Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) has established this Privacy Policy to transparently outline our practices concerning personal information as you interact with the Sharjah Animation Conference (SAC) via our website and mobile app. This policy explains the types of information we collect, how we use it, whom we share it with, and the options you have regarding our use and disclosure of your information. It also details the security measures we take to protect your personal information and how you can contact us about our privacy practices.

For customer-specific platforms or interactions involving third parties, such as digital exhibitions akin to trade shows, your personal information may be managed according to agreements between those third parties and the customer, as well as the third party's own policies.

By accessing our website and mobile app, you agree to the collection, use, and sharing of your data as described in this Privacy Policy and consent to be bound by its terms.

Please review this Privacy Policy periodically as we may update it from time to time to reflect changes in our data practices.

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2. Information We Collect

At the Sharjah Animation Conference (SAC), managed by the Sharjah Book Authority, we collect a variety of information from different sources including our website and mobile app, direct communications (via phone, email, or social media), during registration, and throughout the event. Here's an overview of the types of information we may obtain:

• Personal Information: Identifiable details like your name, email, address, phone number, and photo.
• Demographic Information: Data such as zip code, industry experience, and professional skills to enhance networking opportunities.
• Preference Information: Choices like your time zone preferences or site settings to personalize your experience.
• Content Submissions: Information you provide through forms, uploads, or chats.
• Automated Collection: We use cookies and web beacons to gather data about your device, site activity, navigation patterns, and more to improve our services.
• Social Media Information: We may access information from your social media profiles that you agree to share with us for enhanced functionality on our site.

This data helps us tailor and enhance your experience at SAC, ensuring that the event is relevant and responsive to attendee needs.

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3. How We Use the Information We Collect

At the Sharjah Animation Conference (SAC), managed by the Sharjah Book Authority, we utilize the information collected through our website and mobile app in various ways:

• Account Management: We create and maintain your user account.
• Service Provisioning: Provide the services you request, manage your event participation, and maintain a record of your activities, including interactions and downloads during the event.
• Enhanced Interaction: Enable networking and interaction with other event attendees.
• Support and Communication: Respond to inquiries and provide necessary support; send administrative and event-related communications.
• Operational Improvements: Operate, evaluate, and improve our services, including analyzing user behavior and effectiveness of our communications.
• Marketing: We may use your information to inform you about relevant products or services, and analyze engagement and effectiveness of our marketing strategies.
• Security and Compliance: Ensure the integrity and security of our platforms; comply with legal standards and enforce our terms of use.
• Business Transactions: In the event of a sale, merger, or reorganization, your information may be transferred as part of the transaction.

We commit to not selling or disclosing your personal information without consent, except as outlined above. We provide specific notifications and obtain consent for any use of your data not described here. If you choose to opt out of marketing, you will still receive transactional communications related to your account and event participation.

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4. How We Use the Information We Collect

For the Sharjah Animation Conference (SAC), managed by the Sharjah Book Authority, information collected through our platforms is shared under specific circumstances:

• Event Registration: When you register for SAC, necessary personal and demographic information such as your name, email, and other registration details may be shared with event participants including sponsors and exhibitors.
• Service Providers: We engage third-party service providers to perform functions on our behalf such as hosting services, payment processing, and event management. These providers have access to personal information needed to perform their functions but are not permitted to use it for other purposes.
• Legal and Security Reasons: We may disclose your information when required by law or to protect our rights, secure our systems, and ensure the safety of our platforms and users.
• Interactions on the Sites: Be aware that any information you provide during SAC may be accessible by other attendees or companies, and could potentially be used to contact you unsolicited.

This sharing of information is conducted with a commitment to ensuring your privacy and security while providing a comprehensive event experience.

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5. How We Protect Personal Information

The Sharjah Animation Conference (SAC), managed by the Sharjah Book Authority, implements administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the personal information we collect from accidental, unlawful, or unauthorized destruction, loss, alteration, access, disclosure, or use.

While we are committed to securing your data, no electronic transmission or storage system is completely secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that our security measures will never be breached or that unauthorized access will never occur. As a user of our website and mobile app, you acknowledge and accept the risks involved in transmitting personal information online.

To further protect yourself, we strongly advise you to:

• Keep your SAC account username and password confidential.
• Avoid sharing login credentials with others.
• Log out of your account and close your browser when finished using our website or mobile app.
• Be cautious of phishing attempts, as we will never ask for your account password via email.

SBA does not control or safeguard personal information once shared with event sponsors, partners, or exhibitors. These entities are responsible for handling your personal information in accordance with their own privacy policies.

SAC data is stored in secure data centers designed to meet the highest standards of privacy and security. Data is protected using end-to-end encryption, including encryption at rest and during transmission.

For data related to third-party agreements or event partnerships, information is retained as per contractual agreements. Upon contract termination, all related data is deleted from our systems and backups. If required, we can provide a certificate confirming the secure deletion of data.

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6. Your Data Protection Rights

The Sharjah Animation Conference (SAC), managed by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), respects your data protection rights and aims to ensure that you are fully aware of them. Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to exercise the following privacy rights under applicable laws:

• The Right to Access – You have the right to request copies of your personal data that we hold.
• The Right to Rectification – You have the right to request that we correct or update any inaccurate or incomplete information about you.
• The Right to Erasure – You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data, subject to certain conditions.
• The Right to Restrict Processing – You have the right to request that we limit the processing of your personal data under specific conditions.
• The Right to Object to Processing – You may object to the processing of your personal data under certain circumstances, such as for marketing purposes.
• The Right to Data Portability – You may request that we transfer your data to another organization or directly to you in a structured, commonly used format, subject to applicable conditions.
• The Right to Lodge a Complaint – If you believe your rights have been violated, you have the right to file a complaint with the relevant data protection authority in your jurisdiction.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us at hello@sharjah-animation.com. We will respond to your request within one month and may require identity verification to process your request. If we process your personal information on behalf of a third party (such as an event sponsor or exhibitor), we may direct you to contact them directly regarding your request.

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7. How to Update Your Personal Information

You may access, update, or modify the personal information stored in your online SAC account at any time by logging into your profile and making the necessary changes.

If you wish to deactivate your account, you may request this by contacting us at support@sac.ae. Please note:

• Once deactivated, you will no longer be able to log into your account or access event-related data, such as your event participation history and chat records.
• Certain information may still be retained for compliance, security, or as required by law.
• Any information shared with other event participants before deactivation may remain accessible to them under the terms of this Privacy Policy.

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8. About Cookies, Tracking Choices, and Third-Party Service Providers

A cookie is a small text file that websites send to your computer or mobile device to uniquely identify your browser and store information. A web beacon (also known as a pixel tag or clear GIF) is a transparent image placed on a website or in an email to track user behavior.

SAC uses cookies and similar tracking technologies for various purposes, including:

• Ensuring secure access to event pages and minimizing the need for repeated logins.
• Storing user preferences to enhance site functionality.
• Monitoring user behavior to improve website and app performance.

Your Choices Regarding Cookies:
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies, including deleting or blocking them. However, please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website and mobile app. Our platforms require cookies to operate properly, and we do not support "Do Not Track" browser settings.

Third-Party Cookies & Services:
We may permit third-party cookies on our website and mobile app, including:

• Google Analytics 4 – To track website traffic and user engagement.
• Microsoft Clarity – To analyze user interaction and improve experience.
• Meta Pixel – To optimize marketing and measure ad effectiveness.
• Google Tag Manager – To manage tracking tools efficiently.

Third-party vendors, such as Google, may use cookies to serve ads based on past visits to our website. These advertisements may be shown across different websites to users who have previously interacted with our platform.

We do not control third-party cookies and encourage users to review the privacy policies of these third-party service providers for more information about their practices.

For more details on managing cookies, you may consult online resources that guide users on how to delete or disable cookies in different browsers.

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9. Links to Other Sites

The Sharjah Animation Conference (SAC) website and mobile app may contain links to external websites that are not owned or controlled by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party sites. We encourage users to review the privacy policies of any external websites they visit. This Privacy Policy applies solely to information collected through SAC’s official platforms.

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10. Disputes

If you believe that we have not adhered to this Privacy Policy, please contact us at hello@sharjah-animation.com. We will investigate your concern and attempt to resolve the issue as promptly as possible. If you feel that your complaint has not been fully addressed, we encourage you to reach out again for further review.

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11. Children’s Privacy

Children under the age of 13 (or another age as required by applicable law) may only use the SAC website or mobile app if they are part of an authorized agreement that permits the collection of their data, such as a parental or institutional consent process.

If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child under 13 outside of an approved arrangement, we will take immediate steps to delete that information. If you are a parent or guardian and discover that your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately at privacy@sac.ae.

For authorized accounts where children’s personal data is collected, the information may include:

• Name and email address.

Children’s personal data may be used for:

• Account creation, user verification, service delivery, communication, security monitoring, fraud prevention, and analytics.

Personal data of children under 13 may be shared only with:

• Service providers, authorized users (such as teachers or guardians), legal authorities (if required by law), and others with explicit parental or institutional consent.

No child’s personal data will be made publicly available by SAC or SBA. Parents or guardians can request access to, deletion of, or restriction on the further collection of their child’s data by contacting hello@sharjah-animation.com.

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12. Data Protection Regulations

The Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) is committed to compliance with all applicable data protection laws, including:

• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): SAC adheres to the data protection principles outlined in the GDPR for users in the European Union.
• California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA): We respect the rights of California residents regarding data collection, processing, and sharing.
• Other Local Regulations: SAC ensures compliance with applicable privacy laws in other jurisdictions where our users reside.

Users may contact hello@sharjah-animation.com for inquiries regarding compliance with specific regulations.

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13. Privacy Policy Updates

We regularly review and update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our data collection, use, and security practices. Any updates will be posted on this page, with a "Last Updated" date at the top.

If we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will notify users by prominently posting a notice on the SAC website and mobile app. We encourage you to periodically review this Privacy Policy to stay informed of any changes.

By continuing to use our website and mobile app after any updates to this Privacy Policy, you acknowledge and agree to the revised terms. If you do not agree with any updates, you may deactivate your account at any time.

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14. How to Contact Us

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, or if you wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer:

📧 Email: hello@sharjah-animation.com.

📍 Address: Sharjah Book Authority, Sharjah, UAE

We are committed to protecting your privacy and will respond to your inquiries as soon as possible.

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