Introduction
We know privacy is important to you. We encourage you to read this Privacy Policy to understand the information we collect, how we use it, and the choices available to you.
This Privacy Policy applies to the information we collect about you in the course of our business, including through Bose websites and online forums, products, mobile applications, services, marketing activities, research, retail locations, and other online or offline offerings operated by or on behalf of Bose. We refer to these products, services, and offerings collectively as the “Services.”
By using the Services, you agree to this Privacy Policy and that we may process, transfer, and store your information in the United States.
When we use the terms “Bose,” “we,” or “us” in this Privacy Policy, we’re referring to the Bose family of companies, which means Bose Corporation and its affiliated entities under common ownership and control. Your information is controlled by one of these entities. The list of our Data Controllers can be found in our “Bose contact information” section below.
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The information we collect
The information we collect about you depends on the Services you use, how you use them, and the information you provide to us.
We collect information in three main ways: (1) information you choose to provide to us; (2) information we collect automatically through technology when you use the Services; and (3) information we collect from other sources.
Information you choose to provide to us
When you use our Services, you may choose to provide certain information to us. For example, we collect information directly from you when you place an order and purchase from us, create or use a Bose account, register your product, post comments, photos, or videos to the Services, participate in Bose surveys or research, or communicate and interact with us.
Some of the most common categories of information we collect directly from you include:
Contact and account information, such as name, address, telephone number, email address, and login credentials, including your My Bose account information.
Financial and transactional information, such as credit card information, and purchase and transaction history.
Customer service interaction information, such as messages submitted to us through online forms or email, and summaries or voice or video recordings of interactions with our customer service personnel.
Information you provide in connection with surveys and sweepstakes, such as your interests, preferences, demographic data (e.g., gender), photos and videos, and information needed for you to participate and for us to fulfill your prize or participation incentives (if any).
Employment application information. If you are applying for a job with Bose, we may collect information such as contact information, background information, and employment qualifications and history.
Information we collect automatically through technology when you use the Services
When you use our Services, we may automatically collect certain information. We use a variety of third-party technologies, including cookies and similar tools, to assist in collecting this information. Please refer to our Cookies Notice and “Online Analytics and Advertising” section below for further information.
Some of the information we automatically collect when you use our Services includes:
Information about your access to and use of Bose websites and emails, such as your IP address, browser language, the state or country from which you accessed the Services, software and hardware attributes (including device IDs, operating system, and browser type), referring and exit URLs, the links you click and files you download, pages viewed and the order of those pages, the amount of time spent on particular pages, the terms you use in searches on our websites, the date and time you accessed our websites or opened our emails, and other similar information.
Information about your use of Bose products, mobile applications, and other software, including:
Information about your Bose product or software, such as your product’s serial number, operating system version, MAC address, software version, battery life, error logs, system updates, and the name you assigned to your product.
Information about the devices and network you connect to your Bose product or software, such as your Internet connection type and service provider, IP address, SSID, wireless connection quality/signal strength, error logs, unique identifiers associated with the computer, tablet, or mobile device used with your Bose product or software, and its device operating system and browser type.
Information about the services and content you access via your Bose product or software, such as media, external sources, and third-party services you connect to your Bose product or software, user IDs service tokens that allow you to access and sync to your third-party accounts, and content accessed via your product or software (e.g., sleep tracks, stations, playlists, artists, albums, songs, or podcasts).
Usage and interaction information, such as date and time spent using different features of your product or software, sensor data (e.g., head orientation and movement), button presses, volume levels, system presets, and environmental data (e.g., noise levels and audio frequencies of sounds around you).
Location information. In addition to general location information (e.g., city/state) which may be collected or derived from your IP address, some of our mobile applications will request your precise location information via GPS-based functionality to allow certain features to work (e.g. enabling you to locate a lost or stolen product, providing access to local radio stations). We will always ask your permission in accordance with your mobile device settings before we collect or use precise location information.
Information we collect at retail locations, such as information about your mobile device or network when you choose to connect your device to Bose digital displays or scan QR codes in retail locations (e.g., device type, operating system, the name you assigned to your device, IP address).
Information we collect from other sources
We may receive information about you from other sources, such as business partners, marketers, researchers, analysts, social network services, and other parties to help us supplement our records.
If you access our Services through a third-party website, application, or social media platform (such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Facebook), we may receive information about you from that third-party site, application, or platform, depending on the third-party’s data practices and your settings (for example, your name, user name, email address, and comments or content you post). Bose is not responsible for the content or practices of third-party websites, applications, or platforms. We urge you to read the privacy and security policies of any third-party websites, applications, or social media platforms you choose to use.
Public forums
Certain features of our Services make it possible for you to share comments, photos, or other content publicly with other users, such as a Bose forum or a social networking site. Any information that you submit through these features is not confidential, and Bose may use it for any purpose (including in testimonials or other marketing materials). For example, if you submit a product review on one of our sites, we may display your review (along with the name you provide, if any) on other Bose websites, and on third-party websites. Any information you post openly in these ways will be available to the public at large and potentially accessible through third-party search engines. Accordingly, please take care when using these features.
De-identified data
We may de-identify information we collect so the information cannot reasonably identify you or your device, or we may collect information that is already in de-identified form. Our use and disclosure of de-identified information is not subject to any restrictions under this Privacy Policy, and we may use and disclose it to others for any purpose, without limitation.
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Cookies and similar technologies
We collect information through cookies and other similar technologies, including when you visit our websites and use our applications. Please see our Cookies Notice to learn more.
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Online analytics and advertising
Online analytics
We may use third-party analytics services on our Services (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics). These service providers may set and access their own cookies, pixel tags, and similar technologies on our Services and on third-party services to collect information that can be used to track users over time and across services. These analytics services help us understand how users arrive at and use our Services.
If you do not want Google Analytics to collect and use information about your use of our websites, then you can install an opt-out in your web browser. You also may opt-out from Google Analytics for Display Advertising or the Google Display Network by using Google’s Ads Settings.
To learn more about Adobe’s privacy practices and to make choices regarding their tracking activities, please visit Adobe’s website.
Online advertising
Bose strives to provide you with relevant, value-added content in our online advertisements. We do not serve third-party advertisements to you while using our Services. However, we do work with online analytics and advertising partners to deliver Bose advertisements on third-party websites and to better tailor our own ads and communications on our Services.
Our partners may also place cookies, pixel tags and similar technologies on many online services, including ours. They use these technologies to collect information about your activities on these services in order to deliver you more relevant advertising. For example, they may use the information they collect from their cookies on our Services to identify Bose products and services you might be interested in and to recognize your device so they can show you relevant Bose advertisements while you are using our Services and other services. Additionally, we sometimes provide basic information we collect (such as email addresses) to service providers, who may “match” this information in de-identified form to cookies, mobile ad identifiers, and other proprietary IDs, in order to provide you with more relevant ads when you visit other online services.
You can learn about how to opt out of receiving personalized online advertisements from our advertising partners by following the instructions in our Cookies Notice in the “Cookie management” section.
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How we use your information
Bose may use the information we collect in the following ways:
To provide the services you have requested, such as complete a purchase, provide customer support, or integrate with streaming services you select.
To communicate with you, for example, keeping you posted on purchases, shipments, product/software updates, and changes to our terms, conditions and policies.
For marketing and advertising purposes, including providing you with the latest product announcements, promotions, and information about upcoming events.
To personalize your experience and customize the Services, such as delivering relevant content and recommending features through our Services.
To improve our Services, including bug detection and error reporting, to understand how users interact with our Services and advertisements, improve usability and effectiveness of our products, perform research and analytics, and to test and create new products, features, and services.
For our business operations, including maintaining your account, reviewing and processing employment applications, and for security, fraud prevention, and legal compliance, such as detecting security incidents and protecting against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity.
To recognize users across Bose Services, personal devices, and browsers. Sometimes, we or our service providers may use the information we collect (for example, username, IP address, and unique device identifiers) to try to identify the same unique user across multiple Bose Services, personal devices (such as smartphones, tablets), and browsers (such as Safari and Chrome), to provide you with a more seamless and personalized experience across these different Services, devices, and browsers.
Other purposes for which we seek your consent. We may also use your information for a specific purpose that we communicate to you. We will ask for your consent to process your information for such purpose in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
The laws in some jurisdictions require companies to tell you about the legal grounds they rely on to process your information. Our legal bases for processing your information as described in this Privacy Policy are as follows:
- Where use of your information is necessary to perform our obligations under a contract or commitment to you. For example, to provide the services you’ve requested from us, or to comply with our website terms of service.
- Where use of your information furthers our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of others. For example, to provide security for our Services, operate our business and our Services, make and receive payments, defend our legal rights, and prevent fraud.
- Where we use your information to comply with applicable legal obligations. For example, keeping track of purchases for tax and auditing purposes.
- Where you have consented to our processing of your information for a particular purpose.
For the purposes discussed in this Privacy Policy, we may combine the information that we collect through the Services with information that we receive from other sources, both online and offline, and use such combined information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
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How we share and disclose your information
Bose may share your information in the following ways:
Affiliated entities
We may share information within the Bose family of companies to deliver the Services, operate our business, and enhance our Services and your customer experience.
Service providers
We use select third-party vendors to help us provide our Services and operate our business, and we may provide access to or share your information with these vendors. They provide a variety of services to us, including customer service, payment processing, shipping, sales and marketing, product design and development, data storage, security, fraud prevention, research, and legal services. These service providers are permitted to access and use your information for purposes of performing services for Bose or to comply with applicable legal requirements.
Third-party platforms, websites, applications, and services
When you initiate a connection with a third-party platform, website, application, or service through our Services, we will share information about you that is required to enable delivery of the third-party content or service (e.g., your streaming service login credentials or telling Amazon Alexa to play your music). If you choose to initiate these connections, you agree that the third-party’s policies and terms, and not Bose’s, govern your use of those third-party platforms, websites, applications, and services. We urge you to read the privacy and security policies of these third parties.
Protection of Bose and others
We may disclose the information we collect about you if required to do so by law or in a good faith belief that such disclosure is reasonably necessary to: (a) comply with legal process (for example, a subpoena or court order); (b) enforce our terms of service or sale, this Privacy Policy, or other contracts with you, including investigation of potential violations; (c) respond to claims that any content violates the rights of third parties; or (d) protect the rights, property, or personal safety of Bose or others.
Business transfers
As we continue to develop our business, we may buy, merge, or partner with other companies. In such transactions, including in contemplation of such transactions, your information may be among the transferred assets. If a portion or all of Bose’s assets are sold or transferred to a third party, we may share or transfer your information as part of the transaction.
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Children’s privacy
Our Services are intended for general audiences and are not directed at children. If we become aware that we have collected data without legally valid parental consent from children under an age where such consent is required, we will take reasonable steps to delete it as soon as possible.
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Security and retention of your information
Security of your information
We are committed to protecting your information. We use a variety of technical, physical, and organizational security measures designed to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction of information. However, no security measures are perfect or impenetrable. As such, we cannot guarantee the security of your information.
When using a My Bose account, it’s important that you select a strong password and do not share it with others. Alert us immediately if you have any concerns about unauthorized use of your account.
We regularly monitor our Services for possible vulnerabilities and attacks. If you have any concerns about the security of our Services, please contact us as detailed in the “Bose contact information” section below so they may be addressed and resolved in a timely and effective manner.
Retention of your information
We retain information for different periods of time depending on the purposes for which we collect and use it, as described in this Privacy Policy. We will delete or de-identify information when it is no longer needed to fulfill these purposes, unless a longer retention period is required to comply with applicable laws. There may be technical or other operational reasons where we are unable to fully delete or de-identify your information. Where this is the case, we will take reasonable measures to prevent further processing your information.
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Your controls and choices
We provide you with the ability to exercise certain controls and choices regarding our collection, use, and sharing of your information. Your legal rights to exercise such controls and choices vary based on the laws of your jurisdiction.
You may request the following by completing our online request form or by contacting us as detailed in the “Bose contact information” section below:
- Access to, or a copy of, your information
- Correction or amendment of your information
- Deletion of your information
- Transfer of your information to a third party
- Restriction or objection to certain uses of your information
If you have provided consent for us to use your information for a specific purpose, you may also request to withdraw that consent.
We may ask you to provide us with information necessary to reasonably verify your identity before responding to your request. We will consider all requests and provide our response within the time period required by applicable law. Please note, however, that certain information may be exempt from such requests.
You also have the choice to exercise the following controls regarding your information:
Limit the information you provide to us. When you interact with us, you can choose to limit the information you provide. However, if you choose to do so, you may not be able to take advantage of many of our Services, and we may not be able to fulfill your requests.
Update or close your My Bose account. You can update your account sign in details and profile information by logging into your My Bose account. To close your account please fill out our online request form or contact us as detailed in the “Bose contact information” section below. Please note, if you choose to delete your account, you will not be able to access any Services where you sign in with that account and you may lose some features of your Bose products and services that are connected to that account.
Adjust your marketing and communication preferences:
Opt out of marketing from Bose by following the instructions located at the bottom of our email marketing messages or where available by logging into your My Bose account and adjusting your marketing communications preferences. Please note, opting out or unsubscribing will not prevent you from receiving communications about your orders, product/software updates, or other important notices such as changes to our terms and policies, which are not marketing in nature.
Opt out of push notifications from Bose within the settings menu of our mobile applications or your mobile device.
Opt-out of targeting cookies used for tailored advertising by following the instructions in our Cookies Notice under the “Cookie management” section.
Opt-out of cross-device tracking for advertising purposes by adjusting your preferences in your mobile device’s privacy settings. This feature may vary by mobile device; please see your device settings or contact your device manufacturer for more information.
Adjust your analytics preferences:
Adjust your analytics preferences in Bose mobile applications. Some of our mobile applications provide choices about our collection and use of mobile application-related information for analytics purposes. You can adjust these preferences through the settings menu in the application.
Disable analytics cookies managed by our third-party analytics partners by following the instructions in our Cookies Notice under the “Cookie management” section.
Adjust your location sharing settings in Bose mobile applications by disabling the location features on your mobile device. This feature may vary by mobile device; please see your device settings or contact your device manufacturer for more information.
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Additional information for certain jurisdictions
Information for California residents
If you are a California resident, California law requires us to provide you with the following additional information about the purpose for which we use each category of “personal information” (as defined in the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”)) we collect. For more information about each category and purpose of use, please see “The information we collect” and “How we use your information” sections above.