Etisalat Website Privacy Notice

Emirates Telecommunication Group Company PJSC (“We”, ” Us”, “Our”, “e&”) takes your (“You,” “User,” “Subscriber,” “Customer”) privacy very seriously and is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.

This privacy notice provides details on the following sections:

  1. Applicability of this Privacy Notice
  2. What Personal Data do we collect about You
  3. What Personal data is indirectly collected from other legitimate sources
  4. How is Personal Data collected by e&
  5. How we use your Personal Data and on which Lawful Basis
  6. Automated Decision Making & Profiling
  7. Cookies (covered in detail in the Cookie Policy)
  8. Your Personal Data and your Legal Rights
  9. Sharing and Disclosing your Personal Data
  10. Cross Border Transfers
  11. Direct marketing
  12. How long We retain your Personal Data for
  13. Accuracy of your Personal Data
  14. Security and protection of your Personal Data
  15. Privacy Notice updates

1. Applicability of this Privacy Notice

This Privacy Notice applies to all Customers whose personal data is collected, processed or stored for Services offered by us i.e., e& telecom services (including prepaid & post-paid products, fixed & mobile line services, Voice over IP – VoIP, IPTV, etc.) that are availed by You through Our retail stores, franchise stores, e& self-serve kiosk and e& website, mobile application. If You provide Us with Personal Data including your contact details and any other information that will allow Us to identify You and provide You with Our Services, We will process it according to this Privacy Notice.

 

e& collects data from our networks and our customer base to produce anonymized data and aggregated anonymized data. We use that data for our purposes and also share both forms of anonymized data with our trusted third parties. It is used for business marketing reports and for analytic insights. Some of our trusted partners use this data to direct marketing campaigns in an anonymized way. Anonymized data means that all personal identifiable information is removed from the data so that an individual cannot be directly or indirectly identified and therefore our trusted third parties do not process your personal data.

2. What Personal Data do we collect about You

Your “Personal Data” means any information, which allows Us to identify You directly or indirectly (together with information from other sources), that You have provided to Us or Our Third parties, in connection with a Service or product offered, whether through the use of the Application, in person or any other mode of communication.

We may collect your Personal Data such as:

  • Your name, gender, date of birth, identity document number, Nationality
  • Your delivery and/or your billing addresses, telephone number, fax number, email address, device ID, Emirates ID, passport number, visa number.
  • Your banking information, debit, or credit card details
  • Your Sensitive Personal Data such as your fingerprint for validation of Emirates ID, face live image and Agents video
  • Information on products and Services purchased by you
  • Your preferences for products and Services
  • The channel You chose to purchase Our products or Services

 

  • How You use Our products and Services, which may include your traffic data and the date, time, duration and cost of your communications and the types of websites that You visit, your spend, your device details, your phone usage, your purchasing habits, your location, your searching and browsing history on Our websites
  • Your amount of data usage, roaming information, internet protocol (IP) address which we collect when You visit Our websites and your device details, the date and time of your visit of Our websites, the type and version of browser used, the operating system and platform and the URL of any websites which You used to access Our websites
  • Your communications with us
  • Your account information such as your billing history, the Services You use and anything else relating to your account
  • Any information necessary to make a credit check with credit reporting agencies
  • Any other information We need to provide Services via the website.
  • Information of data usage of the Sim Cards
  • Authentication data such as username and OTP

3. What Personal data is indirectly collected from other legitimate sources:

We may also collect your Personal Data that has been made available publicly or received from certain organizations where appropriate and to the extent that We have legal grounds or regulatory obligations to do so. These may include:

  • Roaming information from partner network providers
  • Your credit scores and salary check from national regulatory agencies for verification purposes.

4. How is Personal Data collected by e&

We may collect your Personal Data through the following means:

  • At the time of setting up your account on the website
  • As a part of registration forms, when You purchase or subscribe any of Our products/Services
  • Through calls or email communications from You in case of inquiries, complaints, or feedback
  • At the time of making payments for your Service.
  • Through cookies put on your device while using this Website (etidalat.ae)

5. How we use your Personal Data and on which Lawful Basis

Your privacy is very important to Us and We have designed Our Privacy Notice with the objective of maintaining your trust, confidence and respecting your right of protecting Your Personal Data. We will only use your Personal Data for the purposes for which We collected it.

  • Based on the necessity to enter into or perform a contract with You, we may process your Personal Data for the following purposes:
    • to register your accounts on the Website
    • to manage your user account
    • to confirm the processing of your orders
    • to validate You as a registered Customer when using Our Services or when calling the e& Contact Centre
    • to activate various Services for You such as prepaid, post-paid, eLife, etc. through Our various channels i.e., Website, e& stores, Franchises, Channel Partners, Kiosks, Smart Machines, etc.
    • to subscribe You to Services provided by our vendors such as Easy Insurance, Apple Care, Samsung care, etc.
    • to make credit decisions about You
    • to deliver products and Services to You
    • to respond to any questions or concerns You may have regarding Our network, products, or Services
    • to manage your account with Us and for billing purposes
    •  
  • Based on the necessity to comply with a specific legal obligation to which we are subject to, we process your Personal Data for the following purposes:
    • To perform your verification during purchases before payment
    • To respond to requests from the telecommunication regulator
  •  

 

  • Based on your consent, we process your Personal Data for the following purposes:
      • to provide information about Our products and Services
      • to permit trusted partners to tell You directly about their products
      • to serve relevant promotions and advertisements to you based on your usage and interests
      • to enable You to find Our stores based on your location;
      • to contact You for marketing and research purposes;
      • to serve targeted advertisements to You through Our various platforms such as IPTV platform;
      • to serve personalised advertisements to You through our various platforms;
      • to serve personalized promotions to You of third-party Services;
      • to identify registered and non-registered customers;
      • to identify and prioritize Our VIP customers and fast-track their process;
      • to analyse and track your behaviour, movement in e& stores to generate insights;
      • to enhance and optimize our services, improve user experience, and support the development of new features. This may involve the use of aggregated, anonymized data for business insights and decision-making purposes.
      • to perform verification checks for third parties.
      • for lead generation purposes.
      • to register third-party customer accounts via Our apps
      •  
    • Based on data subject’s interest (under UAE Data Protection Law), we process your Personal Data for the following purposes:
      • to prevent and detect criminal activity, fraud, and misuse of or damage to Our Services or networks

    6. Automated Decision Making & Profiling

    We may process your Personal Data using automated decision-making including profiling using various automation techniques such as machine learning algorithms, artificial intelligence, system logic, etc. for purposes such as:

    • Serving targeted promotions/offers/advertisements of Our Services and of Our trusted third parties to the e& Customers to provide personalized experience and promotions/offers/advertisements that are relevant to You, through Our various channels such as:
      • Emails;
      • SMS;
      • Calls;
      • Outbound IVR;
      • In-app notification;
      • Online advertising;
      • IPTV (Internet Protocol television)
      •  
    • The absence of such automated decision-making data processing might impair your customer navigation experience on e& online environment.

     

    • to prevent and detect criminal activity, fraud, and misuse of or damage to Our Services or network which may lead to blocking of unauthorized/illegitimate access to Our systems and Services
    •  
    • to perform your credit/salary checks for provisioning of post-paid connections subject to fulfilment of eligibility criteria as defined by e& that may result in you being denied the use of such post-paid Service
    •  

    For any further information with respect to the logic involved for the automated decision making or the envisaged consequences, and in case you request any declined decision to be reconsidered, please contact Our Contact Centre team or Data Protection Office (see contact details below).

    7. How we use Cookies

    A cookie is a small text file that a website saves on your computer or mobile device when you visit the said site. It enables the website to remember your actions and preferences (such as login, location etc.) over a period, so you do not have to keep re-entering them whenever you come back to the site or browse from one page to another, thereby making your next visit easier

    We use cookies across www.etisalat.ae and its related websites (collectively, “the sites,” “Platform,” “Website”) to save your session as You browse this Website, store your preferences, perform statistical analytics, deliver personalized advertisement to you, etc. Here is the link to the cookie policy for details on the kind of cookies being used on our Website and how to manage your settings: etisalat.ae

    8. Your Personal Data and your Legal Rights


    Right to be informed

    You have the right to be informed of any processing of your data in clear, transparent, and easily understandable means..

    Right to access Personal Data

    You have the right to request information and make a request for a copy of the Personal Data that We hold about you. To make this request, please contact Our Contact Centre team or Data Protection Office (see contact details below).

    Right to Personal Data rectification

    You have the right to have Personal Data held about You corrected if it is not accurate. If what We hold on to You needs updating, or You think it may be inaccurate, You can contact Our Contact Centre team or Data Protection Office (see contact details below).

    Right to processing suspension/restriction

    You have the right to request the suspension of the processing your Personal Data, when : (i) the accuracy of your Personal Data is contested, for a period enabling Us to verify the accuracy of the Personal Data; or (ii) the processing of your Personal Data is unlawful, but You do not want it erased and request the restriction of its use instead; or (iii) your Personal Data is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected, but it is required by You for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

    Notwithstanding the above, under UAE Data Protection Law, we may process your Personal Data in the following cases:

    • If the processing is limited to storing Personal Data
    • If the processing is necessary to establish any legal claims or defence of rights or is in connection with any judicial proceedings
    • If the processing is necessary to protect the rights of third parties in accordance with applicable legislation
    • If the processing is necessary to protect the public interest.


    Right to Personal Data transfer/portability

    You have the right to ask Us to provide You with your Personal Data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format and to transmit it to another data controller, providing the following cumulative criteria: (i) the Processing is based on your Consent or the performance of a contract with you; (ii) the processing is carried out by automated means. Where the transfer is technically doable, You have the right to have your Personal Data transmitted directly from Us to another controller. e& shall endeavour to provide this information by allowing You to raise a request for the same to the e& Contact Centre team or Data Protection Office (see contact details below).

    Right to stop/object to processing

    You have the right to object, at any given time and without any justification, in the following cases:

    • Processing of your Personal Data is for direct marketing purposes, including profiling related to direct marketing
    • Processing is carried out to conduct statistical surveys unless it is necessary to achieve public interest (under UAE Data Protection Law)
    • Processing is in violation of the data protection standards under article 5 of UAE Data Protection law (under UAE Data Protection Law)


    Right not to be subject to an automated processing/automated individual decision-making

    You have the right of your Personal Data not being subject to a decision based on automated processing, including profiling resulting in legal effects or seriously affecting you, however, exercising this right may not enable Us to design and promote products and Services tailored to your needs.

    Right to erasure

    We shall strive to only process and retain your Personal Data for as long as We need to. Where there is no good reason for Us continuing to process your Personal Data, You have the right to request that We erase Personal Data of yours that We hold, in particular where (i) it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or processed, (ii) You have withdrawn your consent (where the data processing was based on consent) and/or there is no other ground for the processing, (iii) following a successful request on the ground of your right to object to processing, or (iv) it has been processed unlawfully.

    However, in compliance with potential legal or regulatory requirements, your Personal Data might be retained for a certain period even after your request for erasure. You will be notified, along with a valid justification, if this occurs against your request. For more information on retention periods, refer to section in this Privacy Notice called ‘Information Retention.’

    Right to withdraw your consent

    You have the right to withdraw your prior consent to processing based on it, at any time. Once We have received notification that You have withdrawn your consent, We will no longer process your Personal Data for the purpose(s) You originally agreed to.

    How to exercise your rights?

    To invoke your data subject rights, please send an email or letter to e& data protection officer (see contact details below).

    Please note that You are entitled to lodge a complaint with a competent Data Protection Authority, concerning e& compliance with the applicable data protection laws and regulations.

    9. Sharing and Disclosing your Personal Data

    Your Personal Data will be accessed internally by e& employees in accordance with their scope of work and competence, only on a need-to-know basis.

    Your Personal Data may be shared with, or transferred to:

    • Our subsidiaries and affiliated companies
    • Trusted third parties such as:
      • Agents and resellers,
      • Subcontractors
      • Suppliers who are directly involved in the supply of the Services ordered by you.
      • Our Franchise stores
    • Public authorities


    We shall not share or use your Personal Data with our affiliates or any third party without putting in place the adequate safeguards.
    We may disclose your Personal Data, with predefined processes, if such disclosure is:

    1. permitted by UAE applicable laws;
    2. expressly permitted by the UAE telecommunications regulations or any other aspect of the UAE regulatory framework;
    3. in response to legal process (e.g., police, emergency services, etc.) to comply with a court order or applicable law or in connection with judicial proceedings or other legal process.
    4. necessary for the execution of the agreement between Us and the provision of Our Services to you;
    5. made to protect Us or Our Customers’ legitimate interests (e.g., with credit reporting agencies for purposes of fraud protection and credit risk reduction);
    6. expressly permitted by You (express opt-in consent).

    10. Data Transfers

    We may share your Personal Data with third parties outside the countries of Our jurisdiction in the following cases:

    1. To e& subsidiaries: Your Personal Data may be transferred to e& subsidiaries outside UAE under Standard Contractual Clauses
    2. To Third parties: Your Personal Data may be transferred to Our Contact Centre vendors in India and Egypt based on Data transfer agreements between e& and the vendors.

    11. Direct marketing

    Direct Marketing is conducted to contact You to offer promotions and carry marketing of e& Services. Below channels are used for this purpose:

    1. Calls;
    2. SMS;
    3. Emails.


    At any time if You would prefer to stop receiving marketing information from e&, You may use the “unsubscribe” option included in the message or contact the e& Contact Centre or Data Protection Office (see contact details below).

    If at a later date, you do not wish to receive promotional SMSs or calls anymore, you can opt-out from these communications at any time. In which case, please consider the below options:

    • If You do not wish to receive SMSs from e& about offers and promotions, please text "b etisalat" to 7726 and We will immediately make sure that You will not receive any promotional SMS.
    • If You do not wish to receive any SMSs at all about offers and promotions, please text "ball" to 7726 and We will immediately make sure that You will not receive any promotional SMS. By doing so, all promotional SMSs will cease even if you are no more connected to the e& website.
    • If You do not wish to receive SMSs from a specific sender about offers and promotions, please text "b sender ID" to 7726 and We will immediately make sure that You will not receive any promotional SMS from that specific sender.
    • To stop receiving promotional calls from e&, You may send your request by typing DNC and sending it to 1451; these requests to stop receiving promotional calls will be processed within 30 days.
    • You can at all times, subscribe again to e& promotions by texting "u Etisalat" to 7726.

    We respect your privacy. Informational messages from e& such as bill invoices and balance recharge notification, Service, and information related communication, etc. are not subject to blocking.

    12. How long We retain your Personal Data for

    The periods for which We keep your Personal Data depends on the purpose for which your Personal Data was collected. We will only keep your Personal Data for as long as it is necessary or needed for Our business purposes, post which We would delete it from Our systems.

    Some of the Personal Data, which You give to e& for a Service or product, would be retained even after fulfilment of the purpose of processing, as per the applicable regulatory requirements mentioned below:

    • Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA)

    13. Accuracy of your Personal Data

    Notwithstanding the obligation for e& to put in place all necessary means to comply with the accuracy principle under applicable data protection laws, You agree to provide Us with accurate Personal Data at all times and You will notify Us promptly upon any changes to your Personal Data.

    14. Security and protection of your Personal Data

    We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the personally identifiable information that You provide, in connection with your use of Our site. We take enough technical and organizational measures capable of protecting the Personal Data and information against loss, damage, disclosure, replacement with incorrect data or information, or addition of untrue information. Such technical measures include but not limited to:

    • Anonymization
    • Encryption
    • Pseudonymization
    • Logical Access Control
    • Physical Access Control
    • Log Management
    • Backup
    • Security Monitoring

    15. Privacy Notice updates

    e& reserves the right to change this Privacy Notice when necessary. We keep this Privacy Notice under regular review to reflect any changes and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Contact Us For queries regarding this Privacy Notice or e&’s Services, please contact the e& Contact Centre on 101. If You have any questions or concerns about Our use of your Personal Data You should write to the address below:

    e&

    Data Protection & Privacy

    Head Office Marketing Department

    Intersection of Sheikh Zayed II Street and Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum Road

    PO Box 3838

    Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates

    data-privacy-officer@eand.com

     

    Last updated on Feb 2025