Privacy Policy

Last updated: 29 October 2026

We respect your privacy. This page explains exactly what Meerath (meerathkitchen.com) does with data. The site offers recipes and cooking tools, and we do not sell your data.

1. Data we collect

• Member account (optional): when you create an account we store your email address and password. The password is never stored as-is; it is kept as an irreversible hash (scrypt with a per-user salt). We also store your progress in the Meerath Academy and certificates issued in your name; the name you enter may appear on the certificate page.
• The mk_session cookie: a strictly necessary sign-in cookie, signed and protected (HttpOnly, Secure, SameSite=Lax), valid for 30 days. It is not used for advertising or tracking.
• Cloud storage: account, progress, certificate and voting data are stored in Netlify Blobs, a service of Netlify, Inc.
• Cuisine votes and usage limits: to prevent duplicate votes and abuse we compute a salted cryptographic hash of your IP address; the IP address itself is not stored. The hash is used to limit how many questions, photos and votes are allowed per day.
• On your device: we keep your language preference, favourite recipes and Academy points in your browser's localStorage. You can clear them in your browser settings.
• Contact form messages: the name, email and message you type are delivered to us through Netlify Forms.

2. Chef Meerath and dish review (AI)

The questions you type to Chef Meerath and the photos you upload (dish photos or fridge ingredients) are sent to Google Gemini to be processed and answered, and are subject to Google's policies. Please do not include personal or sensitive information in questions or photos. We do not keep the photos after processing; we only keep a daily usage counter.

3. Analytics and advertising (coming)

We plan to use Google Analytics to understand, in aggregate, how the site is used, and we may show ads through Google AdSense in the future. Neither is loaded today. Once enabled, Google and its partners may set cookies and identifiers to measure traffic and serve ads; we will update this page first and give you a way to control your consent. You can also manage Google ads in your Ads Settings.

4. How we use your data

To run your account and save your progress, provide the chef and review features, prevent abuse, answer your messages and improve the site. We do not sell your data and share it only with the technical providers named above (Netlify and Google) as needed to operate the site.

5. Retention and security

We keep account data while your account exists and other data for as long as needed for its purpose. We use HTTPS, password hashing and protected cookies, but no system is 100% secure.

6. Your rights (UAE Personal Data Protection Law)

Under Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data (PDPL) you may request access to your data, ask for it to be corrected or deleted, restrict or object to its processing, and withdraw consent at any time. To make a request, including a request to delete your account and data, send a message through the contact form from the email address on your account and we will reply within a reasonable time.

7. Children

The site is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect their data.

8. Changes

We may update this policy; the last-updated date is shown at the top. Continuing to use the site means you accept the updated version.

9. Contact

For any privacy question, use the contact form.