Last updated: 3 August 2026 Effective from: 3 August 2026
1. Introduction
This Privacy Policy explains how MRKZD collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal data.
MRKZD is operated by MRKZD.COM, registered in Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park Free Zone under trade licence 103966. For the purposes of UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data (the "PDPL"), we are the data controller for the personal data described here.
We take this seriously. Our platform is built on trust between professionals, and that starts with being clear about what we do with your information.
If you have questions about anything in this policy, write to legal@mrkzd.com.
2. What we collect
Information you give us when you apply
- Full name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Password (stored encrypted — we never see it)
- Profile photo
- City or emirate
- Professional headline and biography
- Current employer or organisation
- Years of experience
- Industry and areas of specialisation
- Skills
- Certifications and qualifications you choose to list
- Languages spoken
- LinkedIn profile URL, if you provide one
- Website or portfolio URL, if you provide one
- What you are looking to offer or gain through MRKZD
Information generated during verification
- Notes taken by our team during your verification call
- The outcome of your application and the date it was decided
- Any information we reviewed from publicly available sources, such as your LinkedIn profile
Information you create by using the Platform
- Discussions and replies you post, including anonymous ones
- Events you post
- Direct messages you send to other members
- Connections you make
- Content you report
Information we collect automatically
- IP address
- Device type, operating system, and browser
- Pages viewed and features used
- Dates and times of access
- Referring website
What we do not collect
We do not ask for your Emirates ID number, passport details, salary information, bank details, or any special-category data such as health information, religious beliefs, or political opinions. Please do not send these to us. If you include them in a message or post, we may remove them.
3. Why we collect it, and our lawful basis
Under the PDPL we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. Here is what we do and why.
| What we do | Why | Lawful basis |
|---|---|---|
| Create and manage your account | To give you access to the Platform | Performance of a contract |
| Verify your identity and background | To maintain a trusted, verified community | Legitimate interest |
| Display your profile to other members | This is the core purpose of the Platform | Performance of a contract |
| Show your posts and replies | To operate the community | Performance of a contract |
| Send you service emails about your account | To keep you informed about things that affect you | Performance of a contract |
| Send you community updates and newsletters | To keep you engaged with the community | Consent — you can withdraw at any time |
| Moderate content and investigate reports | To keep the Platform safe and lawful | Legitimate interest, and legal obligation |
| Analyse how the Platform is used | To improve it | Legitimate interest |
| Keep security logs | To detect and prevent abuse | Legitimate interest |
| Respond to lawful requests from authorities | Because we must | Legal obligation |
4. Anonymous posting — how it actually works
When you post anonymously, other members see only that you are a verified professional, along with your emirate and years of experience. Your name, photo, and profile link are not shown.
We still know who you are. Your identity is stored against the post in our database. This is necessary so that we can moderate the community, investigate complaints, and comply with the law.
We will access the identity behind an anonymous post only where:
- We are investigating a report or a serious breach of our Community Guidelines
- We receive a credible legal complaint about the content
- We are required to by a competent UAE authority, a court order, or applicable law
We will not access it out of curiosity, and we will not disclose it to other members.
If you post something anonymously that breaches the law — for example, content that is defamatory under UAE law — anonymity on our Platform will not protect you from the consequences.
Our Content Moderation Policy describes this process in more detail.
5. Who can see your information
Other members
Once you are verified, the following is visible to other verified members: your name, photo, headline, biography, city, employer, years of experience, industry, skills, certifications, languages, any links you added, your posts and replies, and your join date.
Your email address, phone number, password, and verification notes are never shown to other members.
The public
Some profile information may be visible to people who are not logged in, and may appear in search engine results. This includes your name, headline, city, industry, and skills. You can request that your profile be hidden from public view by emailing legal@mrkzd.com.
Anonymous posts
If you post anonymously, other members cannot see who you are. Our team can.
6. Service providers we use
We use third-party services to run the Platform. Each of these processes personal data on our behalf under a written agreement.
| Provider | What they do | Where data is held |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Database, authentication, file storage | Europe |
| Lovable | Application hosting | Europe |
| Resend | Sending account and notification emails | Europe |
We do not sell your personal data. We do not share it with advertisers. We do not allow anyone to use it for their own marketing.
We may also share your data where we are legally required to, where necessary to protect the rights or safety of members or the public, or in connection with a sale or restructuring of the business, in which case we will tell you.
7. Storage and security
Your data is stored in encrypted databases with access restricted to authorised personnel. Passwords are hashed and never stored in readable form. Connections to the Platform are encrypted in transit.
No system is perfectly secure. We cannot guarantee that your data will never be accessed without authorisation, but we take reasonable steps to prevent it.
If a breach occurs that is likely to affect your rights, we will notify the UAE Data Office within 72 hours of becoming aware of it, and we will tell you without undue delay.
8. Transfers outside the UAE
Some of our service providers store data outside the United Arab Emirates.
Where we transfer your personal data outside the UAE, we do so on the basis of:
- A determination by the UAE Data Office that the destination country provides an adequate level of protection, or
- Contractual safeguards, including standard contractual clauses, with the receiving party
You can request details of the safeguards we rely on by emailing legal@mrkzd.com.
9. How long we keep your data
| Data | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Account and profile data | For as long as your account is active |
| Account and profile data after you close your account | 90 days, then deleted |
| Posts and replies | Remain on the Platform after you leave, shown as "Former member", unless you ask us to remove them |
| Direct messages | Retained while both accounts remain open |
| Verification notes | 24 months from your application, whether accepted or declined |
| Declined applications | 12 months, so we can handle a reapplication fairly |
| Security and access logs | 12 months |
| Records we must keep by law | For as long as the law requires |
Backups may retain deleted data for up to 30 days before being overwritten.
10. Your rights
Under the PDPL you have the right to:
- Access — ask what personal data we hold about you and get a copy
- Correct — ask us to fix anything inaccurate or incomplete
- Delete — ask us to erase your personal data, subject to any legal obligation to retain it
- Object — object to processing based on our legitimate interests
- Restrict — ask us to pause processing while a dispute is resolved
- Portability — receive your data in a structured, commonly used format
- Withdraw consent — where we rely on consent, withdraw it at any time
- Complain — lodge a complaint with the UAE Data Office
To exercise any of these, email legal@mrkzd.com. We will respond within 30 days. If your request is complex we may need longer, and we will tell you why.
We may ask you to verify your identity before acting on a request.
Exercising these rights is free. We will not treat you differently for doing so.
11. Marketing
We will only send you marketing or community newsletters if you have opted in.
Every marketing email has an unsubscribe link. You can also manage your preferences in your account settings, or email legal@mrkzd.com.
Withdrawing marketing consent does not stop service emails — messages about your account, security, or changes to our terms. Those continue for as long as you have an account.
12. Cookies
We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you logged in, remember your preferences, and understand how the Platform is used.
Essential cookies are required for the Platform to function. These cannot be turned off.
Analytics cookies help us understand usage patterns. You can decline these.
You can control cookies through your browser settings, though blocking essential cookies will prevent the Platform from working.
13. Children
MRKZD is for professionals aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18.
If we learn that someone under 18 has created an account, we will close it and delete their data. If you believe a minor has an account, tell us at legal@mrkzd.com.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy. If we make a material change, we will notify you by email or through the Platform at least 14 days before it takes effect.
The "Last updated" date at the top always reflects the current version.
15. Contact and complaints
For anything relating to your personal data:
MRKZD.COM, Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park Free Zone, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to complain to the UAE Data Office.