BMW Privacy Policy
Effective 01/28/2019
1. General Privacy Statement
This Privacy Policy outlines the types of information BMW of North America, LLC, its subsidiaries, affiliates, service providers, authorized third parties and its agents (collectively referred to herein as 'BMW NA') may collect through your use of any BMW NA website, or that you provide to BMW NA through other means, such as the BMW apps (the 'Sites'); how BMW NA may collect, use, or share information related to your use of the Sites; steps BMW NA takes to protect this information; and choices you are provided with respect to the use of this information.
To access the Privacy Policy for BMW Assist™, click here.
By visiting the Sites you understand and agree to the terms as outlined in this Privacy Policy. As business conditions change, we will update this policy to reflect changes in our business practices. We reserve the right to change our Privacy Policy at any time, but we will post revisions to our policy on our Sites and/or provide other notification before we do so as appropriate.
2. Online Privacy and Security
We appreciate the trust you place in BMW and would not want to jeopardize your trust in any way. Your privacy on the Internet is as important to us as your safety when driving a BMW which is why we at BMW Group Company believe in an active approach to safeguarding your privacy online.
3. Confidentiality
In certain areas of the Sites you may choose to share personal information with us, such as your name, address, location information, or even your driving interests. We may use this information for marketing research and other marketing and service related purposes like sending brochures you request and keeping in touch by email. We may share generic aggregated demographic information not linked to any personal information regarding visitors and users with our business partners, service providers, trusted affiliates and advertisers. With the limited exceptions below, we will not disclose any personal information you choose to share with us with anyone outside BMW or outside our related companies or business partners all of whom are contractually obligated to keep personal information confidential:
- We may share your personal information with a third party in the event that a division or product line of BMW NA is bought, sold or otherwise transferred, or is in the process of a potential transaction as among the transferred business assets, and so that the buyer of that product line or division can continue to provide you with information and services.
- We reserve the right to disclose your personal information to respond to authorized information requests from government authorities, subpoenas or other litigation process or to protect the interests or safety of the Sites' visitors, customers, employees, or others, to address national security situations, or when otherwise required by law. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for fraud protection and credit risk reduction.
Without your specific permission, we will never transfer your personal information to any third party for that third party's marketing purposes.
A. What information does BMW collect?
As part of providing you with our products and services, we obtain 'personal information' about you, such as your name, address, email and phone number, when you submit such information to us. We also may obtain such information from third parties. 'Personal information' means information that identifies you or could reasonably be used to identify you. We also may collect other information about your visits to our Sites and other car buying activities you undertake during or after your visit to the Sites without you actively submitting such information. This information may include, for example: your browser type and language, your operating system, your Internet Protocol (IP) address, the URLs of websites you visited before and after visiting our Sites, the web search that landed you on our Sites, the web pages and advertisements you view, and the links you click on within our Sites. For more information, see Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies below.
B. How does BMW use my personal information?
Our primary goal in collecting personal information from you is to facilitate efficient transactions and provide you with information regarding relevant products and services. We may also use your personal information to improve the Sites, notify you about updates to the Sites, and for internal business analysis or other business purposes consistent with our mission and to carry out other purposes that are disclosed to you and to which you consent. BMW will not do anything to jeopardize your trust, including renting or selling your personal information, except as specifically described in our policies.
C. What information does BMW share?
We share personal information with BMW NA affiliated companies as well as non-affiliated companies that provide services on our behalf. All of these companies are contractually obligated to keep the personal information that we provide to them confidential and to use such information only to provide the services we ask them to perform. We also share personal information with non-affiliated companies that market our products and services such as our authorized BMW dealers who are distinct entities and have their own privacy policies.
D. Is my personal information secure?
We maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards designed to protect personal information. We also employ encryption technologies and user authentication procedures that are designed to keep your data secure. We limit access to personal information to authorized personnel, contractors and business partners who need access to perform their job and are contractually required to keep your information secure.
E. Correcting/Updating Personal Information
When a user's personal information changes (such as ZIP code) or if a user no longer is interested in our service and we are notified of such changes, we will endeavor to correct or update that user's personal information. In addition, the personal information in your online profile can be updated by you at any time in the 'View / Edit My Profile' section of My BMW. All personal information stored in your online My BMW profile requires a unique password and Login ID to access it (your BMW Login). With this password you can edit, delete or add to information you have shared while visiting our Sites. Additionally, the information you include in a credit application is secure while in transit to us.
F. Opting Out of SMS Messages
BMW and its affiliates will never send an SMS message to you without your written or digital consent for each event-based interaction you have with BMW. Event-based interactions include BMW-sponsored events, test drive experiences and vehicle service requests. Each event-based interaction with BMW provides an opportunity to give SMS consent and requires a separate opt-out for each event. At any time, you may discontinue receiving SMS messages by sending the SMS message “STOP” in response to the BMW message you received or by following other instructions provided in the last BMW message received for that event. Opting into SMS messages from a BMW dealer or indicating an SMS preference for dealer contact is not covered by this policy.
G. Privacy of Children
We do not knowingly collect or use any personal information from children (we define 'children' as minors younger than 13) on our Sites without prior, verifiable parental consent. We do not knowingly allow children to order our products, communicate with us, or use any of our online services.
If you become aware that a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at privacy@bmwusa.com or write: BMW of North America, Privacy Office, PO Box 1227, Westwood NJ 07675-1227. We will take all reasonable measures to delete the information as soon as possible and to not use such information for any purpose, except where necessary to protect the safety of the child or others as required by law.
H. BMW Financial Services
In addition to the information disclosed by this policy, BMW Financial Services NA, LLC (“BMW FS”) may collect information about you to provide you financial services online. BMW FS is a separate entity from BMW NA, but you may access services offered by BMW FS through the BMWUSA.com site. Information collected by BMW FS is stored separately from information collected by BMW NA. The collection, use, and sharing of your financial information by BMW FS on its websites and apps is governed by this policy and additional notices that may be provided to you on BMW FS portions of the site. The collection and sharing of your personal information about your BMW FS accounts is governed by the BMW FS Privacy Notice. Information collected by BMW FS may include your name, address, email address, mobile telephone number, and others that BMW FS may use to communicate with you about the products and services you are interested in. BMW FS may also collect personal information (such as your Social Security Number, income, employment information, and others) about you to pre-qualify, pre-approve, or approve you for financial services products. Upon your request, BMW FS may conduct a soft credit pull from credit reporting agencies to pre-qualify you for its products. Upon your request, BMW FS may also conduct a hard credit pull from credit reporting agencies if you choose to continue your application for BMW FS products. BMW FS may share this information with its service providers to assist it in its decision-making, and the provision of these and other financial products to you. BMW FS may also share your personal information with authorized BMW Centers to provide you with the products you have requested.
4. Links to Other Sites
Though our Sites contain links to other sites, we are not responsible for the content, links or privacy on any of those sites. We recommend that you review the Privacy Policy applicable to those sites before accessing them.
5. Email Links
We use email links throughout the Sites to allow you to contact us directly with any questions or comments you may have. We read and try to reply promptly to everyone. Information in the message is used to respond directly to your comments or questions. We may also file your comments to improve the Sites and programs, or review and discard the information. Your personal information is not shared with third parties except as noted in Section 3 of this policy without your express permission.
6. Communication Preferences
You will only receive emails, mailings or app notifications from BMW NA if you have requested or agreed to be on our correspondence list. If you are currently on our email list and do not wish to receive further emails from us, simply click the 'unsubscribe' link in any BMW NA email. If you do not wish to receive further mailings from BMW NA, you can also call BMW Customer Relations at 800-831-1117. To prevent notification in BMW apps, you can do so by updating your settings on your mobile device. If you are receiving emails or mailings from any authorize BMW dealer, you must remove yourself from their list by calling them directly. BMW NA is not responsible for and cannot remove your information from a BMW dealer's communication list.
7. Phishing Scams
There is a type of e-mail solicitation commonly known as a 'phishing' scam, with the primary objective being to obtain one's personal information. This information can then be used to steal a person's identity. Examples of these types of scams are: requests for you to send passwords, login names, Social Security numbers, or other personal information through email, U.S. mail, fax or text message. BMW NA does not participate in this type of solicitation. Recipients of suspicious email like this should delete the message from their inbox and, if possible, update their e-mail filter settings to block emails from the e-mail address being used. The Federal Trade Commission and the Antiphishing Workgroup are also good sources of information about these types of security threats and how they may be reported to the authorities.
8. Fraud Warning
Get more details about recent fraudulent emails that you may have received. Learn More.
9. Sites Traffic Monitoring
We collect information about visits to our Sites by tracking Internet Protocol (IP) addresses or other identifiers. We use this information to determine how to make future visits more convenient and productive for all BMW enthusiasts. We may also collect device type, browser type, access time, and the URL where a user is entering or exiting the Sites.
A. What should I do when I have finished accessing confidential data?
When you have finished using a secure area of the BMW Sites, make sure you always click on the 'Log Out' link in the upper right corner of the web page. When you click on it, you will be given the option to end your secure session. No further secure transactions can be conducted without re-entering your BMW Login.
B. Why can I still see some of my account information even after I have left a secure area?
Browser software often 'caches' pages as you look at them, meaning that some pages are saved in your computer's temporary memory. Therefore, you may find that clicking on your back button shows you a saved version of a previously viewed page. Please keep in mind that caching in no way affects the security of your confidential BMW Login. If you use your computer in a public place, please read below.
C. What should I do if I am using a public computer?
If you use a computer that others also work on and you are uncomfortable that they may view 'cached' pages after you have left the station, quit/exit your browser software before leaving. This will decrease the possibility of anyone viewing confidential information. No other users will be able to access your account information online without your BMW Login.
10. Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies
Cookies and similar technologies save you the trouble of reentering certain information in some areas, help to deliver content-specific information to you, and track which sections of the Sites are most popular. A 'cookie' is actually a file that our webserver or the webserver of one of our third-party partners may send to your computer when you access one of our Sites. This file is then stored on your computer.
A. Why do we use cookies and other tracking technologies?
We use cookies and related technologies for the following purposes:
i. After you have entered personal information into a form or data field on our Sites, cookies enable the Sites to 'remember' that information, should you so choose. For example, in the registration area, cookies allow us to fill in your Login ID (email address) for you. Similarly, cookies allow us to save the information you have entered into the Build Your Own feature. The Build Your Own feature allows users to build their ideal BMW and save it on our server. We use a cookie to identify which saved vehicle you customized.
ii. Cookies and other passive information collection technologies enable us to deliver content that is tailored to your interests and preferences based on your past activity on the Sites.
iii. Cookies and other passive information collection technologies enable us to compile aggregate statistics concerning use of the Sites, analyze trends, and otherwise administer and improve the Sites.
B. What types of cookies and other tracking technologies do we use?
Our Sites may use the following types of cookies and tracking technologies, among others:
i. 'Session' cookies: Session cookies are temporary bits of information that are erased once you exit your web browser window or otherwise turn your computer off. Session cookies are used, for example, to improve navigation on our Sites, block visitors from providing information where inappropriate (e.g., the website may remember previous entries of age that are outside the permitted parameters and block subsequent changes) and to collect aggregated statistical information.
ii. 'Persistent' cookies: Persistent cookies are more permanent bits of information that are placed on the hard drive of your computer and stay there unless you delete the cookie. Persistent cookies store information on your computer for a number of purposes, such as retrieving certain information you have previously provided (e.g., Login ID), helping to determine what areas of the website visitors find most valuable, and customizing the website based on your preferences on an ongoing basis.
C. 'Web beacons' (also known as internet tags, single-pixel GIFs, clear GIFs, and invisible GIFs): A web beacon is a tiny graphic on a web page or in an email message that is used to track pages viewed or messages opened. Web beacons tell the Sites server information such as the IP address and browser type related to the visitor's computer. Web beacons may be placed on online advertisements that bring people to our Sites and on different pages of our Sites. Web beacons provide us with information on how many times a page is opened and which information is consulted.
D. Why do we allow third-party partners to place cookies on your computer?
Like most advertisers, we place advertisements where we think they will be most relevant to customers. One way we do so is by allowing network advertising companies with whom we work to place their own cookies or similar markers when an individual visits our Sites. This enables the network advertising company to recognize individuals who have previously visited our Sites. When the individual visits a third-party website on which that network advertising company has purchased ad space, the advertising company can then recognize the individual's interest in BMW products and services and deliver one of our advertisements.
E. What choices do I have regarding the delivery of targeted advertisements on third-party sites?
BMW of North America adheres to the Digital Advertising Alliance's Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising (www.AboutAds.info). The Digital Advertising Alliance maintains a website where consumers can opt out from receiving interest-based advertising from some or all of the network advertising companies participating in the program (www.AboutAds.info/choices).
In addition, most internet browsers allow you to change your browser settings to notify you when you receive a cookie, which lets you choose whether or not to accept it, or to automatically refuse all cookies. Please be aware that some functionality of our Sites that relies on the use of cookies may not be available should you choose to refuse all cookies. In addition, because BMW NA does not control these management tools, we cannot guarantee their effectiveness.
11. Do Not Track
Do Not Track (DNT) is a privacy preference that users can set in some web browsers, allowing users to opt out of tracking by websites and online services. At the present time, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has not yet established universal standards for recognizable DNT signals and therefore, BMW NA and the Sites do not recognize DNT.
12. Questions and Comments
Please feel free to send your privacy-related comments or questions to privacy@bmwusa.com or write: BMW of North America, Privacy Office, PO Box 1227, Westwood NJ 07675-1227. You may also call BMW Customer Relations at 800-831-1117. Prompt 'Customer Relations.' Customer telephone calls may be recorded to protect you and our staff. In all written communications, please indicate that you are writing concerning BMWUSA.com or My BMW. We will do our best to respond to all reasonable inquiries in a timely manner.
