01Who we are
ARC08 is a website design studio based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In this policy "ARC08", "we" and "us" mean the studio, and "you" means anyone using arc08.com. If you have any question about your data, email hello@arc08.com.
We follow the UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data. If you are in the European Union or the United Kingdom, you also have the rights described under GDPR, and we honour them the same way.
02What we collect, and why
When you send a brief through the contact form: your name, business name, phone or WhatsApp number, and anything else you choose to add, such as your email, current website and a message. We use it to reply to you and to prepare a quote. The form is delivered to our inbox by email.
When you use the free website preview ("See your website"): the website address or business description you enter, the style you pick, your name, phone number and email, and optionally a website you like. We read the public pages of the website address you give us and use that content, together with your description, to write the draft copy for your preview. Your preview link and details are then emailed to you and to us. Please don't enter anything confidential.
When you play the style quiz and claim the cookie: your phone number and your answer, so we can arrange the meeting (and the cookie).
When you message us on WhatsApp or by email: whatever you send us. WhatsApp is run by Meta, and its own privacy policy applies to messages on its platform.
Technical data: like any website, our hosting provider processes basic technical information such as your IP address and browser type to deliver the site and protect it against abuse.
Visit statistics: to see which pages are useful, we count visits without cookies. We record the page, the website that sent you (for example google.com), your device type, your country, and which contact buttons were pressed. To count a visitor once per day we use a code made from your IP address and browser that changes every day and can't be turned back into your IP. We don't store your IP address and we can't identify you from these statistics.
Enquiries, previews and quiz entries are emailed to us and stored securely in our own database so we can follow up.
We don't sell your data, and we don't use it for advertising.
03Cookies and browser storage
We don't use advertising or tracking cookies. The website stores a few small things in your own browser so it works as intended:
- arc08-built (session storage): remembers that you've seen the opening animation, so it doesn't replay on every page in the same visit.
- arc08-cookie (local storage): remembers that you've claimed your cookie in the style quiz.
- arc08-consent (local storage): remembers your choice in the cookie banner, if we show one.
- Security checks: our spam protection (Cloudflare Turnstile) may set a strictly necessary cookie when you use a form.
Analytics: if we use Google Analytics to understand which pages are useful, it only loads after you click "Accept" in the cookie banner. If you decline, it doesn't load at all. You can change your mind at any time with "Cookie settings" at the bottom of the homepage, or by clearing your browser's site data.
04Who helps us run the website
We use a small number of trusted providers. They process data only to provide their service to us:
- Cloudflare: hosting, our database, visit statistics, security and spam protection.
- Resend: delivering form emails.
- Google: web fonts, and Google Analytics only if you accept.
- Meta (WhatsApp): if you choose to message us there.
- Other service providers that help run features like the free website preview.
Some of these providers process data outside the UAE. Where that happens, we rely on their contractual and security safeguards to protect it.
05Legal basis
We process your data because you asked us to (to reply to an enquiry, send your preview or prepare a quote), because it's needed to deliver a project you've agreed to, with your consent (analytics), or for our legitimate interest in keeping the website secure and running.
06How long we keep it
Enquiries, previews, quiz entries and visit statistics are kept for up to 24 months, then deleted, unless you become a client. Client records are kept for as long as the law requires. Preview links contain the draft copy for your preview, and stop working if we change our signing key.
07Your rights
You can ask us to show you the data we hold about you, correct it, delete it, stop using it, or send it to you in a portable format. You can withdraw consent at any time. Email hello@arc08.com and we'll respond within 30 days. You also have the right to complain to the UAE Data Office or, in the EU or UK, your local data protection authority.
08Security, children and changes
We use encrypted connections (HTTPS), spam protection and access controls to protect your data. No system is perfect, but we work to keep the data we hold small and safe.
The website isn't meant for children under 18, and we don't knowingly collect their data.
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top of this page. Questions? Get in touch.