Effective Date: 27 January 2014

Barnes & Noble Privacy Policy

 

This Privacy Policy applies to personal and other information that may be collected when you interact with the Barnes & Noble enterprise, which consists of (a) Barnes & Noble, Inc. and each of its subsidiaries and their respective businesses and operations, including NOOK LLC and its subsidiaries (“NOOK”) (collectively, "Barnes & Noble"); (b) businesses and operations managed or operated by Barnes & Noble; (c) websites owned, operated and managed by Barnes & Noble, including each website that links to this Privacy Policy, and any digital content stores operated by Barnes & Noble (collectively, "Barnes & Noble Websites"); and (d) Barnes & Noble and NOOK devices ("Devices"), content, software and mobile applications ("Apps").

Protecting the privacy and security of your personal information is a priority at Barnes & Noble, and we believe that a single, comprehensive privacy policy that is straightforward and clear is in the best interests of our customers and our businesses.

Any personally identifiable information collected when you interact with the Barnes & Noble enterprise will be controlled by:

To review the prior version of Barnes & Noble's Privacy Policy, please click here. To review Barnes & Noble's Mobile Privacy Supplement optimised for reading on mobile devices, please click here.

 

By interacting with Barnes & Noble in the manner described in this Privacy Policy at any time, you are accepting the practices described in this Privacy Policy and you consent to the application of this Privacy Policy to the collection, storage, use and disclosure of all your personal and other information as described.

 

These current privacy policies and the privacy practices described herein apply to personal information previously collected from you by Barnes & Noble, as well as personal information that they may collect from you in the future.

Barnes & Noble reserves the right to modify or amend this Privacy Policy at any time, but you can be assured that, should it be necessary to do so, we will always do so in accordance with the Barnes & Noble Privacy Principles of Clarity, Security and Integrity. You will be notified of any material changes to this Privacy Policy which are less protective of customer information prior to such changes becoming effective. We may notify you of these changes by email reminders, by notice on this site, or by other acceptable means. We encourage you to review this page periodically for the latest information on our privacy practices.

Clarity: We strive to communicate clearly about your privacy and how we handle your personal information.
Security: We follow security standards, processes and procedures that are designed to protect your personal information.
Integrity: We do not sell or rent your personal information and respect your preferences with respect to your personal information.

Below you will find answers to the following frequently asked questions about how we collect, use and share your personal information:

  1. What is the personal information that we collect?
  2. Why do we collect personal information?
  3. How do we collect your personal information?
  4. How do we use personal information?
  5. With whom do we share personal information?
  6. How do we secure personal information?
  7. How do we respect your choices about your personal information?
  8. Whom do I contact if I have questions or concerns?
  9. What other information about Barnes & Noble's Privacy Policy would I want to know?

1. What is the personal information that we collect?

Depending on how you choose to interact with the Barnes & Noble enterprise, we may collect personal information from you, for example your name, email address, billing address, shipping address, phone number, credit card or bank account information, date of birth and other persistent identifiers that can be used to personally identify you. If you rent, purchase or otherwise place orders for textbooks or e-textbooks from Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, we may also collect your student or faculty identification number, financial aid number, your driving licence number and information regarding courses you enrol in or teach, your programme of study and graduation year. We may also collect other personal information regarding your interaction with Barnes & Noble Websites, Devices and Apps, including usage information, the items that you browse, purchase, download, read, watch and otherwise access, and your geographic location. To review Barnes & Noble's Mobile Privacy Supplement optimised for reading on mobile devices, please click here.

2. Why do we collect personal information?

We collect your personal information in an effort to provide you with a superior customer experience and, as necessary, to administer our business. It allows us to provide you with easy access to our products and services, with a particular focus on the items and programmes that may be of most interest to you. For more information as to why we collect personal information, please see the section below entitled: "How do we use your personal information?".

Your personal information also allows us to communicate with you about special offers, promotions and other marketing programmes and news that may be of interest to you. You always have the opportunity to unsubscribe from promotional emails by following the instructions included in each marketing email or by changing your preferences in your account. You may also unsubscribe from mobile notifications by changing your settings in the Apps or on your Barnes & Noble or third party device.

 

3. How do we collect your personal information?

 

(a) Information that you provide to us

As a general rule, you can browse in our stores and on the Barnes & Noble Websites without submitting your personal information to us, although we may receive and collect certain personal information automatically, as outlined in Section 3(b) of this Privacy Policy, including site analytics regarding our websites, information your Internet browser automatically sends when you visit our websites, and information collected by cookies.

However, there are a number of circumstances in which you may need to provide us with your personal information. The most common of these circumstances include:

For your convenience, we have provided a summary description of each of these circumstances below.

 

Making a purchase or placing an order

When you make a purchase, rent or place an order in our stores, place an order online or purchase, download, rent or stream books, periodicals, films, television programmes and other digital content ("Digital Content"), you may need to submit personal information to us.

Creating an account or joining the Member Loyalty Programme (where available)

In order to use Devices, certain Apps and features of Barnes & Noble Websites, or to purchase or access Digital Content, you may be required to create a password-protected user account and provide us with personal information when you do so. Similarly, when you enrol in our Member Loyalty Programme, we will ask you to submit personal information as part of your member profile. We will store and use this information to administer the programmes and services in which you choose to participate, and as permitted by this Privacy Policy.

Applying for a Barnes & Noble MasterCard (where available)

When you apply for a Barnes & Noble MasterCard, you will need to submit personal information directly to the issuer of the MasterCard. Personal information that you provide directly to the issuer is subject to the bank's privacy policies, practices and procedures, not Barnes & Noble's.

In addition, we disclose certain personal information to the issuer of the MasterCard in connection with the administration of the Barnes & Noble MasterCard programme. The issuer does not have the right to use the personal information we provide beyond what is necessary to assist us or to administer this programme. The issuer is contractually obliged to maintain the confidentiality and security of the personal information we provide and is restricted from using such information in any way not expressly authorised by us.

 

Using specific features of Barnes & Noble Websites, Devices and Apps 

Barnes & Noble Websites, Devices and Apps may provide you with the ability to enter (either directly, or by authorising Barnes & Noble to download the information from a third party such as a social networking website) your information such as your contacts, calendar entries or photos, or images you may submit to us to help us locate products for you. To review Barnes & Noble’s Mobile Privacy Supplement optimized for the reading on you mobile devices, please click here.

 

Contacting Customer Service

When you contact customer service, we may ask you to provide or confirm personal information so that we can better serve you.

 

Additional Website, Device or App Features

From time to time we may offer or provide new or additional Barnes & Noble Website, Device or App features and functionality. Such features or functionality may request or require you to submit personal information to us in order to use such feature or functionality.

 

Entering a sweepstake or contest

If you enter a sweepstake or contest that we offer, we may ask you to provide personal information so that we can consider your entry and, if you win, so that you may redeem your prize.

Interacting with Social Networking Sites (where available)

Our Devices and Apps may provide you with the ability to enter (directly, or by authorising us to download the information from a third party such as a social networking site or application) personal information such as contacts or lists of friends. These or related applications may also allow you to provide information directly to social networking sites including information about your purchases, physical location, or comments. However, we will not provide any of your information to social networking sites without your express consent.

 

Publishing through NOOK® Press (where available)

If you elect to publish your content via our NOOK Press service, we may ask you to provide your bank account and routing information so that we can direct payments to you.

Signing up for promotional communications or using Invite-a-Friend or NOOK Press Collaborator emails (where available)

If you sign up to receive promotional communications or notifications from us, we may ask you to provide personal information so that we can provide these to you.

Our Invite-a-Friend feature is located in various areas of certain Barnes & Noble Websites and within certain Devices. By clicking on 'Email' or 'Find friends from contacts' on your Device, customers can email a link to a friend which will invite the friend to view the Barnes & Noble Website page or attend the event described on that page.

The 'Find friends from contacts' feature on the Device may access the contacts you have entered into your Device in order to generate such emails. To remove yourself from these mailings, please contact us at customerservice@NOOK.co.uk.

The NOOK Press Collaborator feature may allow you to share your content with other NOOK Press account holders so that they may view and comment upon your work. As part of this feature, you may receive email notifications from your NOOK Press Collaborators. To remove yourself from these mailings, please email NOOK Press Customer Service at NOOKpress@NOOK.com.

 

(b) Information automatically collected

There are circumstances in which we automatically receive and collect information from or about you. The most common sources of this information include:

For your convenience, we have provided a summary description of each of these circumstances below.

 

Web server logs

When you visit a Barnes & Noble Website, our web servers may automatically log information that your browser sends us. For example, we may receive and collect: the name of the domain and host from which you access the Internet; the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer you are using; the date and time you access the Barnes & Noble Website; and the Internet address of the website from which you linked directly to the Barnes & Noble Website. We may also collect information regarding search queries run on the Barnes & Noble Website. We use this information to monitor the usage of the Barnes & Noble Websites and as necessary for our business.

 

Cookies

Like many online retailers, we and/or our third party providers use cookies to recognise you as you use or return to the Barnes & Noble Websites. This is done so that we can personalise and enhance your browsing and shopping experience. "Cookies" are small files that we place on your computer's hard drive to collect information about your activities on a Barnes & Noble Website. Cookies help us to: (1) speed up navigation, keep track of items in your shopping basket and provide you with content that is tailored to you; (2) remember information you gave us so that you do not have to re-enter it; (3) determine the effectiveness of some of our and our third party partners’ marketing efforts and communications; and (4) monitor the total number of visitors, pages viewed, and the total number of banners displayed. 

Browsers are typically set to create cookies automatically. You can choose to have your browser notify you when cookies are being written to your computer or accessed, or you can disable cookies entirely. If you disable cookies, however, you will not be able to place items in a Barnes & Noble Website shopping basket, and therefore you will not be able to place an order with us online. Also, by not using cookies, some Barnes & Noble Website features and services may not function properly.

 

Pixel tags or clear GIFs

We may use sensing technologies that use pixel tags or clear GIFs (which are also called web beacons). These technologies allow us to determine the effectiveness of our email and advertising and marketing efforts. For this purpose, we tie the pixel tags and clear GIFs to personally identifiable information. We may also collect information regarding the links within such marketing materials that you click on, and purchase statistics regarding items you buy following receipt of such marketing.

 

Third party web analytics services

We work with third party service providers, including but not limited to Adobe Marketing Cloud and Google Analytics, to help us better understand how you use the Barnes & Noble Websites. These third party service providers will place cookies on your computer to collect information such as how you were referred to the Barnes & Noble Website, how you navigate around the Barnes & Noble Website, what you purchase and what traffic is driven by various marketing methods. This information will help us to offer you a better service and provide you with more personalised information and product offers. We do not allow third party service providers to collect your credit card information, email address or password information. These third party service providers may only use your personal information to perform services for us and may not share your personal information with anyone else, or use it for any other purpose, except on an aggregated, non-personally identifiable basis.

To learn more about the privacy practices of Adobe Marketing Cloud, you may review its privacy policy located here. To exercise your choice with respect to their collection of information on Barnes & Noble Websites, please click here.

To learn more about the privacy practices of Google, you may review its privacy policy located here. To disable the Google Analytics cookie and other third party web analytics service provider cookies, you can choose to have your browser notify you when cookies are being written to your computer or accessed, or you can disable cookies entirely.

 

Targeted advertising

We may enter into partnership with third party advertising networks that collect IP addresses, unique device identifiers (UDIDs), browser type, operating system, time zone, country, referring pages, and other information through the use of cookies, web server logs and pixel tags on Barnes & Noble Websites, Apps, emails and on third party websites and emails. They use this information to provide you with advertisements that are customised to your particular preferences, including for companies that are not affiliated with us. You may see these advertisements on Barnes & Noble Websites and third party websites. We may use this process to help us manage and improve the effectiveness of our marketing efforts. If you would like to learn more about the third party advertisers that may be aware of the fact that you visit Barnes & Noble Websites, and to understand your opt-out choices, please click here. Please note this does not opt you out of being sent advertising. You will continue to receive generic ads.

Please understand that Barnes & Noble does not control these third party cookies, and you should check the privacy policies of third party advertising networks to see whether and how they use cookies.

 

Your Device or Apps you use, including geolocation information

When you use a Device or our Apps, we automatically collect information through the Device or App when it is connected to the Internet. For example, we may receive and collect information concerning device registration, settings, usage, firmware version, signal strength, search queries, network interaction, the name of the network from which you access the Internet, the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the device you are using, unique device identifiers (UDIDs), downloads, sideloaded content, configuration, or service information relating to any malfunction of the Device or App. This may include information regarding your reading, viewing and activity behaviour on such Devices or Apps, such as books or videos opened, date and time of use, time elapsed, page turns, bookmarks, annotations, customer reviews, and quiz or test answers.

In addition, to provide location-based services on Devices or through Apps, Barnes & Noble and third party application providers may automatically collect real-time geographic location information or other location-based information about you and your Device or other mobile device on which the App is installed. This information may be used to provide certain device or application functionality or to offer, provide and improve products and services.

To review Barnes & Noble's Mobile Privacy Supplement optimised for reading on mobile devices, please click here.

 

Social networking sites

We may provide you with the ability to sign in to a Barnes & Noble Website or App using a social networking account such as a Facebook, Twitter or Google account, or use your social networking accounts to share information from Barnes & Noble Websites, Devices or Apps. In these cases, as well as when you use a Barnes & Noble app on a social networking site or choose to join (or "like") a Barnes & Noble page on a social networking site, the social networking site may provide us with certain information about you, including but not limited to your contacts and other "likes". Please see the privacy policy for the applicable social networking site to learn more about how these sites share your personal information.

 

Your college or university

If you rent or purchase textbooks or e-textbooks from Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, we may also collect information about you from your college or university, including but not limited to your mailing and email addresses, class registration information and other course information. This information may be used for a number of purposes including providing our services to you and your college or university, sending postal mail and email, fulfilling orders, removing repetitive or unnecessary information from customer lists, analysing data, providing marketing support, customer authentication, providing search results and links (including paid listings and links), providing customer service and processing credit card payments.

 

Business partners, contractors and other third parties

We may collect personal information and other information about you from business partners, contractors and other third parties. This includes, but is not limited to, instances in which you affirmatively authorise third parties to provide us with information. Such information may be collected via, but not limited to, software applications that you download or use on your Device or that otherwise allow you to interact with the Barnes & Noble enterprise.

In certain instances, you may be able to access our goods and services using a Microsoft account without first having to create a password-protected Barnes & Noble account. If you are accessing our goods and services using a Microsoft account, Microsoft may share your personal information with us and we will store and use this information to administer the programmes and services in which you choose to participate and otherwise as permitted by this Privacy Policy. In most cases, once you have used a Microsoft account to access our goods and services, your Microsoft account will be permanently linked to our services. Please note that use of a Microsoft account does not provide access to all of our goods and services.

If you link your account with us to your UltraViolet account, we may collect information regarding UltraViolet-enabled films and television programmes you have purchased from third party retailers. This will enable you to download or stream films or television programmes from us that you have purchased from us from such third parties. For more information, please view the UltraViolet privacy policy.

 

4. How do we use personal information?

Barnes & Noble uses your personal information across our enterprise to provide you with a superior customer experience and, as necessary, to administer our businesses. For example, we use your personal information to:

5. With whom do we share personal information?

Protecting the privacy and security of your personal information is a priority at Barnes & Noble. Barnes & Noble DOES NOT SELL OR RENT YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION TO THIRD PARTIES. 

Please note that your data may be transferred to or shared with a third party as part of a sale, merger or acquisition of Barnes & Noble or one of its affiliates (see "Sales, Mergers and Acquisitions" below).

 

Barnes & Noble shares your personal information with:

6. How do we secure personal information?

We take significant and appropriate security measures, including physical, technological and procedural measures, to help safeguard your personal information and to prevent unauthorised access and disclosure. In addition, we use industry-standard technology, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption technology in the transmission of certain sensitive personal information, designed to prevent unauthorised persons from gaining access to your personal information, and, as technology develops, we intend to take additional measures to improve security.

We want you to feel confident whenever you visit us in our stores, on the Barnes & Noble Websites, or use Barnes & Noble Devices or Apps. While we are focused on the security of your personal information and follow strict standards, processes and procedures that are designed to protect your personal information, you must remember that the Internet is a global communications vehicle open to threats, viruses and intrusions from others and so we cannot promise, and you should not expect, that we will be able to protect your personal information at all times and in all circumstances.

 

7. How do we respect your choices about your personal information?

If you decide that you no longer wish to receive marketing and promotional communications from Barnes & Noble, simply follow the instructions below:

Please note that even if you decide that you no longer wish to receive promotional communications, you may continue to receive emails and notifications relating to order confirmations, back order notifications, membership information and/or other business-related communications.

 

Adobe Marketing Cloud & Targeted Advertising

You may choose to opt out of the collection of automatically-collected information, including cookies, Adobe Marketing Cloud and targeted advertising, by following the instructions given in Section 3(b) above, or by using the functionality in your browser to reject cookies.

Online Community Users (where available)

Barnes & Noble provides you with the ability to access, correct, change or request deletion of the personal information in your community profile(s) at any time by following the instructions below. We will respond to all access requests within 30 days. However, you cannot currently change your profile name although you may re-register and choose a new name. To review or modify your profile information, please log in to your account via NOOK.com (where available). Please be advised that Barnes & Noble may archive information it collects on its community and visitors. Additionally, by participating in the Barnes & Noble online interactive community, and using Barnes & Noble's various interactive offerings, including, the submission of customer reviews, or participation in the Barnes & Noble Book Clubs (where available), you agree to receive communications from Barnes & Noble, other users, and moderators related to the provision of these services.

You may access, correct or change the personal information in your community profile(s) on Lark Crafts at any time. To review or modify your profile information, log in to larkcrafts.com. Additionally, by using Lark Crafts' various interactive offerings (where available), you agree to receive communications from Barnes & Noble, Lark Crafts, other users, and moderators related to the provision of these services.

You may also access, correct or change the personal information in your community profile(s) on SparkNotes.com at any time, except to change your username. To review or modify your profile information, log in to SparkNotes.com (where available). Additionally, by using SparkNotes.com's various interactive offerings, you agree to receive communications from Barnes & Noble, SparkNotes, other users, and moderators related to the provision of these services.

 

8. Whom do I contact if I have questions or concerns?

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at privacy@NOOK.co.uk.

9. What other information about Barnes & Noble's Privacy Policy would I want to know?

Policies for Minors, including children under the age of 13 (for Spain and for other jurisdictions where necessary, children under the age of 14).

Barnes & Noble is committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations regarding the collection, storage and use of personal information on Minors under the age of 13, including the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 in the United States and analogous laws elsewhere.

Except as noted below: (i) our products and services are marketed for and directed towards purchase by adults or with the consent of adults; (ii) individuals under the age of 18 ("Minors") are not permitted to use Barnes & Noble Websites or Apps without the supervision of a parent or legal guardian; (iii) we do not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from children under the age of 13 or knowingly allow such persons to register for an online account or to post personal information on the Barnes & Noble Websites; and (iv) should we learn that someone under the age of 13 has provided any personal information to or on any of the Barnes & Noble Websites, we will remove that information as soon as possible.

If we direct certain Device features or Apps to Minors who may be under the age of 13, we require the parent or legal guardian to provide verifiable consent to such Minor’s use of our products and services and our collection of personal information in connection with such use. In these cases, we require validation of credit card information already on file with us and we will then email the master account holder to give notice that we have received such consent. If no credit card information is on file, or if the credit card is invalid, we will not register that you have consented. With your consent, we may collect, use and share information regarding Minors under the age of 13 consistent with this Privacy Policy. Please see the sections above for detailed information on how we do so.

If you are a parent or guardian who believes that your Minor under the age of 13 has submitted personal information or other information to us without your consent, please contact privacy@NOOK.co.uk. Once we verify that you are the parent or legal guardian, at your request, we will promptly provide you with information regarding what, if any, personal information we have collected about your child and how it has been used or shared. We will, at your request, remove personal information about your child from its database and instruct our affiliates and third party partners to do the same.

 

Data retention policy

We will retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with services. We will retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

 

Accessing your information

You have the right to ask us not to process your personal information for direct marketing purposes. You also have the right to request a copy of the personal information that we hold about you and to have any inaccuracies rectified. Please note that, where permitted by applicable local law, we may charge a nominal fee for information requests and may require you to prove your identity. Following a request, we will use reasonable efforts to supply, correct or delete personal information about you in our files. Please address written requests and questions about this to privacy@NOOK.co.uk. We will respond to all access requests within 30 days.

 

 

Important information about third party devices, ISPs, websites and applications

This Privacy Policy applies solely to information collected by the Barnes & Noble enterprise. Whenever you click on links and banners on any Barnes & Noble Website that take you to a third party website or you use, download or install third party software applications onto your Device, your use of those third party websites and/or software will be subject to the third party's privacy policies, not Barnes & Noble's. Additionally, please note that when using Barnes & Noble Websites or Apps, third party mobile device manufacturers and internet service providers (ISPs) may collect personal information about you, and your use of such third party products and services will be subject to the third party's privacy policies.

In addition, our website includes links to other websites whose privacy practices may differ from those of Barnes & Noble. If you submit personal information to any of those sites, your information is governed by their privacy policies. We encourage you to carefully read the privacy policy of any website you visit.

 

Information collected from visitors from outside the United States

If you are visiting Barnes & Noble or a Barnes & Noble Website from outside the United States and provide us with personal information, please note that your personal information will be transferred, stored and processed within the United States. Additionally, Barnes & Noble may transfer your personal information to other countries, for example because a server or third party service provider is located there. The data protection and privacy laws of other countries, including the United States, may not afford you the same level of protection as those in your own country. Barnes & Noble will take appropriate steps to protect your information.

By doing business or interacting with Barnes & Noble, you are consenting to the transfer, storage and processing of your personal information to and within facilities located in the United States and other facility locations selected by Barnes & Noble.

 

Safe Harbor

Barnes & Noble has received TRUSTe's Privacy Seal signifying that this privacy statement and our practices have been reviewed for compliance with the TRUSTe programme viewable on the validation page available by clicking the TRUSTe seal. The TRUSTe programme covers only information that is collected through www.NOOK.com/gb, www.NOOKpress.com, NOOK® Apps and your interactions with NOOK® Simple Touch, NOOK Simple Touch GlowLight™, NOOK GlowLight™, NOOK HD and NOOK HD+. The TRUSTe programme does not cover information that may be collected through third party downloadable software or at the device level.

If you have an unresolved privacy or data use concern that we have not addressed satisfactorily, please contact TRUSTe at https://feedback-form.truste.com/watchdog/request.

Barnes & Noble complies with the U.S. - E.U. Safe Harbor framework and the U.S. - Swiss Safe Harbor framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use and retention of personal data from, respectively, European Union member countries and Switzerland. Barnesandnoble.com LLC has certified that it adheres to the Safe Harbor Privacy Principles of notice, choice, onward transfer, security, data integrity, access and enforcement. To learn more about the Safe Harbor program, and to view Barnes & Noble's certification, please visit http://www.export.gov/safeharbor/

 

This Privacy Policy does not affect any mandatory statutory rights applicable in your jurisdiction to the extent that you may be entitled to such mandatory statutory rights. In particular, this Privacy Policy does not affect rights which may not be excluded or limited where you are domiciled in a European Union Member State, to the extent such rights are applicable to you.

 

Terms of Service

Any dispute between you and us regarding the privacy of your personal information is subject to this Privacy Policy and the terms of use or terms of service applicable to our product or service you use, including limitation on damages, resolution of disputes, and application of the law of the State of New York (where you are contracting with barnesandnoble.com llc) and the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (where you are contracting with Barnes & Noble International LLC).

Contact Information

The address for Barnes & Noble is 122 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011. 
The address for Barnes & Noble International LLC is 1166 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036..

 

Released: January 2015 - nook-app-terms-win8-enAU-v3