Consumer Privacy Policy
This privacy policy is intended to inform you about our collection, use, and disclosure of information that we process for our Bazaarvoice Network, for our Bazaarvoice Customer Intelligence platform, for our corporate website, www.bazaarvoice.com, and for our related targeting and data management services.
Overview of Our Services
We collect non-personally identifiable information regarding the behavior and usage patterns of users of websites and other online properties operated by participating Bazaarvoice clients. In this policy, we refer to this non-personally identifiable information, together with other non-personally identifiable information that we obtain from third parties in order to influence which types of marketing messages and user-generated content are displayed to you, as "Social Commerce Data." We use Social Commerce Data to personalize website visits, help prevent fraud, and create user groups, referred to as "segments," based upon their behavior and preferences. We give our clients a limited right to use a user's membership in a segment as a basis for displaying advertisements and other content that are intended to reflect the user's preferences. We also collect non-personally identifiable information for other purposes; for example, to provide aggregate statistics for market research and analytics programs.
Updates to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will also revise the "last updated" date at the beginning of the policy. If we make a change to this policy that would result in a materially more permissive use of Social Commerce Data that we collected before the effective date of the update, we will obtain prior affirmative consent from affected users before implementing the change.
We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we collect, use, and disclose Preference Data.
Contacting Us
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this policy.
Collection of Social Commerce Data
Like most website owners, Bazaarvoice uses non-personally identifiable means including "cookies" and "web beacons" to collect and store Social Commerce Data, which allow us to make our products and services work, or work more efficiently, and to recognize you when you return.
A cookie is a small data file transferred by a website to your computer’s hard drive (including mobile devices). Bazaarvoice websites send cookies when you visit them, request or personalize information, or register yourself for certain services. A cookie cannot read personal data stored on your computer or read cookie files created by other sites. Accepting the cookies used on our website may give us access to information about your browsing patterns, which we may use to personalize your experience and to analyze general user traffic patterns. We do this so that we may determine the usefulness of the information on our sites and the effectiveness of our navigational structures. Cookies are typically classified as either session cookies or persistent cookies.
- Session cookies are deleted from your computer after you close your browser.
- Persistent cookies remain on your computer until you delete them or they expire.
Web beacons, also known as "web bugs," are small, graphic images on web pages or web-based documents or in email messages that allow us, or third parties, to monitor who is visiting the site or review service. Web beacons collect the IP address of the computer that the web beacon is sent to, the URL of the page the web beacon comes from, and the time it was viewed.
We use information collected at various times and by web beacons and cookies placed on several websites in order to collect Social Commerce Data. We may also obtain Social Commerce Data from third-party sources, and may combine it with the Social Commerce Data that we have collected.
The Social Commerce Data that we collect from users includes, for example, a user's browser type and version (e.g., Internet Explorer 7.0, Firefox 3.0, or Safari 3.1.1), and operating system (e.g., Windows Vista or Macintosh OS X). In addition, we may collect information about a user's browsing behavior, such as the date and time they visit the web pages on which we are collecting Social Commerce Data, the content areas or pages of the websites that a user visits (e.g., "Product Overview" or "Product Reviews details page"), and other click-stream data, none of which includes personal information about the user.
Bazaarvoice may collect personally identifiable information like email addresses on an opt-in basis , when a user submits content on our client’s sites, however, this information is not stored with social commerce data, nor is it ever used for online behavioral advertising.
Use of Social Commerce Data
We analyze Social Commerce Data collected from various sources and at different times to define segments and to attribute membership within those segments to users to influence the user-generated content and types of marketing messages that are displayed to you.
We also use Social Commerce Data to identify and help prevent fraudulent activity and to provide aggregate statistics for market research and statistical analysis. We are aware of the sensitivity of certain types of data. We do not create or share any segments that reflect Social Commerce Data that we consider sensitive. While the types of Social Commerce Data that may be considered sensitive may vary among users, we presently treat Social Commerce Data as sensitive if it includes data reflecting a user having a medical condition; certain aspects of a user's personal life or financial situation; or use of, or interest in, gambling, alcoholic beverages, or "adult" products or services. We may, from time to time, update the types of Social Commerce Data that we consider sensitive.
We may create segments that indicate a user’s interest in fitness or exercise equipment or services, or general health products like vitamins, where creation of such segments does not reflect a user having a specific medical condition.
We may, from time to time, update the types of Social Commerce Data that we consider sensitive.
Children
We do not intentionally collect Social Commerce Data from, and do not tailor any segments to, children less than 13 years of age.
Disclosure of Information
We disclose Social Commerce Data, and information derived from Social Commerce Data, to our clients in the ordinary course of our business. We indicate to our clients a user's membership within a segment at various times. For example, we may tag an anonymous user as a member of a segment when the user views certain web pages that are operated or controlled by a client. Our clients may use a user's membership within a segment to display advertisements and personalized user generated content targeted to the user. Our clients may also use third-party service providers, acting on behalf of those clients, to display advertising or other content that reflects a user's membership in a segment. We do not authorize our clients to resell Social Commerce Data to third parties. Please note that our clients have their own data retention policies.
Our social commerce data may be combined with anonymous data from third parties to display advertisements and personalized user generated content.
We may share aggregate Social Commerce Data with third-party service providers (e.g., data storage and processing facilities) in order for those service providers to perform business functions for us or on our behalf.
We may also disclose Social Commerce Data if we believe that we have a legal obligation to do so.
In addition, information in our possession or control, including aggregate Social Commerce Data, may be disclosed in connection with any merger, acquisition, debt financing, sale of company assets, or other business transaction in which data could be transferred to third parties as one of our business assets.
Data Retention
Social Commerce Data is not stored in our cookies, and is retained on our servers in its original form for up to six months. User level data may be retained for up to eighteen months before it is aggregated or deleted. Online behavioral data is not stored in the cookie.
Data Security
We use security measures that are reasonably designed to protect Preference Data in our control from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Please be aware, however, that no data security measures can be guaranteed to be completely effective. Consequently, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any Preference Data or other information. In particular, we cannot guarantee that Preference Data or other information will not be disclosed, altered, or accessed in accidental circumstances or by unauthorized acts of others.
Opting Out
We provide multiple ways for you to opt out of our services.
We make available a Bazaarvoice "opt-out" cookie that you may download to your browser. This cookie, when installed on your browser, will prevent us from collecting Social Commerce Data on that browser. By opting out of the Bazaarvoice cookie you are also opting out of targeting and website customization options from Bazaarvoice through some of our clients and third party partners.
These opt-out tools are cookie-based. Please note that these tools only prevent us from collecting Social Commerce Data pertaining to you on the browser on which they are installed, and will only function if your browser is set to accept third-party cookies. If you delete an opt-out cookie from a browser's cookie files, we will collect Social Commerce Data from that browser until an opt-out cookie is reset on that browser.
Additionally, you may prevent us from collecting Social Commerce Data on a browser by blocking third-party cookies in that browser. If you block third-party cookies from your browser, you may not be able to enjoy some features or functionality of – and you may see the same content and advertisements repeatedly on – some websites. If the Bazaarvoice opt-out cookie is left undeleted, its opt-out function will live for up to 20 years.
Your Social Commerce Data Preferences Matter
As a consumer, you have the choice to exclude your anonymous social commerce preferences from being collected by Bazaarvoice. To opt out, click the button below:
To opt out of targeting by other companies, visit Advertising Initiative at www.networkadvertising.org. If you change your mind and want to update your online Social Commerce Data preferences, please click here.
