1. Who we are
thecirq (“thecirq”, “we”, “us”) operates this website, a directory connecting freelancers and studios in the United Arab Emirates with businesses looking for creative services. We are the controller of the personal data described here.
[Registered company name], trade licence [number], [registered address], Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Questions about this policy or your data: contact@thecirq.com.
2. The data we collect
We only collect what the site needs to work. In practice that is:
If you create a freelancer or studio profile
- Your name or studio name, email address and the emirate you work in
- Years of experience, disciplines, skills, languages and availability
- Your short bio, the brands or clients you list under “Worked with”
- A profile picture, up to four portfolio images and one portfolio or video link
If you are a business
- Your name, company name, work email and, if you give it, a phone number
- The content of any brief or connection request you send, and any RFP you attach
If you contact us
- Your name, email, the subject you pick and your message
Automatically
- Standard server logs: IP address, browser type, pages visited and the time
- Aggregate counts such as how many times a profile has been viewed
We do not collect payment details. There is nothing to pay on this site.
3. What is public and what is not
This matters more than anything else on this page, so it gets its own section.
- Public: your name or studio name, emirate, disciplines, years of experience, skills, languages, bio, portfolio link, portfolio images, the brands you list and your availability. Anyone visiting the directory can see these.
- Never public: your email address and phone number. Businesses cannot see them and cannot contact you directly. A business sends a request to connect through thecirq, and we pass it on to you with the project details.
A profile is reviewed by our team before it goes live. Until it is approved, nothing you have entered is visible to anyone but us.
4. Why we use it
| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Publishing your profile in the directory | Performance of a contract with you |
| Reviewing a profile before it goes live | Legitimate interests — keeping the directory trustworthy |
| Passing a business enquiry or connection request to a freelancer | Performance of a contract, and your request |
| Answering your message | Your request |
| Security, fraud and abuse prevention | Legitimate interests |
| Meeting legal and regulatory obligations | Legal obligation |
We do not sell your data, and we do not use it to build advertising profiles.
5. Who we share it with
- The freelancer or studio you asked to connect with, when you send a request to connect — they receive your name, company, email and project details, because that is the point of the request.
- Service providers who host the site, send our email and keep backups. They act on our instructions and may not use your data for their own purposes.
- Authorities, where the law requires it.
Some of these providers are outside the UAE. Where data leaves the UAE we rely on providers who offer an adequate level of protection and appropriate contractual safeguards.
6. How long we keep it
- Live profiles: for as long as the profile is listed, plus 12 months.
- Briefs, enquiries and connection requests: 24 months from the last contact.
- Server logs: 12 months.
- Records we must keep by law: for the period the law requires.
7. Your rights
Under UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data, and the equivalent rules in the DIFC and ADGM where they apply, you can ask us to:
- give you a copy of the data we hold about you
- correct anything that is wrong — though you can edit your own profile at any time from your dashboard, without asking us
- delete your profile and the data attached to it
- restrict or object to a particular use
- withdraw a consent you have given
Write to contact@thecirq.com and we will respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied, you can complain to the UAE Data Office.
8. Security
The site is served over HTTPS. Passwords are salted and hashed before storage and are never kept in plain text, so nobody at thecirq can read your password. Access to personal data is limited to the people who need it to run the directory. No system is perfectly secure, and we will tell you and the regulator without undue delay if a breach affects your data.
9. Children
The site is not intended for anyone under 18 and we do not knowingly collect their data. If you believe a child has given us personal data, tell us and we will remove it.
10. Changes
If we change this policy we will update the date at the top of this page, and tell registered members by email where the change is significant.