Emirates. CloudFront also delivers photos from locations around the world so that they load quickly. When personal data is transferred outside the UAE, we do so in line with the PDPL, for example to countries with adequate data protection or under contractual safeguards with our providers.

6. How long we keep your data

• Account data: for as long as your account is open.
• Ads: while they are live, and after they expire so that you can renew them, until you or our moderators delete them, or until you delete your account.
• Chats: until you delete your account. Messages you sent remain visible to the other person until their account or your account is deleted.
• Identity documents: until you delete your account. We may delete them sooner once they are no longer needed for verification.
• Marketing preferences: until you change them or delete your account.

When you delete your account, your profile, ads, chats, saved items, and uploaded photos and identity documents are deleted. We may keep a limited set of records for a limited period where the law requires it or where it is needed to deal with abuse, for example records of reports or moderation actions linked to fraud or harmful content. These records are kept securely and deleted when they are no longer needed.

7. How we protect your data

We use technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data, including encrypted connections, access controls that limit who can see data, and private storage for identity documents. No online service can be completely secure, so please use a strong password that you do not use anywhere else, and never share your password or verification codes. Zoro will never ask you for them.

8. Your rights

Under the PDPL, you have the right to:

• Access: ask what personal data we hold about you and get a copy.
• Correction: ask us to correct data that is inaccurate or incomplete. You can update most of your profile directly in the app or on the website.
• Deletion: ask us to delete your data. You can delete your account at any time yourself.
• Objection and restriction: object to, or ask us to limit, certain uses of your data.
• Withdraw consent: for example, stop marketing emails, hide your phone number, or remove your profile photo.

How to use your rights:

• Marketing emails: turn them off in your settings at any time, or use the unsubscribe link in any marketing email.
• Phone number and profile details: change them in your profile.
• Account deletion: in the app go to Account, then Edit profile, then Delete account, or on the website go to Settings, then Delete account. See our Delete your account page for details.
• For any other request, email hello@zoro.ae from the email address linked to your account. We may need to confirm your identity before acting on a request. We will respond within the time required by law.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may have the right to complain to the UAE Data Office.

9. Children

Zoro is not intended for anyone under 18, and you must be at least 18 to create an account. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has created an account or shared personal data on Zoro, please contact us at hello@zoro.ae and we will delete it.

10. Cookies on our website

Our website only uses essential cookies and similar storage that the site needs to work, such as keeping you signed in and remembering your preferences like language. We do not use advertising cookies, and we do not use cookies to track you across other websites. Because these cookies are essential, the website may not work properly if you block them in your browser.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time, for example when we add features or when the law changes. We will post the updated version on this page, and if the changes are significant we will let you know through the app or by email before they take effect.

12. Contact us

If you have any question about this policy or how we handle your personal data, contact us at hello@zoro.ae.