Privacy policy

Last updated 6 October 2026

This policy covers the Ya Salam Dubai website at yasalamdubai.com and the Ya Salam Dubai iOS app. It explains what we collect, why, who we share it with and what you can ask us to do about it.

What we collect

Account details

Your name, email address, phone number, city, and whether you are here as a client, a model or a supplier. You give us these when you create an account.

Profile and listings

If you are a model or a supplier: the photos, biography, categories, location and rates you publish, and for suppliers the listings you create. These are shown to other members.

Matching activity

The briefs you open, and a record of each profile or brief you swiped and in which direction. Swipe records are never shown to the person you swiped on. They are used to decide when two people have matched and to stop showing you the same card twice.

Messages

Messages you send in a match thread, and messages you send to our concierge team. We can read these, because we operate the service and need to resolve disputes and prevent abuse.

Identity verification

To verify your identity we ask for a government identity document and a selfie. A member of our team reviews them. We keep these images only for as long as the check needs them:

If we decline the check, the images are deleted straight away.
If we approve it, the images are deleted 7 days after the decision, so a mistake can be put right.
If the check is never finished, the images are deleted 90 days after you sent them.
If you delete your account, the images are deleted at the same time.

An automatic daily process enforces these limits. After the images are deleted we keep only a record of the check: whether you were verified, when, and who reviewed it.

As part of the same check we ask you to read a short phrase aloud on camera, to confirm a real person is present. The face scan runs on your own device and is not sent to us. The short audio clip of you reading the phrase is sent to a speech-to-text provider to turn it into text. We do not keep the audio. We keep the text that was heard, whether it matched the phrase, and a score for whether your lips moved, for 180 days, to help us detect fraud. We do not use your voice or face to create a biometric template.

Payments

Card payments are handled by a regulated payment provider. We never see or store your full card number - only a secure reference held by that provider.

Content protection

The listings, images and pricing in Ya Salam Dubai are our copyright and that of our partners. To protect them, the app detects attempts to capture protected content - a screenshot or screen recording in the app, or copying, printing or right-clicking on the website - and keeps a count against your account. We record only the fact and time of each attempt, never the content of your screen. Repeated attempts may lead to your access being paused, in line with our terms.

Device and technical data

If you allow notifications, we store a push token for your device so we can tell you about a match or a booking. We keep basic technical logs needed to run and secure the service.

Why we use it

To run your account and let you sign in.
To match you with the other side of a booking, and only after you have both agreed.
To take payment and pay suppliers.
To verify identity, which is what makes the platform safe to use.
To provide support and resolve disputes.
To meet legal, tax and anti-money-laundering obligations.

Our legal grounds are: performing our contract with you (your account, bookings and payments); our legitimate interest in keeping the platform safe and preventing fraud (identity verification, security logs and content protection); legal obligations (tax and anti-money-laundering records); and your consent where we ask for it (notifications). You can withdraw consent at any time.

Who we share it with

We do not sell your personal data. We share it with the following service providers, only as far as they need it:

Cloud infrastructure providers for secure hosting, sign-in, our database and server functions.
A regulated payment provider for card payments and identity verification. We never see or store your full card number.
A speech-to-text provider that turns the phrase you read aloud during identity verification into text. It receives only that short audio clip.
Trusted service providers that help us operate the platform and deliver notifications, only with the data they need.

We also share what is necessary with the other party to a booking you have both agreed to, and with authorities where the law requires it.

What the other side can see

Your contact details are never shared until a booking is confirmed between you and the other party. Once a booking is agreed, the other party can see the profile and name you have chosen to share and what you write in your thread with them.

Where your data is held

Your data is held on secure cloud infrastructure operated by our providers. Where data is processed outside your country, it is done under the appropriate safeguards for international transfers.

How long we keep it

We keep your account for as long as it is open. After you close it we keep what we must for legal, tax and dispute purposes, and delete the rest. Booking and payment records are kept for the period tax law requires.

Your rights

You can ask us for a copy of your data, ask us to correct it, ask us to delete it, or object to how we use it. You can turn off notifications on your device at any time. To make a request, contact us at the address below and we will respond within one month.

These rights come from the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the UAE Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021). If you are unhappy with how we handle your data you can complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk) or the UAE Data Office, but please contact us first so we can try to put it right.

Children

Ya Salam Dubai is for adults. It is not intended for anyone under 18 and we do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18.

Changes

If we change this policy we will update the date at the top and, where the change is significant, tell you in the app.

Who we are

Ya Salam Dubai is a trading name of SwainUK Limited, company number 16224562, registered in England and Wales. SwainUK Limited is the controller of your personal data and is registered with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (registration ZC148056).

Contact

Questions or requests: info@yasalamdubai.com