Privacy Policy

ABRAMS BOOKS PRIVACY POLICY

Last Modified: June 29th, 2020.

This is the Privacy Policy for abramsbooks.com, a website owned and operated by Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (“Abrams”), and for Abrams’ network of websites, including as applicable, Abrams’ imprint sites, Abrams’ author sites hosted and maintained by Abrams (each, a “Site,” collectively, “Sites”); all email newsletters published by Abrams, including on behalf of our authors, and all other features, services and communications provided by Abrams (collectively with all “Sites”, the “Services”), however accessed and/or used that are operated by Abrams, made available by Abrams, or produced or maintained by Abrams, unless another privacy policy is posted in that Service. We hope you will find this Privacy Policy informative and easy to understand. Please review this Privacy Policy carefully.

Overview:

Abrams is committed to protecting the privacy of your Personally Identifiable Information. “Personally Identifiable Information” is information about an identified individual, such as name, address and email address. We have established this Privacy Policy to let you know the kinds of Personally Identifiable Information we may gather during your visit to the Sites, why we gather your information, what we use your Personally Identifiable Information for, when we might disclose your Personally Identifiable Information and how you can manage your Personally Identifiable Information. We also provide information for parents and how they can update or delete their children’s Personally Identifiable Information.

Abrams recognizes that it is essential to protect the privacy of users on the Web and other individuals about whom we collect Personally Identifiable Information. To keep any Personally Identifiable Information you choose to share with us on the Services secure, we maintain reasonable physical, electronic and procedural safeguards. You need to be aware that no transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, but we use reasonable efforts to ensure the protection of your Personally Identifiable Information.

We ask all users to review this Privacy Policy and ask those who do not agree with this policy to stop using the Services. We reserve the right to modify or amend the terms of our Privacy Policy from time to time without notice, provided that any such modifications will only be applied prospectively. We will post all changes to this policy on this website, www.abramsbooks.com/privacy-policy, and they will become effective upon posting and your continued use of the Services will mean that you accept those changes. If you have questions, you can always contact us using the information in the section below titled Contact Us.

Collection of Personally Identifiable Information

Children

We take many special precautions to protect the privacy of children under 13, including

  • On our online Services intended for children, we do not collect personal contact information (like full name, e-mail address, phone number or home address) from children under 13 years old without consent of a parent or legal guardian, except in limited circumstances authorized by law.
  • We collect some information (like IP address, mobile device UDID, operating system, etc.) automatically and use technology like cookies to provide functionality and support our operations. Abrams does not permit interest-based advertising on Sites directed to children under 13 or where we have actual knowledge that a child is under 13.
  • We do not ask for more Personally Identifiable Information than is necessary for a child to participate in an activity.
  • We take steps to prevent children from posting or publicly disclosing personal contact information.
  • Parents can ask us to update or delete their children’s information.

 

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR PARENTS AND LEGAL GUARDIANS:

Abrams adheres to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA), in our online Services directed to children under 13. Wherever we refer to “children” or a “child” in this Privacy Policy we mean children under 13. Please help us protect your child’s privacy by instructing them never to provide Personally Identifiable Information (like their full name, e-mail address, home address, telephone number, etc.) without your permission.We encourage you to get involved with your children’s online usage and to be aware of the activities in which they are participating. Please see the “What Information Does Abrams Collect from Children Under 13 and How Is It Used?” section below for further information. We also ask you to check back here regularly to see what our latest policies are, particularly those relating to children.

You should be aware that if your children voluntarily disclose their names, e-mail addresses or other information on bulletin boards or chat areas of other websites, such disclosures may result in unsolicited messages from other parties. We suggest that you discourage your child from providing such information unless you are confident that the information will not be misused.

A SPECIAL NOTE TO KIDS:

If you are under 13, you must get your parent’s or legal guardian’s permission before giving out your contact information, like e-mail address or phone numbers, or any other personal contact information, to Abrams or to anyone else.

What Are Abrams’ Children’s Privacy Practices?

At our online Services directed to children under 13, we do not collect personal contact information (like full name, e-mail address, phone number or home address) without consent of a parent or legal guardian except in special, limited circumstances described below. We do not ask for more information than is necessary for a child to participate in the activity. We take steps to prevent children from posting or publicly disclosing personal contact information, like name, phone number or e-mail address, online, without parental consent.

What Information Does Abrams Collect from Children Under 13 and How Is It Used?

To participate in special activities, like personalized pages, games or clubs, we might ask your child to “register.” They can often do so anonymously by just providing a first name or user name, and password. When we ask for your child’s first name, we encourage them to use a “screen name” (not their real name) that only they know. Sometimes we will ask your child to make up a special password so that only they can see their customized areas on the Site. We use technology, like cookies, to recognize visitors by their anonymous user name when they revisit our Site and to screen for age in accordance with COPPA.

We may sometimes need a child’s e-mail address and/or your e-mail address. We may ask a child for your e-mail address so we can notify you of your child’s interest in our Site. If we need more than just your child’s first name (or screen name) and e-mail address for your child to participate in a particular online activity, we will ask your child for your e-mail or mailing address so that we can notify you of your child’s request and get your permission. When we ask for your permission, we will tell you what we will do with the information you or your child provides us, and how you can review your child’s information and ask us to delete the information. With your verifiable consent, we may collect other Personally Identifiable Information from your child such as a last name or home address when the information is necessary for a particular activity. You can find a copy of the parental consent form HERE.

We don’t keep your (or your child’s) e-mail address unless you tell us it is okay. If social networking opportunities are available at our children’s Services, they are structured so that no Personally Identifiable Information is shared between visitors or verifiable parental consent is obtained.

Abrams might collect an e-mail address and first name (or screen name) from your child under 13 without your consent, but only in the following special cases:

  • If a child sends a request to us, we keep their e-mail address for long enough to respond to them. Abrams deletes this information from our system after we answer their question.
  • If a child signs up for an e-mail newsletter or other activity that requires multiple online contacts with the child, we also ask the child for a parent’s or legal guardian’s e-mail address so we can notify you and give you an opportunity to opt out of such usage. You may refuse to permit further contact with your child and require the deletion of both your online contact information and your child’s online contact information. However, if you fail to respond to this notice, we may use your child’s online contact information for the purpose stated in such notice. Your child’s online contact information will not be used for any other purpose or disclosed or combined with any other information collected from your child.
  • Occasionally, Abrams has special activities or promotions, like sweepstakes or contests, which are open to children. We may ask your child to give us your e-mail address, too, so that we can tell you that they have registered in a promotion or for a service. If we need more than an e-mail address and first name (or screen name) to enter your child in the promotion, award a prize, or offer the service, we will notify you, explain what information we need and why, and generally ask that you (not your child) provide it. For instance, we might ask you for your mailing address so that we can send to you, for your child, any prizes your child wins, or for your phone number so that we can tell you when your child has won. Any information you or your child give us in the above special circumstances will be deleted from our database once the promotion, program or activity is concluded, and after any legally required period for keeping such information is complete.

We may offer enhanced services which require a parent to register and establish the appropriate permission level for the child. Content and activities available may vary depending on the subscription and Site. Parents will be provided with information on the type of content and activities their child may access at the time they subscribe and are always in charge of their child’s account. Subscription fees may apply for some services.

We may ask for certain non-personal and non-identifiable information that helps us understand our visitors, like city and state, birthdate, hobbies, etc.

We also use technology to facilitate the ability to play games, to recognize returning visitors, for research, and for other purposes, including to screen under-age visitors from certain features or areas intended for older visitors, and collect certain information automatically.

Abrams does not permit interest-based advertising on Sites directed to children under 13 or where we have actual knowledge that a child is under 13.

Can My Child Access the Web Through Your Sites?

Your child can navigate to the Internet through most of our Services. Your computer or mobile device may enable you to restrict the ability of your child to visit other areas and to make purchases online.

We encourage you to spend time with your children when they are online or using any mobile device so you understand the Sites and activities they are engaged in, and to adopt available device and browser controls that reflect your preferences about your child’s ability to access the Internet or make purchases online.

Can I Access, Update and Review Information You Have About My Child?

If you no longer wish your child to continue to participate in interactive activities on an Abrams-operated website, simply click on the link that is provided for removal or contact us at compliance@abramsbooks.com. Upon proper identification, parents or legal guardians may review the Personally Identifiable Information we have collected about their child, update their child’s contact details, request deletion, or refuse to allow further collection or use of the information. However, if you ask us to delete your child’s information, your child may not be able to participate in online activities.

Adults and Teens

We may collect Personally Identifiable Information about consumers 13 or older only when they use our Services and choose to give us that information. We may collect personal contact information, like e-mail address or phone number, from consumers 13 or older when voluntarily submitted, or to fulfill a transaction. Registration may be required to use some Services.

We do automatically collect and store certain information about our users that is not considered Personally Identifiable Information. For example, we collect visitor IP addresses, browser version information and reference site domain names. This information is used for our internal review as a way to monitor our performance and improve the functionality of our Services.

What Are Abrams’ Privacy Practices for Consumers 13 and Older?

You do not have to share any Personally Identifiable Information (like full name, e-mail address, home address, telephone number, etc.) to use our Services, but some of our Services for adults may contain special sections and privileges for members who register.

We also use technology to collect certain information automatically, like your IP address, your browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox), websites visited before or after you visit our Site, pages viewed and activities at our Site, and advertisements shown or clicked on.

On Services for adults, we may combine all information we have collected to better understand your needs, improve our Services and products, manage content and advertising, send you offers and information, and better serve you. We may offer parents the opportunity to manage their child’s registration and activities, and to receive reports, messages and product recommendations related to their child’s activities on our Services.

What Personal Contact Information Does Abrams Collect from Consumers 13 and Older?

We do not collect any personal contact information from you or your teenager when you use our Services unless it is voluntarily provided, for instance when signing a guest book, registering for contests, sweepstakes, community areas, downloads, or free demos, completing our online customer surveys or purchasing products. The Personally Identifiable Information we ask for is usually first and last name, mailing address, phone number and an e-mail address. We may offer you the ability to receive information via SMS or MMS; by providing your mobile phone or similar number you are agreeing to receive information on your mobile device. Please note that your service provider may impose fees to send or receive messages. We may also ask you to help us understand your interests by providing demographic information, like age, or ZIP code, or information on hobbies and interests.

How Does Abrams Use Personal Contact Information Collected from Consumers 13 and Older?

We use Personally Identifiable Information that you provide to send you information you have requested (like an e-mail newsletter) or to process transactions and send you products you have ordered.

Can I Access, Update and Review My Personal Contact Information?

If you would like to update any of your personal contact information or email newsletter subscription preferences, please visit https://www.abramsbooks.com/unsubscribe/. Additionally, you may contact us at compliance@abramsbooks.com and we will be happy to update the information for you. Please allow 5-10 business days for your updated information to be processed in all of our systems. Parents may also contact us at the email address above in order to update or delete any Personally Identifiable Information that has been provided by their children.

If you no longer wish to participate in an e-mail newsletter subscription or receive any promotional e-mails we send you, simply click on the link that is provided for removal.

Automatic Collection of Information

Cookies and Other Trackers

We and our third party partners use “browser cookies” or similar types of files (such as clear gifs, web beacons, tags, and similar technologies that work on mobile devices) on our site to help us keep track of certain aspects of your visit. They are used for example, so that we can remember whether you are logged in, what you’ve placed in your cart or wish list, to help you navigate the site and to advertise to you on other digital properties. These cookies and similar types of files do not contain any of your Personally Identifiable Information. You can control “cookie” preferences through your browser – even refusing them completely. Some aspects of this website will not function well if you set your browser to refuse cookies from us. Further information on cookies is available at www.allaboutcookies.org.

Each page on our site contains code that sends information related to your usage of the Services to a third party service provider when that page is viewed. This allows us to keep track of how many people are viewing each page, which are the most popular features of the site, etc. These page tags contain no Personally Identifiable Information about the visitor.

We will obtain cookie data about you from Google Analytics. For information regarding Google’s data practices, please visit https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245.

Location information

For some Services, our third-party agents and analytics companies may collect location information, including location information associated with your IP address or wifi network.

Social Media Platforms and Plugins

If you are a member of a social media network, such as Twitter or Google+, a cookie may be sent to that network when you access a page of our Site that links to their website through a plugin (such as Facebook “Like” or Google “+1” buttons), and register or log into your account at their platform. That may enable the network and us to link your activities with your personal registration information at their site, and may include notifying your friends or connections about your activities at our site, and using tracking technologies to monitor your online activities in order to serve targeted ads. The social media networks’ privacy policy and terms apply to your use of their platforms. Your browser or device may allow you to block these technologies but you should visit the third party website and review their privacy policy and your registration profile or account to find out any options.

Partners

This site may contain links to third-party sites. These other websites have their own terms and privacy policies. Nothing in this document relates to the privacy policies of any other website.

Disclosure of Your Information to Third Parties and Operational Service Providers

It is our policy not to sell, rent, lease or disclose your Personally Identifiable Information to other organizations except to support the services offered on this site. We have contracted with operational service providers to manage certain aspects of this site, including online shopping. When you enter information for the purpose of purchasing something, that information will be shared with our operational service provider who will need to know things like your name, address, etc., to complete your transaction. Our operational service providers are required to follow the terms of this privacy policy, and are not allowed to use your Personally Identifiable Information for any purpose other than that specified by us or to share your information with any other entity.
We may make your Personally Identifiable Information or other information we collect from you available to governmental entities if required by law or to comply with legal process, to protect and defend our rights or property, and in emergency situations to protect the personal safety of us, our users, or the public. In the event of a significant change in the nature of our company such as a sale, bankruptcy or merger, your Personally Identifiable Information or other information we collect from you may be transferred to a new corporate entity and subject to a different Privacy Policy.

Transactional Security

We maintain reasonable security procedures to help protect against loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration or destruction of the information you provide to us. We employ a 256-bit (SHA-256) hashing algorithm with a 2048-bit signing certificate for encryption on all transactions. To make sure that your purchase is secure, please use your web browser to confirm that encryption has been detected. Please note that no data transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be 100% secure due to the inherent open nature of the Internet. As a result, we cannot guarantee or warrant the security of any information you disclose or transmit to us online and cannot be responsible for the theft, destruction, or inadvertent disclosure of your information.

Governing Law

The Services are operated in the United States and in accordance with the laws of the United States.

The Services may not be operated in accordance with the laws of other nations. If you are located outside of the United States, you do so at your own risk and are responsible for compliance with any applicable local and national laws. Please be aware that any information you transfer to us will be transferred to the United States and subject to United States’ law. By using this website, participating in any activities, and/or providing us with information, you consent to this transfer of information to the United States, and waive any claims that may arise under your own local and national laws. Your continued participation on this website indicates your acceptance of this Privacy Policy.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns regarding our Privacy Policy or any privacy issues, please don’t hesitate to contact us! We can be reached by email at compliance@abramsbooks.com or at the address below:

Abrams
195 Broadway, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10007

Jurisdiction-Specific Rights

California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident under the age of 18, and a registered user of any site where this policy is posted, California Business and Professions Code Section 22581 permits you to request and obtain removal of content or information you have publicly posted. To make such a request, please send an email with a detailed description of the specific content or information to compliance@abramsbooks.com. Please be aware that such a request does not ensure complete or comprehensive removal of the content or information you have posted and that there may be circumstances in which the law does not require or allow removal even if requested.

CCPA and Other State Privacy Laws

If you reside in California or in a jurisdiction that provides similar rights, under the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”) or applicable law, you have specific rights regarding your personal information. This section describes the rights that California Consumers have, and residents of other jurisdictions may have, (subject, in all cases, to any limitations set forth in the CCPA or applicable law) and explains how to exercise those rights.

Information We Collect; How We Collect It; How We Use It

We collect information (some of which may also constitute Personally Identifiable Information) that identifies, relates to, describes, references, or is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or household. The CCPA refers to such information as “personal information”. As used herein, “personal information” does not include:

  • Information that is lawfully made available from federal, state or local government records.
  • Deidentified or aggregated information.
  • Information excluded from the scope of the CCPA.

We collect, and have collected within the last twelve months, the following categories of personal information and we share personal information with the following categories of third parties:

Category Examples Categories of Third Parties With Whom We Share Personal Information
Personal identifiers First and last name, billing and mailing addresses, e-mail address, phone number, and internet protocol (IP) address. Service Providers. We have contracted with operational service providers to manage certain aspects of this site, including online shopping and payment processing, and to develop our website.
With our authors, when you opt-in to sharing your information with them to receive newsletters.
Personal information covered by the California Customer Records statute (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.80(e)) First and last name, mailing address, phone number, and credit or debit card number. Some personal information included in this category may overlap with other categories. Service Providers. We have contracted with operational service providers to manage certain aspects of this site, including online shopping and payment processing.
With our authors, when you opt-in to sharing your information with them to receive newsletters.
Protected classification characteristics under California or federal law Age, only for legal compliance purposes.
Commercial Information Records of products purchased, obtained, or considered, or other purchasing or consuming histories or tendencies. Service providers. We have contracted with operational service providers to distribute goods that you have purchased.
Internet or other similar network activity Browser version information and pages viewed and activities on our Services. Service providers, including data analytics providers.
Social media networks.
Location data Data associated with your IP address or wifi network.

In addition to the purposes described in What Information Does Abrams Collect from Children Under 13 and How Is It Used?; How Does Abrams Use Personal Contact Information Collected from Consumers 13 and Older?; and Disclosure of Your Information to Third Parties and Operational Service Providers, each of these categories of personal information may be collected, used and disclosed:

  • As described to you when collecting your personal information or as otherwise set forth in the CCPA.
  • To fulfill or meet the reason you provided the information. For example, if you share your name and contact information to ask a question about our products or services, we will use that personal information to respond to your inquiry. If you provide your personal information to purchase a product or service, we will use that information to process your payment and facilitate delivery. We may also save your information to facilitate new product orders or process returns.
  • To personalize your Website experience and to deliver content and product and service offerings relevant to your interests, including targeted offers and ads through our Website and via email or text message (with your consent, where required by law).
  • To send you information you have requested (like an email newsletter).
  • To register you to enable your use of our Sites or other Services (such as our E-Card or E-mail-a-Friend functions).
  • For internal research for technological development and demonstration and to improve, upgrade or enhance our products or services.
  • To detect security incidents, protecting against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity, and prosecuting those responsible for that activity

Sharing of Personal Information

We may disclose your personal information to a third party for a business purpose. The chart found above under Information We Collect; How We Collect It; How We Use It lists the categories of third parties with which we may share your personal information.

Disclosures of Personal Information for a Business Purpose

In the preceding twelve (12) months, Abrams has disclosed the following categories of personal information for a business purposes:

  • Personal identifiers.
  • California Customer Records personal information categories.
  • Protected classification characteristics under California or federal law.
  • Commercial information.
  • Internet or other similar network activity.

See above under Information We Collect; How We Collect It; How We Use It for more information regarding each category.

Right to Opt-Out of Sales of Personal Information

The CCPA provides California Consumers the right to direct businesses to not sell their personal information at any time (the “right to opt-out”). In the preceding twelve (12) months, Abrams has not sold personal information (including the personal information of minors under 16 years old), and Abrams will not sell any personal information, including the personal information of minors.

Right to Know About Personal Information Collected, Disclosed or Sold

You have the right to request that we disclose certain information to you about our collection, use, disclosure or sale of your personal information over the past 12 months. Once we receive and confirm your verifiable consumer request (see Exercising Access and Deletion Rights), and subject to certain limitations that we describe below, we will disclose such information. You have the right to request any or all of the following:

  • The categories of personal information we collected about you.
  • The categories of sources from which the personal information is collected.
  • Our business or commercial purpose for collecting or selling that personal information.
  • The categories of third parties with whom we share your personal information.
  • The categories of personal information that we sold, and the categories of third parties to whom we sold each category of personal information.
  • The categories of personal information that we disclosed for a business purpose, and the categories of third parties to whom we disclosed each category of personal information.
  • The specific pieces of personal information we collected about you (also called a data portability request).

Right to Request Deletion

You have the right to request that we delete any of your personal information that we collected from you and retained, subject to certain exceptions. Once we receive and confirm your verifiable consumer request (See Exercising Access and Deletion Rights), we will delete (and direct our service providers to delete) your personal information from our records. However, we may retain personal information that has been de-identified or aggregated. Furthermore, we may deny your deletion request if retaining the information is necessary for us or our service provider(s) in order to perform certain actions set forth under CCPA, such as detecting security incidents and protecting against illegal activity.

Exercising Access and Deletion Rights

  • To exercise the access, data portability, and deletion rights described above, please submit a verifiable consumer request to us by either:
    Calling us at 800-345-1359.
  • Emailing compliance@abramsbooks.com

Only you, or a person or a business registered with the California Secretary of State (for California Consumers) that you authorize to act on your behalf, may make a verifiable consumer request related to your personal information. You may also make a verifiable consumer request on behalf of your minor child.

The request should include your contact information and describe your request with sufficient detail that allows us to properly understand, evaluate, and respond to it. In addition, you should provide sufficient information (including full name, billing address, including zip code) that allows us to reasonably verify that you are the person about whom we collected the personal information or an authorized representative.
For more information about verification, see Response Timing and Format.

Response Timing and Format

We will respond to consumer requests in a reasonably timely manner. If we require extra time to respond, we will inform you of the reason and extension period in writing. In order to protect the security of your personal information, we will not honor a request if we cannot verify your identity or authority to make the request and confirm the personal information relates to you.

The method used to verify your identity will depend on the type, sensitivity and value of the information, including the risk of harm to you posed by any authorized access or deletion. Generally speaking, verification will be performed by matching the identifying information provided by you to the personal information that we already have.

Any disclosures we provide will only cover the 12-month period preceding our receipt of your request (and will not be made more than twice in a 12-month period). If we cannot comply with a request, or cannot fully comply with a request, the response we provide will also explain the reasons we cannot comply.

We do not charge a fee to process or respond to your verifiable consumer request unless it is excessive, repetitive, or manifestly unfounded. If we determine that the request warrants a fee, we will tell you why we made that decision and provide you with a cost estimate before completing your request.

Non-Discrimination

We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights, including, but not limited to, by:

  • Denying you goods or services.
  • Charging you different prices or rates for goods or services, including through granting discounts or other benefits, or imposing penalties.
  • Providing you a different level or quality of goods or services.
  • Suggesting that you may receive a different price or rate for goods or services or a different level or quality of goods or services.

Nevada Privacy Rights

If you are a Nevada resident, you have the right to request that we do not sell your covered information (as those terms are defined in N.R.S. 603A) that we have collected, or may collect, from you. We do not sell your covered information, however, if you would like to make such a request you may do so by contacting us at compliance@abramsbooks.com

Effective Date: This privacy policy is effective and was last updated on June 15th, 2020.