HomePrivacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Draft — pending legal review. Not yet in force.

This page is a plain-language draft describing how Autosouq.om actually works. It has not been checked by a qualified lawyer, it has not been approved, and it does not yet form an agreement between you and us. It must be reviewed by counsel before launch. Please do not rely on it, and tell us via contact us if anything on it looks wrong.

Effective date: [EFFECTIVE DATE — TO CONFIRM AT LAUNCH]
Last updated: [LAST UPDATED DATE — TO CONFIRM AT LAUNCH]

1. Who is responsible for your information

Autosouq.om is operated by [COMPANY LEGAL NAME — TO CONFIRM], registered at [REGISTERED ADDRESS — TO CONFIRM]. For anything about your information, write to [PRIVACY CONTACT EMAIL — TO CONFIRM] or use our contact page.

2. The short version

You can browse cars without giving us anything. We ask for information when you list a car, send us a message, or subscribe to our emails. A seller's contact number is published on their listing, because that is how buyers reach them. We do not sell your information.

3. What we collect

Information you give us

  • If you list a car: your name, your Omani mobile number, the wilayat the car is in, and the car's details and photographs. Your number is published on the listing so buyers can WhatsApp you.
  • If you contact us: your name, your email address and whatever you write in the message.
  • If you subscribe to the newsletter: your email address.
  • If you create an account: your sign-in details and anything you add to your profile.

Information collected automatically

  • Basic technical information your browser sends — IP address, device and browser type, and the pages you viewed.
  • Approximate location, only if you allow it, so the map view can show cars near you.

[ANALYTICS AND ADVERTISING TOOLS — TO CONFIRM. List here every analytics, advertising or session-recording tool actually running on the site before launch, and what each one collects. Do not publish this section with the list empty.]

4. Why we use it

  • To publish listings and let buyers contact sellers.
  • To check listings before they go live — that the price is in the band and that the listing is not misleading.
  • To reply to your messages.
  • To send you the newsletter, if you asked for it.
  • To keep the site working, to fix problems, and to understand which pages people use.
  • To detect and stop fraud, scams and abuse of the site.

5. What is public

Anything on a listing is public: the car's details, your photographs, the price, the wilayat, and the contact number you gave us. Search engines can index it. Do not put anything in a listing that you would not want publicly visible. If you would rather your number was not published, please do not list a car — WhatsApp contact is how the site works.

6. WhatsApp

Tapping the WhatsApp button opens WhatsApp with a message already written for you naming the car, its listed price and the listing link. The conversation happens inside WhatsApp, between you and the other person. It does not pass through Autosouq and we do not store or read it. What WhatsApp does with it is covered by WhatsApp's own privacy policy.

7. Who else sees your information

We do not sell your information and we do not share it for other companies' marketing. We do use service providers to run the site, and they handle information on our behalf:

  • Our hosting and content platform, which stores listings and site content.
  • Our email delivery provider, which sends contact-form and newsletter messages.
  • Our mapping provider, which renders the map views.
  • Any analytics provider we use — see the note in section 3.

[NAMED PROCESSORS AND WHERE THEY STORE DATA — TO CONFIRM. Replace the generic descriptions above with the actual providers, and say whether information is stored outside Oman, before launch.] We may also disclose information where we are legally required to, or where it is necessary to investigate fraud or protect someone's safety.

8. How long we keep it

We keep listing information while the listing is live and for a period afterwards, so that we can deal with disputes and repeat offenders. Messages you send us are kept while we deal with them. Newsletter subscriptions are kept until you unsubscribe. [SPECIFIC RETENTION PERIODS — TO CONFIRM WITH LEGAL COUNSEL AND STATE HERE.]

9. Cookies and similar technology

Autosouq.om may use cookies and similar browser storage to keep the site working and to remember your preferences. Services embedded in the site, such as the maps, may set their own. Any analytics or advertising cookies belong in the list in section 3. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, though parts of the site may then not work. [COOKIE LIST AND ANY CONSENT BANNER REQUIRED — TO CONFIRM BEFORE LAUNCH.]

10. Keeping information safe

We take reasonable steps to protect the information we hold. No website can promise perfect security, and we will not pretend otherwise. If you think your account has been misused, tell us straight away.

11. Your choices

  • Ask us for a copy of the information we hold about you.
  • Ask us to correct anything that is wrong.
  • Ask us to delete your listing, your account, or your information — subject to anything we have to keep.
  • Unsubscribe from the newsletter using the link in any email, or by asking us.
  • Turn off location sharing in your browser at any time.

Write to [PRIVACY CONTACT EMAIL — TO CONFIRM] and we will respond. [RESPONSE TIMEFRAME AND ANY COMPLAINT OR REGULATOR ROUTE — TO CONFIRM WITH LEGAL COUNSEL.]

12. Children

Autosouq.om is meant for adults buying and selling cars. It is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect information from them.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. The current version is always the one on this page, with the date at the top. If a change is significant we will make that clear on the site.

14. Contact us

Questions about this policy: [PRIVACY CONTACT EMAIL — TO CONFIRM], or use our contact page. See also our Terms & Conditions.