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Privacy Policy

Please review our Terms of Service outlined below to understand the rules and regulations governing the use of our website and services.
 
  1. Introduction

1.1. We Are Desco (“We Are Desco”, “we”, “us” or “our”) operates wearedesco.com, an architectural competitions and community platform serving participants across the Middle East, North Africa and beyond.

1.2. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, how we use and protect it, who we share it with, and the rights you have over it.

1.3. We Are Desco is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. We process personal data in accordance with the UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data (“PDPL”) and other applicable laws.

1.4. This policy applies to everyone who visits our website, registers for or enters our competitions, joins our community or ambassador programmes, subscribes to our communications, or otherwise interacts with us (“you”).

  1. Information We Collect

2.1. Information you provide to us:

  • Registration details: full name, email address, phone number, country of residence, nationality, university or employer, professional or academic background, and year of study or graduation.
  • Team details: names and contact details of team members you register with. By registering a team, you confirm that each member has agreed to share their information with us.
  • Competition submissions: design boards, drawings, renderings, models, videos, written descriptions and any other material you submit.
  • Payment information: billing name, billing country and transaction records. Card details are processed directly by our third-party payment providers. We do not store full card numbers.
  • Communications: messages, enquiries and feedback you send us by email, forms or social media.
  • Community and ambassador information: details you provide when applying to or taking part in our community, ambassador or partner programmes.

2.2. Information we collect automatically:

  • IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, and approximate location.
  • Pages visited, time spent on pages, referral sources and other usage data.
  • Information collected through cookies and similar technologies (see Section 10).

2.3. Information from third parties:

  • Partners, universities and sponsors who refer participants or run competitions with us.
  • Social media platforms, when you interact with our accounts or sign in through them.
  1. How We Use Your Information

3.1. We use your personal data to:

  • register you for competitions and manage your participation;
  • process entry fees, refunds and prize payments;
  • send you competition updates, deadlines, results and important notices;
  • facilitate the review and evaluation of submissions by our jury;
  • announce, publish and promote winning, shortlisted and selected entries (see Section 4);
  • respond to your enquiries and provide support;
  • send you news, opportunities and future competitions, where you have agreed to receive them;
  • operate, secure and improve our website and services;
  • prevent fraud, plagiarism and misuse of our platform; and
  • comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.

3.2. Legal basis. We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so, including:

  • your consent, for example when you subscribe to marketing emails;
  • performance of a contract, to register you and run the competition you entered;
  • compliance with a legal obligation, for example financial record keeping; and
  • our legitimate interests, such as securing our platform and promoting our competitions, where these are not overridden by your rights.
  1. Publication of Submissions and Participant Names

4.1. By entering a competition, you acknowledge that we may publish your submission together with your name, team members’ names, university or organisation, and country on our website, social media channels, newsletters, exhibitions, publications and partner platforms.

4.2. Publication always credits the author of the work. The use of submissions and the related intellectual property rights are governed by the Terms and Conditions of each competition.

4.3. If you do not want your name published alongside your submission, contact us before the results announcement and we will consider your request where possible.

4.4. Unauthorised use by third parties. No third party may copy, repost or republish any submission, participant work, post design, template or other content from We Are Desco without our prior written approval by email. Any approved use must keep the We Are Desco branding and clearly credit both We Are Desco and the participant. Removing or replacing our logo, or presenting our content or our participants’ work as another party’s own, is strictly prohibited. We will report such use to the relevant platforms and take legal action where necessary, together with the affected participants.

  1. How We Share Your Information

5.1. We do not sell, rent or trade your personal data.

5.2. We share personal data only as needed with:

  • Jury members, to evaluate submissions. Where a competition is anonymous, identifying details are withheld from the jury during evaluation.
  • Competition partners and sponsors, to evaluate entries, deliver prizes and administer joint competitions.
  • Service providers, who support our operations, such as website hosting, payment processing, email delivery, cloud storage and analytics. These providers act on our instructions and are bound by confidentiality and data protection obligations.
  • Authorities, where required by law, court order or a competent government request, or to protect our rights, users or the public.
  • Successors, in the event of a merger, acquisition or transfer of all or part of our business, subject to this policy.
  1. International Data Transfers

6.1. Our participants and service providers are located in several countries. Your personal data may therefore be transferred to and stored in countries outside the UAE.

6.2. Where we transfer personal data outside the UAE, we do so in accordance with the PDPL and take appropriate measures, such as contractual safeguards, to ensure it remains protected.

  1. Data Security

7.1. We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse or alteration. These include encrypted connections, access controls, secure third-party platforms and restricting access to authorised team members only.

7.2. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs that is likely to affect your rights, we will notify you and the relevant authorities as required by law.

  1. Data Retention

8.1. We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy, including:

  • registration and participation records: for the duration of the competition and up to [3] years after it ends;
  • financial and payment records: for the period required by UAE law;
  • published submissions and results: for as long as they remain part of our competition archive; and
  • marketing preferences: until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent.

8.2. When personal data is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymise it.

  1. Your Rights

9.1. Subject to applicable law, you have the right to:

  • access the personal data we hold about you;
  • correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data;
  • request deletion of your personal data;
  • restrict or object to the processing of your personal data;
  • receive your data in a structured, commonly used format and transfer it to another controller;
  • withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting processing carried out before withdrawal; and
  • not be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing that significantly affect you.

9.2. To exercise any of these rights, email us at the address in Section 14. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request. We will respond within 30 days.

9.3. Some requests may be limited where we must keep data to meet a legal obligation, or where deleting it would affect a competition already judged or published.

9.4. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the UAE Data Office or the data protection authority in your country of residence.

  1. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

10.1. We use cookies and similar technologies to operate our website, remember your preferences, understand how visitors use our site and improve our services.

10.2. We use:

  • essential cookies, required for the website to function;
  • analytics cookies, to measure traffic and usage; and
  • marketing cookies, to measure the performance of our campaigns, where you have agreed to them.

10.3. You can manage or disable cookies in your browser settings. Disabling some cookies may affect how the website works.

  1. Marketing Communications

11.1. We will send you newsletters and promotional messages only where you have agreed to receive them or where permitted by law.

11.2. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email or by contacting us. Service messages about a competition you entered, such as deadlines and results, will still be sent.

  1. Minors

12.1. Our competitions are intended for participants aged 18 and over. Participants under 18 may take part only with the consent of a parent or legal guardian, where the competition rules allow it.

12.2. If we learn that we have collected personal data from a minor without the required consent, we will delete it.

  1. Third-Party Links

13.1. Our website and communications may contain links to third-party websites, including partners and sponsors. We are not responsible for their privacy practices, and we encourage you to read their privacy policies.

  1. Contact Us

14.1. For any questions, requests or concerns about this policy or your personal data, please contact:

We Are Desco L.L.C
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Email: info@wearedesco.com
Website: wearedesco.com

  1. Changes to This Policy

15.1. We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services or legal requirements. The updated version will be posted on this page with a new “Last updated” date. Where changes are significant, we will notify registered participants by email.

  1. Governing Law

16.1. This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the United Arab Emirates. Where participants reside in other countries, we will also respect any additional rights they have under their local data protection laws.

16.2. By using our website or participating in our competitions, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.