Children's online privacy is a very important facet of the Internet. CompUSA.com is committed to providing a secure environment, while allowing children 13 and under to explore our site and have an enjoyable online experience. We understand the importance of safeguarding their personal information and attempt to collect only what is necessary for their privacy and security. The following Frequently Asked Questions will help parents and children understand how we collect, use and share information about you and your children on CompUSA.com.
What is personally identifiable information?
According to the Children's Online Privacy and Protection Act, personally identifiable
information includes any of the following:
What types of information does CompUSA.com collect from children under 13?
General use of site:
Children can surf CompUSA.com and view content without any personally identifiable
information being collected. If any user, regardless of age, visits CompUSA.com he/she
has the option to register on our site to receive product information and specials via
e-mail or be entered into periodic contests. E-mail registration is not required for
general use of the site. If a user chooses to register with CompUSA.com, we collect
limited information such as name, e-mail address and password. We assume any user
registering on our site is upfront and honest regarding their personal information.
If a user is identified as being under the age of 13, we will request a parent's e-mail
address to verify consent of the child's use of the site. CompUSA.com will send a
request for permission to the parent's e-mail address. If a parent does not give express
permission for his child to use our site within 72 hours, the child's information will
be dropped from our database. Online contests require a name, physical address, telephone
number (used as an alternate method to notify winner) e-mail address and parent's or
guardian's e-mail address. Notification of prizewinner will be sent to the parent or
guardian's e-mail address.
Purchasing items on CompUSA.com:
In order to purchase from CompUSA.com, a user must establish an account with us. We use
account information (name, e-mail address, phone number, mailing address and credit card
information) to process your order. This information is stored in a secure database and
is only accessible to CompUSA employees with proper clearance. We do not recommend any
child under the age of 18 purchase items on our sites without a parent or guardian present.
How does CompUSA.com use and share the information collected?
We respect your privacy and understand the importance of data security. Any personal
information CompUSA.com collects from children under 13 is kept confidential. CompUSA
reserves the right to market to the child who provided the information, assuming parental
consent is granted (if under the age of 13). Even though we may collect personally identifiable
information for online contests, notification of winners is sent to the parent's e-mail
address given at point of contest registration.
CompUSA.com may use the information we collect to improve our web site design and content and analyze site usage by age, location, etc. For these purposes, CompUSA contracts with third party service partners. These partners provide us with data collection, storage and reporting services only and are restricted from using your child's information in any way, other than to help us make our site more useful to our visitors. Service partners are required to sign confidentiality agreements and will abide by CompUSA's privacy policies. To opt-out of having your child's personal information available to our service partners, please click here.
When required by law, we will disclose information we collect to comply with a court order, subpoena or law enforcement agency request.
Our site does contain links to other sites. These sites may have varying practices for the collection of personal information. CompUSA.com is not responsible for the privacy or content of such web sites. Users should consult the privacy statement of the site they wish to link in order to determine their policies.
Does CompUSA.com notify parents of the collection of personal information for children under 13?
If a child registers on CompUSA.com and we determine that said child is under the age of 13,
we will send an e-mail notification to their parent or guardian asking express permission for
their child to use/receive information from compusa.com. If we do not receive parental consent
within 72 hours, the child's information will be deleted from our database. If a child registers
on CompUSA.com and we receive parental consent, parents will only be notified again in the event
their child has won a contest or if our information collection practices change.
Parents may choose to review, edit or delete the information we have collected regarding their child. In order to access your child's account, you must have their e-mail address and password.
What are "cookies" and how do they affect online privacy?
A cookie is a small information file stored on your machine that serves as an identifier. Cookies
alone do not contain any personally identifiable information. Although cookies are not required,
we use them to make web shopping easier for you. If you choose, you can disable cookies on your
computer by indicating this in your options menu on your PC browser.
For more information on secure shopping online, please click here.
Questions/Comments regarding children's online safety?
If you have any questions or comments regarding CompUSA.com privacy policies/practices, please
contact us at [email protected] or phone at 1-800-653-3831.
For correspondence via mail:
CompUSA
Attn. Legal Dept. – COPPA compliance
14951 North Dallas Parkway
Dallas, Texas 75254
To find out more about children's online privacy, visit www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/kidzprivacy
