BBB Privacy Policy (original) (raw)

The following is the Better Business Bureau online Privacy Policy, which governs how visitor information (your information) is gathered and used on Internet sites of our affiliated organizations: International Association of Better Business Bureaus, independent BBBs and BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust (collectively referred to as BBB). Please take a few minutes to read this Policy carefully.

Please note that the BBB AUTO LINE motor vehicle warranty dispute resolution program, BBB Data Privacy Framework programs, and other self-regulatory programs administered by BBB National Programs, Inc., are governed by that organization's separate privacy policy published on BBBPrograms.org. BBB Wise Giving Alliance has a separate privacy policy published on Give.org.

BBB provides its nonprofit services to businesses and consumers in the United States and Canada and does not market to businesses or individuals in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom.

Except as provided in this Privacy Policy, unless BBB previously agrees in writing, all information provided to BBB, including information exchanged through electronic communication, is neither privileged nor confidential.

Your information that BBB may collect online

You can affirmatively submit to BBB certain user information pertaining to your interaction with BBB. User information may include a search query such as the name and location of a business or your location information so that you can search near you or in an area you specify. We also may infer your geographic location based on your IP address or other information. User information you submit may also include information pertaining to your marketplace experience with a business, such as your name, postal and e-mail addresses, phone number, and description of the complaint or customer review. You may also submit user information to attend an event or request a quote from a business.

If you report a scam through BBB Scam Tracker, you submit to BBB your name, state/province, postal code, email address and, if elected, telephone number, as well as identifying information about the perpetrator of the scam.

BBB may also collect information from your business from inquiries about BBB accreditation, conference attendance, or program participation. This can include identifying information from individuals acting in their business capacity.

When you apply to be a BBB arbitrator, you submit your name, address and other contact information, as well as information about your qualifications.

Some applications on BBB websites to which you may submit comments or other information are administered by third parties. These applications collect, use and share information under third-party privacy policies.

BBB.org utilizes Google Maps API to provide consumers with the location of user-selected businesses. The user has the option to request directions to the business through Maps API. No user-submitted data is collected, maintained or stored by BBB. Further information on Google's privacy standards.

BBB may obtain personal data regarding media contacts and influencers from a variety of sources, including Cision. If you wish to know more about how such information is collected and used, please refer to Cision's privacy notice.

BBB's websites are not designed with the purpose of attracting any person under the age of 13. BBB does not knowingly collect or maintain any personal information from children under the age of 13.

BBB provides its nonprofit services to businesses and consumers in the United States and Canada and does not to businesses or individuals in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom.

How BBB uses your information

In general, we will use the information you affirmatively submit to BBB for the purpose for which it is submitted, such as to reply to your email, respond to your inquiry, handle your complaint, confirm your marketplace relationship so you can publish your customer review, process billing and donation transactions, register your participation in an event, respond to requests related to program participation, review applications to be a BBB arbitrator, publish your scam report and communicate with you when necessary. We may also use such information to provide operational notices, in program record-keeping, and to conduct research on industry marketplace practices. We may publish aggregate data, but the aggregate data will not include any user information you provided to us. We may contact individuals registering for events with information about other BBB events or, if relevant, accreditation, sponsorship, or other program opportunities.

We may use information submitted by your business to provide you with information about BBB accreditation and other BBB services. This information may be delivered directly, such as emails, or indirectly, such as ads you may see on BBB or other websites.

We may use third-party contractors to act on our behalf, and these contractors are obligated to not disclose or use your information for other purposes.

BBB relies on information collected from our users to develop new services and conduct analysis to enhance current content and services. Information collected from you may be used to review the usage and operations of our site and address any resulting issues with our site.

At certain points where your information is collected on our site, there may be a box where you may indicate you would like to be on a mailing list to receive information about BBB or its affiliated organizations. This election box only appears in places where the service collecting your information maintains such lists. You can remove your name from a BBB mailing list by utilizing the appropriate unsubscribe feature contained in the emails.

BBB may also use the information we collect from you to enhance your online experience and provide you with customized site content and targeted information on the site, across third-party sites, or through your mobile device.

Other ways your information may be shared

Inquiries, complaints and reviews

In order to process a complaint, BBB may send the complaint and your information to the subject business (which may be outside of your country), handle the complaint itself, or refer the complaint to another appropriate organization for handling. BBB may also send the complaint and your information to third parties that help businesses manage their customer relationships. BBB may refer complaints against foreign businesses to an appropriate foreign organization. Depending on the type of complaint, BBB will provide complaints to the business complained about and, in some situations, to the business's franchisor or licensor for quality control purposes. BBB will send a customer review and your information to the subject business (which may be outside of your country). By completing a complaint or review form or sending us a request or inquiry, you authorize us to forward your information to the appropriate BBB office or to the proper business, and you authorize the business to respond to BBB about your complaint or review.

BBB Scam Tracker

We will publicly post your description of the reported scam on the BBB Scam Tracker website along with your postal code. We will share your name, state/province, postal code, email address and other information you submit with other BBBs administering BBB Scam Tracker. We may also share this information with governmental agencies, law enforcement, and other appropriate organizations for investigation or research. If you consent, BBB may share your information in response to media inquiries.

Other purposes

BBB may also share your information under the following circumstances:

• We routinely share complaint and BBB Scam Tracker information with the Federal Trade Commission for its consumer protection activities.
• We respond to requests from governmental agencies or where required by law (such as by subpoena, investigative demand, court order or regulation).
• We may share information where our records indicate a company may be engaged in fraudulent activity or other unfair or deceptive practices that we believe should be referred to a governmental agency or a private organization whose work is consistent with the BBB mission.
• We may share information with appropriate persons or governmental authorities, where your communication suggests possible harm to others.
• We may share information with BBB National Programs or BBB Wise Giving Alliance when relevant to their nonprofit activities.
• We may share business information with third parties to allow search engines and others to identify BBB Accredited Businesses, for quality control purposes of franchisors or licensors, or for other business functions.

Cookies and other persistent identifiers

Many websites use cookies, pixels, beacons, or similar tools (together referred to as “cookies”) to store information on your browser or device. We and third parties we contract with may use cookies on BBB websites to give users the best content and online experience by remembering your preferences, improving website performance and enhancing user experience, and recommending content we believe will be most relevant to you. Most cookies collect anonymous information such as how users arrive at and use the website. Some cookies are necessary to allow the website to function properly, but you may choose to not allow other types of cookies by setting your cookie preferences.

We use cookies to give users the best content and online experience. By clicking “Accept Cookies” or clicking into any content on this site, you agree to allow us to use all cookies.

Certain cookies are necessary for the site to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you that amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.

Functional cookies enable the site to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these services may not function properly.

Performance cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and, therefore, anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies, we will not know when you have visited our site and will not be able to monitor its performance.

Marketing cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant content on other sites. They do not store personal information directly, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser or device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Your ad choices

BBB may allow third parties to collect and use information about your browsing activity on our website in order to serve you more relevant ads based on your interests. BBB adheres to the Digital Advertising Alliance's Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising and commits to providing consumers with notice and choice about interest-based advertising. On pages where we allow third parties to collect data for interest-based ads, you will see the notice "Your Ad Choices" near the link to the Privacy Policy. When you receive an ad based on your interests, you will see the Advertising Option Icon in or near the ad to provide you with notice that the advertisement is tailored to your possible interests as inferred from your browsing activity. Learn more about interest-based advertising. Opt out of future interest-based advertising here. You will still see ads, but they will not be based on subjects or products that the advertiser thinks may be of interest to you.

International transfers

If you are visiting our site from outside the United States, be aware that your information will be transferred to, and maintained on, computers located within the United States. The collection, use, retention and any other processing of your information will be governed by United States law and further by the specific jurisdictions within the United States where that information is stored, unless otherwise specified. BBB provides its nonprofit services to businesses and consumers in the United States and Canada and does not market to businesses or individuals in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom.

Updates

If BBB changes this policy in the future, we will post the changes here and indicate the date of the changes at the top of the policy.

Problems or complaints with BBB's Privacy Policy

If you wish to revise the information contained in your BBB Business Profile, please contact the publishing BBB by following the link in the Business Profile under "Local BBB."

If you are a consumer and wish to access, correct, or delete your personal information, please contact us at privacy@IABBB.org.

If you have a complaint about BBB compliance with this privacy policy, you may contact us at privacy@IABBB.org.