Privacy Policy

Fempower is a women-only community based in the United Arab Emirates. We care deeply about your privacy and treat your personal data with the same trust you place in our community. This policy explains, in plain language, what we collect, why we collect it, how we protect it, and the choices you have. It is written to comply with the UAE Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021, "PDPL") and reflects best practice for community platforms.

Who we are

"Fempower", "we", "us" and "our" refer to the Fempower community operating in the UAE. If you have any questions about this policy or your data, contact us at hello@fempowerae.com.

What data we collect

• Account & profile: name, email, phone number (if you provide it), profile photo, bio and the information you share in your member profile.
• Event & meetup activity: event registrations, RSVPs to pop-up meetups, and any answers you give to host questions.
• Community contributions: posts in the Safe Circle (which can be posted anonymously — see below) and meetups you create or join.
• Fempower Coach conversations: the messages you send to our AI coach and the responses generated, so we can keep your chat history and improve the experience.
• Contact & newsletter: messages you send via our contact form and email addresses submitted to our newsletter.
• Technical data: basic logs (such as IP address and browser type) handled by our hosting and backend providers for security and reliability.

We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18.

Why we collect it (legal basis)

• To run the community — verify members, manage RSVPs, deliver events, and operate the member directory. Legal basis: performance of our community membership and your consent when joining.
• To provide Fempower Coach — your messages are sent to an AI model provider so we can return a response and saved to your account so you can revisit the conversation. Legal basis: your consent when you use the feature.
• To keep the community safe — admins can review and moderate posts, meetups and member applications. Legal basis: our legitimate interest in a safe space.
• To communicate with you — replying to your messages and sending newsletters you opt in to. Legal basis: your consent (you can unsubscribe at any time).

Who can see your data

• Other approved members can see your member profile (name, photo, bio, the fields you fill in) inside the directory and the names/photos of people RSVPing to meetups. Your email and phone are never shown in the directory.
• Safe Circle posts can be made anonymously. When you post anonymously, your identity is not shown to other members. A small number of admins can see the author for safety and moderation only.
• Fempower admins can access member data strictly to review applications, moderate content and respond to support requests.
• You alone can see your Fempower Coach chat history (along with the AI provider that processes the request). Other members and the public cannot see it.

Service providers we use

We rely on trusted third parties to run the site. They only process data on our behalf and under contractual safeguards:

• Backend & storage — our managed backend (database, authentication, file storage) provided by Lovable Cloud / Supabase.
• AI provider — the Lovable AI Gateway (which routes requests to Google Gemini) powers Fempower Coach replies. Your messages are sent to this provider to generate a response.
• Embedded content — events, frameworks and resources are pulled from Google Sheets and Google Drive where applicable; our newsletter content is hosted by Substack.

Some of these providers may process data outside the UAE. Where that happens, we rely on the provider's contractual and technical safeguards, as permitted by PDPL.

How we protect your data

• Data is transmitted over HTTPS and stored in our managed backend with row-level security so members can only access what they are allowed to see.
• Member photos are stored in a private bucket and served via short-lived signed URLs, not public links.
• Member approval status can only be changed by admins; members cannot self-approve themselves.
• We review our security posture regularly and act on findings.

How long we keep your data

We keep your data for as long as you have an active membership or until you ask us to delete it. Newsletter emails are kept until you unsubscribe. Limited backups and logs may persist for a short period after deletion for security and recovery purposes.

Your rights under UAE PDPL

You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Ask us to correct data that is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Ask us to delete your account and personal data.
• Withdraw your consent (e.g. unsubscribe from emails, stop using Fempower Coach).
• Object to or restrict certain processing.
• Request a copy of your data in a portable format.
• Lodge a complaint with the UAE Data Office.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at hello@fempowerae.com. We aim to respond within 30 days.

Cookies

We use only the minimum cookies and local storage needed to keep you signed in and remember basic preferences. We do not currently use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the "Last updated" date above and, for material changes, let the community know via email or a notice on the site.

Contact

Questions, requests, or concerns about your data? Reach us at hello@fempowerae.com.