Privacy Policy

Boats & Fish ("we", "us", "our") operates the online classifieds platform at https://www.boatsfish.com for boats, fishing equipment and marine services in the UAE.

We are the data controller for personal data collected through the Platform. For any privacy-related enquiries, contact us at [email protected].

We collect the following categories of personal data:

We process your personal data for the following purposes and legal bases:

• Account management — to create and maintain your account (contract performance).
• Listing publication — to display your ads to other users (contract performance).
• Payment processing — to charge for Premium listings via Stripe (contract performance).
• Email notifications — listing expiry warnings and verification emails (contract performance / legitimate interest).
• Phone verification — to send a one-time SMS code only after you separately agree to receive it, confirm your phone number, and protect restricted Platform features (consent / legitimate interest).
• Platform security — fraud detection, abuse prevention and enforcement of verification-based access controls (legitimate interest).
• Legal compliance — to meet obligations under UAE law (legal obligation).

Phone verification is optional at registration, but it is required before you can post listings, sell catch, or view seller contact details. To begin verification, you must actively agree to receive a one-time SMS code at the phone number you provide. This consent is separate from registration and is not consent to marketing messages.

We use the phone number and verification result to confirm access to these restricted features, prevent fraud and protect users. You can withdraw from the verification process by not requesting a code; however, the restricted features will remain unavailable until verification is completed.

Phone numbers you provide when posting a listing are used solely to enable registered, logged-in users with a verified phone number to contact you about your listing. Phone numbers are not visible to unauthenticated visitors or users whose phone number has not been verified and are never sold or shared with third parties for marketing purposes.

We share personal data only in the following circumstances:

• Stripe — for payment processing. Stripe's privacy policy applies to card data.
• Google — if you sign in with Google OAuth, Google's privacy policy applies.
• Email service providers — to send transactional emails on our behalf.
• Law enforcement / regulators — when required by UAE law or a valid legal order.

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal data to third parties.

We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. Listing data is retained for the duration of the listing plus 12 months for dispute resolution purposes. You may request deletion of your account and associated data at any time (see Section 8).

We use essential cookies required for authentication and session management. We do not currently use third-party advertising or tracking cookies. If we introduce analytics or marketing cookies in the future, we will update this policy and obtain your consent where required.

Under the UAE Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021), you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification — request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Erasure — request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention obligations.
• Restriction — request that we limit processing of your data in certain circumstances.
• Objection — object to processing based on legitimate interest.
• Portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at [email protected] with the subject line "Privacy Request". We will respond within 30 days.

We implement industry-standard security measures including encrypted passwords (bcrypt), HTTPS-only transmission, and server-side authentication guards. However, no system is completely secure and we cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.

The Platform is not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you believe a minor has registered, please contact us and we will delete the account promptly.

Your data may be processed by our service providers (Stripe, Google) outside the UAE. Where this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place consistent with UAE PDPL requirements.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify registered users by email and update the effective date above. Continued use of the Platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

For any privacy concerns, contact us at [email protected]. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the UAE data protection authority.