Privacy notice

Who we are.

This website is run by The Middle East Risk and Cultural Advisory Group Limited, trading as MERCAG. You can contact us at darren@mercag.com.

What we collect.

If you use the contact form or email us, we receive your name, your email address, your organisation if you give it, and your message. If you message us on WhatsApp, we receive your phone number, your WhatsApp profile name and your message.

Why we use it.

We use these details only to reply to your enquiry and, if you go ahead, to arrange our work together. Our lawful basis is our legitimate interest in answering enquiries. We do not sell your details or add you to a mailing list.

Who handles it.

Contact form messages are processed by our form provider, Formspree, which passes them to us by email. They are currently delivered to an email account provided by Google (Gmail). Emails you send us directly are handled by our email providers. WhatsApp messages are handled by WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, under its own privacy policy. Phone calls are handled directly by Darren. These providers may process your details outside the UK.

If you accept analytics cookies, Google also receives information about your visit, as described under Cookies and analytics below.

This website is hosted by Netlify. Like most hosting services, Netlify may record technical information such as your IP address when you visit, to run and secure the service, and it may process this information outside the UK.

How long we keep it.

We keep enquiries only for as long as we need them to deal with your enquiry and any work that follows.

Cookies and analytics.

This website uses Google Analytics 4, provided by Google, only if you choose “Accept analytics” in the cookie banner. If you reject, or make no choice, the Google Analytics code is not loaded and no analytics cookies are set.

If you accept, Google Analytics sets first-party cookies called _ga and _ga_7J06Y3HXY9 to tell visits apart and to keep track of a session. We have set these cookies to expire about 6 months after your last visit. We use the information to see which pages are visited and how people find the site, so it can be improved. The page address is sent without any search terms or other text added after it, and we do not send anything you type into the contact form. Advertising features, Google signals and ad personalisation are switched off in our settings.

Google may process this information in the United States and other countries outside the UK. Google states that Google Analytics 4 does not log or store IP addresses. How long Google keeps analytics reports is set in our Google Analytics account, and Google’s own privacy information is available at policies.google.com/privacy.

Your choice is stored in your browser, not in a cookie, for 6 months, after which the banner asks again. You can change or withdraw your choice at any time using Cookie settings at the bottom of every page. If you withdraw, analytics stops and the Google Analytics cookies this site can reach are deleted.

Your rights.

You can ask to see, correct or delete the details we hold about you by emailing us at the address above. If you are unhappy with how we handle your details, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.

Last updated November 2026.