1. The information we collect

When you use the Barnes & Noble.com site, we receive and collect certain information. The information that we receive and collect depends on what you do when you visit Barnes & Noble.com

Automatically Collected Information. Some information is automatically received and sometimes collected from you when you visit the Barnes & Noble.com site. We 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 browser software you use and your operating system; the date and time you access our site; and the Internet address of the web site from which you linked directly to our site. We use this information to monitor the usage of our site. Also, when we send emails to you, we may be able to identify information about your email address, such as whether you can read graphic-rich HTML emails. All of the information we automatically capture provides us with the ability to enhance our customers' search and shopping experiences and to determine aggregate information about our user base and usage patterns.
Information Collected via Cookies. We use cookies to enhance the browsing and shopping experience on the Barnes & Noble.com site. "Cookies" are small files or records that we place on your computer's hard drive to collect information about your activities on the Barnes & Noble.com site. The cookies transmit this information back to the computers at Barnes & Noble.com or our third-party distributors of banners and newsletters; these computers are, generally speaking, the only computers which are authorized to read such information. The information captured makes it possible for us (i) to speed navigation, keep track of items in your shopping cart, and provide you with custom tailored content; (ii) to remember information you gave to us so you don't have to reenter it each time you visit the Barnes & Noble.com site; (iii) to monitor the effectiveness of certain of our marketing email campaigns; and (iv) to monitor total number of visitors, pages viewed, and the total number of banners served.
Most people do not know that cookies are being placed on their computers when they visit the Barnes & Noble.com site or most web sites because browsers are typically set to accept cookies. You can choose to have your browser warn you every time a cookie is being sent to you or you can turn off cookie placement. If you refuse cookies, you will not be able to open a Barnes & Noble.com Shopping Cart and therefore will not be able to complete an order with us online. Also, by not using cookies, your overall Internet browsing experience will be affected.
If you would like to obtain more information about the third-party distributor of banners on the Barnes & Noble.com site and to know your choices about having such distributor's cookies turned off, please visit www.privacychoices.org. If you turn off the third-party distributor's cookies, you will still see banners on our site; however, the banners will not be tailored to your shopping experience.
Information Collected Using Pixel Tags or Clear GIFs. To help us understand the effectiveness of certain of our email marketing efforts, Barnes & Noble.com may use "message format" and "message open" sensing technologies. Both technologies require the use of pixel tags or clear GIFs (also called web beacons). The "message format" sensing technology allows us to recognize whether you have enabled your email program to receive HTML emails; if so, this information is then associated with your email address so that subsequent messages can be sent to you in HTML format. The "message open" sensing technology allows us to recognize whether you have opened our email message. We can only detect this if you have enabled your email program to receive HTML emails.
Information You Actively Submit to Barnes & Noble.com. For most of the browsing services we provide, we neither require nor collect "Personal Customer Information" -- your name, email address, billing address, shipping address(es), phone number and credit card information. You can browse the Barnes & Noble.com site and take as much time as you want to review our books and other products, services and reviews without having to submit such Personal Customer Information. Even when you use our shopping cart as you browse, there is no need to submit Personal Customer Information.
In the following instances, however, we do need you to actively submit Personal Customer Information: when you want to (i) create an account; (ii) complete an order; (iii) subscribe to our Keep Me Posted! Newsletters or Alerts, (iv) submit customer reviews or (v) participate in courses in our Barnes & Noble University.
- Creating a Barnes & Noble.com Account. You can create a password-protected Barnes Noble.com account to complete an order or to save items in your Wish List. To create an account, we require that you provide us with the following Personal Customer Information: your email address (which may not be associated with another active Barnes & Noble.com account), and your first and last names. You will also have to create a password, select a security question and input a security answer.
- Completing an Order. If you have a Barnes & Noble.com account that you want to use to complete an order, we will require you to access that account. We will then use the Personal Customer Information stored in that account to complete the order, or require you to input additional Personal Customer Information such as payment information. If you want to complete an order without using a Barnes & Noble.com account, we will ask for certain Personal Customer Information to complete the order. [See "Placing an Order Without a Barnes & Noble.com Account"]
- Keep Me Posted! Newsletter and Alerts. You may sign up for free email Keep Me Posted! Newsletters and Alerts filled with recommendations and reviews for books, music, movies, and more. To do so, you will need to supply your email address in the Keep Me Posted! Preference Center . Please note that this Keep Me Posted! Preference Center registry is different from the Barnes & Noble.com Account and password which you set up to make purchases. You can sign up for our Keep Me Posted! Notices whether or not you have a Barnes & Noble.com account. Furthermore, the contact information collected in the Keep Me Posted! Preference Center is only used to forward the Newsletters and Alerts you select. [See "Keep Me Posted! Communications" below].
- Customer Reviews. When you submit a customer review, we ask you to disclose your email address in addition to your review and other optional information. You can choose not to have your email address displayed with your review. We only use the information you provide to us to chronicle your review; we do not use such information for marketing purposes. Because your email address at your election can be displayed with your reviews, we can make no assurance that others will not use the information you have provided.
- Barnes & Noble University Submissions. When you participate in a course in the Barnes & Noble University we have bulletin boards that ask you to disclose your email address in addition to your review and other optional information. We only use the information you provide to us to chronicle your submission; we do not use such information for marketing purposes.

2. How we use and share Personal Customer Information

Occasionally, Barnes & Noble.com uses Personal Customer Information to market products and services. If you have a Barnes & Noble.com account, you can opt-out from us using your information for this purpose at any time by logging onto your Account and following the instructions under Name, Password, and Communication Preferences. If you shop on Barnes & Noble.com without an account, you can opt-out by selecting the link at the bottom of any promotional e-mail communication from Barnes & Noble.com that you receive and following the instructions.

Barnes & Noble.com shares Personal Customer Information that we collect as follows:

Subcontractors: We send Personal Customer Information to third-party subcontractors and agents that work on our behalf to provide certain services. These third parties do not have the right to use the Personal Customer Information beyond what is necessary to assist us. They are contractually obligated to maintain the confidentiality and security of the Personal Customer Information and are restricted from using such information in any way not expressly authorized by Barnes & Noble.com .
Service Providers: We send Personal Customer Information to third-party providers of goods and services that you may purchase from time to time on our site. Like subcontractors, these third parties do not have the right to use the Personal Customer Information beyond what is necessary to assist us. They are contractually obligated to maintain the confidentiality and security of the Personal Customer Information and are restricted from using such information in any way not expressly authorized by Barnes & Noble.com.
Membership Programs. We work with certain entities who, in conjunction with their own membership programs or rewards programs, require that we disclose purchasing information about their customers who visit the Barnes & Noble.com site through links from the partner sites, or use the partner's credit card or rewards program to make purchases on the Barnes & Noble.com site (e.g., to earn points for purchases made on the Barnes & Noble.com site through links from the partner site). We disclose only the information required to make these programs work and support your membership with them, which typically includes the name and/or email address of the user as well as the dollar amount of purchases made. We disclose this information to such entities under an agreement that requires that they obtain your consent first, usually under the membership or participation rules. If you do not want us to disclose that information to the strategic partner, then you must contact them directly.
Credit Card Companies: Credit card transactions are handled by a third-party financial institution and their vendors, which receive the credit card number and other personal identifying information only to verify the credit card numbers and process transactions.
Special Orders at Barnes & Noble Bookstores: To facilitate special orders from certain stores of our affiliate, Barnes & Noble Booksellers Inc., we provide such affiliate with limited access to billing and shipping addresses of our account holders. Such affiliate does not have access to credit card information or order history and cannot make changes to customer accounts.
Companies affiliated with Barnes & Noble.com: From time to time, on limited bases, we may share with entities affiliated with Barnes & Noble.com (e.g., Barnes & Noble Booksellers and Barnes & Noble Membership) contact information of our account holders and individuals that makes purchase without an account so that such entities can promote special offers, events, new products and services.
- Barnes & Noble.com account holders can opt out from our use of your information in this way at any time by logging onto your Account and following the instructions under Change Your Communication Preferences.
- Barnes & Noble.com users that make purchases without an account can opt-out by selecting the link at the bottom of any promotional e-mail communication from Barnes & Noble.com and follow the instructions.
Please note that if you do opt-out you will not be sent special coupons, updates about free shipping, invitations to private sales, and other special discount offers.
Other Trustworthy Third Parties: From time to time, on limited bases, we may share with trustworthy third parties contact information of our account holders so that such third parties can promote their products and services. You, as an account holder, can opt out from our disclosure of your information for this purpose at any time by logging onto your Account and following the instructions under Change Your Communication Preferences.
Law Enforcement Investigations: Barnes & Noble.com may release Personal Customer Information when we believe, in our good judgment, that such release is reasonably necessary to comply with law, enforce or apply the terms of any of our policies or user agreements, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Barnes & Noble.com, our users, or others.

3. Communications from Barnes & Noble.com

As a Barnes & Noble.com purchaser or account holder, you may receive the following communications from the Barnes & Noble.com:

Communications related to transaction, account and website maintenance activities. By creating a Barnes & Noble.com account or making a purchase without a Barnes & Noble.com account, you may receive communications from us relating to: order confirmations; order updates; order problems; important website information and material changes to site policies and account management procedures.
Communications from Barnes & Noble.com and its affiliated companies (e.g., Barnes & Noble Booksellers). As a Barnes & Noble.com purchaser or account holder, we use and share your contact information to communicate special offers, events, new products and services from Barnes & Noble.com and our affiliated companies. As a Barnes & Noble.com account holder, we communicate via e-mail, postal mail and outbound telephone calls depending upon your settings in you Communications Preferences; as a purchaser without a Barnes & Noble.com account, we may communicate to you via e-mail. Any Barnes & Noble.com account holder can opt-out from the receipt of any such communications or opt-out of certain communication methods by logging onto his or her Account and following the instructions under Change Your Communication Preferences. We will recognize such opt-out preferences even if you decide to make a purchase without using your account and use the e-mail address stored in your account in connection with such order. If you make a purchase without a Barnes & Noble.com account, you may opt-out from the receipt of such communications by selecting the link at the bottom of any promotional e-mail communication and following the instructions.
Keep Me Posted! Communications. You may sign up for free email Newsletters and Alerts filled with recommendations and reviews for books, music, movies, and more. To do so, you will need to supply your email address in the Keep Me Posted! Preference Center. Please note that this Keep Me Posted! Preference Center registry is different from the Barnes & Noble.com Account and password which you set up to make purchases. Furthermore, the contact information collected in the Keep Me Posted! Preference Center is only used to forward the Newsletters and Alerts you select. To unsubscribe from any Keep Me Posted! Newsletter or Alert, you can either (i) select the link at the bottom of any Keep Me Posted! Newsletter or Alert and follow the instructions or (ii) go to the Help section of our site: Under "Your Account" select Reviewing or Changing Your Subscription Choices and Keep Me Posted! Newsletters and Alerts and follow the instructions.
Barnes & Noble University (soon to be known as "Barnes & Noble Book Club") Communications. When you sign up to become a member of the Barnes & Noble University (which will become the Barnes & Noble Book Club),you will receive updates on new courses and other Barnes & Noble University announcements -- such as new features -- that we believe will interest you. If you would rather not receive announcements from us, please log onto your Barnes & Noble University account go to the Preferences section of the Account Information pages and follow the instructions. (Barnes & Noble University is not an accredited program or institution.)

4. Placing an Order Without a Barnes & Noble.com Account

You can place an order at Barnes & Noble.com without an account at any time. You will need to submit an e-mail address and other Personal Customer Information such as billing address, shipping address, and payment information. Afterwards, with the use of your e-mail address and order number, you will be able to view certain order information in the Order Status section of our website such as the billing address, shipping address, some payment information and order total. If you do not wish to have this information displayed with the use of your e-mail address and order number, please place your order using a Barnes & Noble.com account which provides the added security level of password-protected access to such information.

5. Underage customers

Our products and services are marketed for purchase by adults or with the consent of adults. This is why Barnes & Noble.com requires a credit card that has been authorized for use to complete purchases on our site.

From time to time, parents and guardians allow their children under the age of 18 to browse our site and to post reviews. Barnes & Noble.com highly values these views on the books and other products and services we offer. As such, users of our site have the opportunity in many instances to submit their reviews. Each user also has the option to post his or her email address and other contact information so that other users of our site may contact them directly. However, to protect the privacy of any user of our site who is under the age of 13, we do not permit them to post any contact information. Please see Review Rules for further information.

6. Linking to third-party web sites

When you click on links and banners on our site that take you to third-party web sites, you will be subject to the third parties' privacy policies. While we support the protection of privacy on the Internet, Barnes & Noble.com cannot be responsible for the actions of any third-party web sites. We encourage you to read the posted privacy statement of any and every site you visit, whether you are linking from our site or browsing on your own.

7. Changes to Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy was last changed in September 2006. To see how the Privacy Policy changed, go to September 2006 Privacy Policy Changes. Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right to modify or amend this policy at any time by posting the revised Privacy Policy on our site. The changes will only affect the information we collect after the effective date of the change to our Privacy Policy unless we clearly express otherwise The changes made in this September 2006 version affects all information we have collected prior to such date.

8. Questions or comments

If you have any questions regarding our privacy policy, please email us at privacy@barnesandnoble.com. For all other inquiries, please contact Customer Service

9. Membership Privacy Policy

If you are also a participant in the Barnes & Noble Membership program you should review the Privacy Policy for the Membership program at Membership Privacy Policy.

Security Policy

1. Protecting your information

The Personal Customer Information you provide -- including your credit card information -- to create and access an account with us and to make purchases from us (whether or not you use an account) is secured using industry standard e-commerce security technology such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption technology. We use this SSL technology to prevent such information from being intercepted and read as it is transmitted over the Internet. The encrypted data goes to a secure site where your information is stored on restricted-access computers located at restricted-access sites.

2. Unique E-mail, Password & Security Answer for Barnes & Noble.com Account

When you create a Barnes & Noble.com account, we secure your Personal Customer Information in the following manner:

We cross check an e-mail address with the submitted password to validate access to any Barnes & Noble.com customer account.
We do not allow any e-mail address to access more than one Barnes & Noble.com account. When a new Barnes & Noble.com account is created, we require you to submit an e-mail address that is not associated with an existing Barnes & Noble.com account.
We require you to select a security question and input a security answer which you can use to access your account in the event you forget your password. (Customers who created a Barnes & Noble.com account without selecting a security question and respective answer, are urged to do so by logging into your account and on the page headed "Account Management Options", select "Change Your Security Question/Answer" under "Account Settings" and follow the instructions.)

We encourage you to use a password and a security answer that is not easily determinable (e.g., don't use your name or street name). Keep your password and security answer secure; do not share it with anyone. The password and security answer are the "keys" to your account; anyone who gets these "keys" can, along with your e-mail address, gain access to your account.

If you forget your password, to gain access to your account you will need to know your security answer and have access to your e-mail account. On the Account Sign In Page click on the Forgot your password? link and then type in the e-mail address of the account you would like to open. A message will be sent to your e-mail address with instructions on how to access your account and change your password. (If you have not yet selected a security question and submitted a security answer, you will be prompted to contact Customer Service for further assistance.)

If you want to change your password, security answer or other account information, simply log onto your account and follow the instructions on the page headed "Account Management Options."

3. Placing an Order Without a Barnes & Noble.com Account

If you place an order at Barnes & Noble.com without an account, certain order detail information will be accessible with the use of your e-mail address and order number. Although specific item details (such as book title) are masked, viewable information includes billing address, shipping address, payment type, and order total. If you do not wish to have such information displayed with the use your e-mail address and order number, please place your order using a Barnes & Noble.com account which provides the added security level of password-protected access to such information.

4. Remember to sign out from your Barnes & Noble.com Account

To further prevent unauthorized access to your account, remember that, after you sign in, you should sign out once you have (i) completed your transaction, (i) completed managing your account, or (iii) decided to step away from your computer. Anyone who accesses your computer after you have signed in but before you have either signed out or your session has timed-out can access your account.

5. Safe Shopping Guarantee

Under federal law, a credit card issuer cannot make you liable for charges in excess of $50.00 that result from the unauthorized use of your credit card. There are similar federal laws that relate to debit cards. Exceptions do apply, and you will have to comply with the rules of your credit card or debit card issuer, so please contact your card issuer for further details.

If a credit card or debit card issuer assesses you a fee because of the unauthorized use of your credit card or debit card on our site, Barnes & Noble.com will reimburse you for such amount up to $50.00. Please contact our Customer Service for details.

Please be advised, as we state in greater detail in our Terms of Use, we do not guarantee the continuous, uninterrupted or secure access to the Barnes & Noble.com site because the operation of the Barnes & Noble.com website may be interfered with by numerous factors outside of our control.

6. Alternative customer purchasing options

If you do not feel comfortable sending your credit card information to us over the Internet, you still can shop with us. We welcome you to call us to complete your purchase by phone. Please go to our Help Desk link and see the Payment Options section for details.

7. Changes to security policy

This security policy was last changed in September 2006 . To see how the Security Policy changed, go to September 2006 Security Policy Changes . Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right to modify or amend this policy at any time by posting the revised Security Policy on our site. The changes will only affect the information we collect after the effective date of the change to our Security Policy unless we clearly express otherwise The changes made in this September 2006 version affects all information we have collected prior to such date.