Etihad Water and Electricity PJSC (EtihadWE) is committed to protecting the rights of
users of its digital channels and keeping data and information secure. This Privacy and
Security Policy explain our current information management practices on the EtihadWE
Website, Smart App and other digital channels.
Information collection and usage
When you use a digital channel , certain information may be collected automatically
and stored in our logs to help us monitor performance and improve the experience. This
may include:
- Features you use on the specific digital channel
-
Device type, operating system, version, language, crash logs and diagnostic
data,
- IP address, general location derived from IP, and timestamps,
-
Performance data to help us identify which services are most or least used .
EtihadWE uses this information solely for statistical and monitoring purposes and to
identify which services are most or least interesting to our clients , as well identifying
website performance.
We may use third - party analytics software development kits to conduct statistical
analysis in an aggregated and non -identifying form. These analytics help us understand
usage trends and improve our digital channels & services . The information we disclose
to such providers does not identify you personally.
App permissions (mobile app) and how we use them
Some features of the App need your permission to access specific functions on your
device. Granting these permissions is optional, but some features may not work without
them. You can manage or withdraw permissions at any time in your device settings.
-
Location (approximate or precise): to show nearby Customer Happiness Centres
on the map, provide directions, tailor service information by emirate, and support
location - aware requests such as reporting a network issue at a premise.
Location data is only used for t hese features.
-
Camera and Photos/Media: to scan or upload documents and images required
for services. Common examples include Emirates ID, tenancy or ownership
documents, meter images or self -reads, and proof of payment. Images are
uploaded securely and used only to complete your request.
-
Microphone: if you opt in to use voice features such as speech -to-text within chat
or the virtual assistant. Audio is used to transcribe your request and is not stored
unless necessary to provide the service you requested.
-
Notifications: to send secure, account -related alerts including billing reminders,
payment confirmations, service status updates, appointment reminders, outage
notifications and tips. You can turn notifications on or off at any time in your
device settings.
-
Contacts: used only if you choose to share EtihadWE support details to your
phone address book or share certain service information (for example, a
payment confirmation) with a trusted contact from your device. We do not read
or upload your contacts.
-
Files/Storage: to cache invoices and documents locally for faster access and
offline viewing, and to enable secure file upload when you submit requests.
-
Device information: limited technical data such as device model and OS version
may be used for security, fraud prevention, session integrity, and to help diagnose
issues.
-
UAE PASS: when you choose to sign in with UAE PASS, the App receives a secure
token and limited verified attributes (for example, name, Emirates ID number,
mobile number and email) to authenticate you and pre -fill forms. These attributes
are used strictly for iden tity verification and service delivery.
You can choose which optional permissions to grant and can withdraw them at any time
from your device settings.
Personal data disclosure
We will not sell, trade or distribute your personal data for commercial purposes.
We do, however, reserve the right to disclose your personal data as required by law, or
when we believe that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, and/or comply with
a judicial proceeding, court order, request from a regulator y body.
We may share limited personal information with service providers who act on our behalf
to deliver specific services to us, including among others - hosting or analyzing our
webs ite, processing payment transactions , customer support, analytics. Any provider
used by us shall be bound by confidentiality obligations and only use the information to
provide the contracted services.
Cross - border data transfers will only occur to jurisdictions approved by the UAE Data
Office or under contractual safeguards compliant with the requirements of Federal
Decree - Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data (the "PDPL").
You can receive further information about the data transfer agreements that concern
your personal data, and the mechanisms we implement to protect your personal data,
by contacting our Data Protection Officer via email at [dpo@etihadwe.ae ].
Payments and security of transactions
We use industry -standard encryption to protect sensitive information in transit. Online
payments made through our Digital channels are processed by a Payment Card
Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS )- compliant payment gateway and acquiring
bank. EtihadWE does not store your full payment card number, CVV or other sensitive
authentication data. Payment confirmations and receipts are available on the portal,
on the App and by email or SMS when you choose these options.
Links to third -party websites and services
The website, portal and App may provide links to third - party websites or services for
your convenience. EtihadWE is not responsible for the content, accuracy, security, or
privacy practices of those third parties. When you access another site or service, you
should review its pri vacy and security policy to understand how it handles your
information.
Data retention
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to deliver services, meet
legal or regulatory obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Retention
periods differ by record type, such as billing records, meter data, service requ ests, and
customer support interactions.
Changes to this Policy
We may change this policy when needed to reflect updates to our digital channels or
legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last
updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of our digital channels after an
update mea ns you accept the revised Policy.
Disclaimer
EtihadWE is not responsible for any technical, hardware or software failures of any kind;
lost or unavailable network connections; incomplete, garbled or delayed transmissions.
We assume no liability for any direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, consequential or
psychological damages that may arise from using our digital channels , or for any loss of
services or data resulting from malware or other harmful components that may affect a
device used to access the digital channels.
Under no circumstances will EtihadWE be liable for any damage or injury that result from
the use of materials on the App. Users shall indemnify EtihadWE against liabilities
resulting from failure to observe this Policy and any applicable terms of use. Info rmation
presented in the digital channels may be updated from time to time.
EtihadWE maintains internal governance measures including data protection policies,
audits, training, and record - keeping in compliance with PDPL .
EtihadWE will use UAE government approved, legal channels, sources to contact its
customers.
In the event of a personal data breach, EtihadWE will notify the UAE Data Office and
affected individuals without undue delay, in line with PDPL obligations.
Appendix ("Your data privacy rights")
In accordance with applicable data protection laws and under certain conditions, you
have the right to request us to:
- provide you with access to the personal data we hold about you;
- correct your personal data we hold about you if it is inaccurate or incomplete;
- delete or remove any of your personal data that we no longer have a lawful
ground to use your personal data, unless an exception applies to law;
- where processing is based on consent, stop that particular processing by
withdrawing your consent at any time;
- object to certain types of processing of your personal data;
- restrict how we use your personal data, provided that we may still store your
personal data;
- transfer your data to you or a third party in a standardized machine -readable
format without affecting its usability ; and
- not to be subject to decisions made solely by automated systems, including
profiling, that significantly affect you, unless there are safeguards in place .
Please consider your request responsibly before submitting it. We will respond as soon
as we can.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint about the way we handle or process your
personal data to our Data Protection Officer via email at [dpo@etihadwe.ae ].
