The short version
- You can read Signals without an account. We never ask for your name, email address or phone number.
- We use Google Analytics to count visits and see which Signals are read. We do not run advertising.
- To count votes, shares and views fairly, we store a random browser ID and a scrambled (hashed) form of your network address. We do not sell this information.
Who we are
Signals is a news service published on mydubai.ae. We are responsible for the information described in this notice.
What we collect and why
When you visit any page. Our web server automatically records each request: your IP address, the date and time, the page requested (including any search words you typed, because they appear in the page address), the page you came from, and your browser and device type. We use these logs to keep the site running, investigate errors and protect it from abuse. They are kept for a limited period and then deleted.
When you vote. We store your vote (up or down), the Signal it relates to, the time, a hashed form of your browser ID and a hashed form of your IP address. This lets you change or remove your own vote, shows your vote back to you on every page, and stops one person or network from casting unlimited votes.
When you share or open a Signal. We store the Signal, the time and a hashed form of your IP address, so that each network is counted at most once per Signal per day.
We scramble IP addresses with a secret key held only on our server, so they cannot be read or worked back from the database alone. Because we hold that key, this is pseudonymisation rather than anonymisation, so we treat the information as personal data and protect it accordingly.
We process this information because it is necessary for the legitimate operation and integrity of the service you are using, including fair, abuse-resistant community rankings.
Analytics
We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how many people visit, which pages they read and roughly where they are. Google Analytics sets cookies beginning with _ga and sends page-view information to Google, which processes it on our behalf. We have not enabled advertising features, and we do not use the data to identify individual readers. Google's own privacy policy applies to the information it receives. You can block it with a content blocker or Google's browser add-on; Signals works normally without it.
Cookies and browser storage
We use only the following. None are used for advertising or to track you on other websites.
| Name | Purpose | Kept for |
|---|---|---|
signals_visitor | Essential cookie. A random, signed ID for your browser so votes count once per browser and your own votes show as selected. Not readable by page scripts. | 1 year |
signals_sort | Preference cookie. Remembers whether you prefer category pages sorted by latest or by ranking. Set only when you choose a sort option. | 1 year |
_ga, _ga_* | Google Analytics cookies that tell visits from the same browser apart. | Up to 2 years |
signals-reader-feedback-v1 | Browser storage. Remembers your recent votes and shares on this device for display. Stays in your browser and is never sent to us. | Until you clear it |
You can delete these at any time in your browser settings. Without the signals_visitor cookie you can still read everything, but you will not be able to vote.
How long we keep information
- Hashed IP addresses on votes, shares and views: 30 days, after which an automatic daily cleanup deletes them.
- Votes with the hashed browser ID: while the Signal remains published, so your vote can still be changed or removed. If a Signal is withdrawn, the browser ID is removed from its votes.
- Vote, share and view totals: kept as anonymous counts.
- Analytics: kept by Google for the retention period set in our Google Analytics account.
Who we share information with
We do not sell personal data or share it for marketing. Our website and database are hosted by InMotion Hosting, and page-view statistics are processed by Google, each on our behalf to run the service. Their servers may be outside the United Arab Emirates, so information may be processed abroad. We may disclose information where required by UAE law or a valid request from a competent authority.
Signals link to original sources on other websites. When you follow those links, the other website's privacy policy applies.
Your rights
Under the UAE Personal Data Protection Law, you may ask to access, correct or erase personal data we hold about you, to restrict or object to its processing, and to receive a copy of data you provided. Because we do not know readers' names, we can usually find your records only from your browser ID or IP address; when you contact us, we will explain what we need to locate them. You can also clear your cookies at any time, which separates your future visits from past ones.
If you are not satisfied with our response to a request, you may complain to the UAE Data Office.
Security
Pages are served over an encrypted connection, the visitor cookie is signed with a secret key held only on our server, and database access is restricted. No system is perfectly secure, but we limit what we collect so that there is little to expose.
Children
Signals is a general news service and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect information about children beyond the technical data described above.
Changes to this notice
If we change how we handle information, we will update this page and the date at the top.