Privacy policy

(Revised on 26th July, 2024)

Neopets Shop values your privacy and is dedicated to safeguarding your personal data. This privacy policy outlines how we handle your personal data when you visit our website, regardless of your location, and explains your privacy rights as well as the legal protections afforded to you.

This privacy policy is structured in a layered format, allowing you to navigate through specific sections outlined below. 

1. Who We Are: Purpose and Declaration of this Privacy Policy

The purpose of this privacy policy is to inform you about how Neopets Shop gathers and handles your personal data when you use this website. This includes any information you may provide when subscribing to our newsletter, making a purchase, participating in activities organized by Neopets Shop, or engaging in other interactions.

Please note that this website is not directed towards children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from individuals under the age of 18.

It is important that you carefully review this privacy policy along with any other privacy or fair processing policies that may be provided on specific occasions when we collect or process your personal data. This will ensure that you fully understand the reasons and methods behind our use of your data. This privacy policy serves as a supplement to other notices and policies and does not supersede them.

This privacy policy is governed by Hong Kong law, unless a court determines that laws from another jurisdiction are more applicable.

WORLD OF NEOPETS LIMITED [“Neopets”] and its global affiliates are the entities responsible for managing and processing your personal data (referred to as "COMPANY," "we," "us," or "our" in this privacy policy).

We regularly review and update our privacy policy. The latest version was last revised on 8th March, 2024. It's essential that the personal information we have about you remains accurate and up-to-date. Please inform us promptly of any changes to your personal data during your engagement with us.

2. The Information We Collect About You

We collect various types of personal data from you through different interactions and channels, including when you register on the site, place orders, participate in contests or surveys, or engage in other site features. This may involve requesting your name, email address, mailing address, phone number, credit card details, or other information. Alternatively, you can visit our site anonymously.

Additionally, when you interact with our customer support through email or chat features, we may monitor or record the conversation to ensure high-quality support. Recordings for users with store accounts are retained as long as the account exists, while those for non-account holders are deleted within 12 months unless needed for legal protection or dispute resolution.

We may request some of the personal data indicated above in furtherance of our legal obligations and legitimate interest in ensuring that users and end customers are not the target of trade, financial, and economic sanctions and do not appear on a sanctions-related list, including lists maintained by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the European Union, or Her Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom.

If you provided consent during account registration, newsletter or blog subscription, or shared your email address for receiving additional information (such as our list of sub-processors), we'll use your email address to send subscribed informative and/or promotional materials. This includes newsletters, advertisements of our services, and other requested information about our services. You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time through the email footers or notification settings on Neopets.

Additionally, we gather details about gift recipients solely for gift fulfillment purposes. This information isn't utilized for marketing endeavors.

We also gather data that pertains to you but may not personally identify you. Through the use of cookies and similar technologies on our website, we may collect information regarding your device, preferences, activities performed while visiting our website, and interactions with the site. This data is utilized for analytical, marketing, and targeting purposes, including tracking unique and returning visits, session duration, and website interactions. To learn more about our use of cookies and how to opt out of interest-based advertising, click here.

The information we collect from you when you register, make purchases, participate in contests or promotions, respond to surveys or marketing communications, browse the website, or engage in other site features is used in various ways:

• Personalizing your site experience to provide content and products tailored to your interests.
• Improving our customer service by better responding to your inquiries.
• Expediently processing your transactions.
• Administering contests, promotions, surveys, or other site features.
• Delivering targeted advertising and promotions to you through third-party websites and applications.

If you've chosen to subscribe to our newsletters or other communications, you may receive occasional emails from Neopets. If you wish to stop receiving promotional emails, please click “unsubscribe from this list” link provided in the footer of our email. Visitors who register or engage in other site features, such as marketing programs and 'members-only' content, will be given the option to join the email list and receive communications from Neopets.

Additionally, if you create an account on the Neopets Shop through NeoPass account registration, you will also be subject to the policies that apply to NeoPass. For NeoPass policies, please refer here.

3. Privacy Policy Addendum Regarding Data Collection for California and Virginia Residents

The following chart outlines the categories of Personal Information and Personal Data (as defined in the Privacy Policy), as applicable, that we may gather, along with the purposes for this collection and the types of entities with whom we may share this information. It's important to note that we do not sell personal data to third parties.

Categories of Personal Information	Sources of Information	Use of Information	Sharing of Information
Identifiers such as your name, postal address, email address, and telephone number are classified as "personal information" according to the CCPA (California) and "personal data" as defined by the VCDPA (Virginia)	This information is collected directly from the users.	We utilize this information to deliver, enhance, and maintain our products and services, offer customer support (which may include interactions via chat, blog comments, or other platforms), manage your account, and process invoices.	We disclose this information to Service Providers and select individuals and entities, as detailed in the section above titled "Sharing Personal Data with Third Parties."
Commercial information	This information is obtained directly from the users.	This information is utilized to facilitate user transactions and deliver our products to them.	We disclose this information to Service Providers and select individuals and entities, as detailed in the section above titled "Sharing Personal Data with Third Parties."
Information regarding internet or other electronic network activity, including IP addresses and cookies	This information is automatically collected from the user's computer or devices.	This information is used to provide, maintain, and enhance our Services and to personalize our user’s online experience.	We disclose this information to Service Providers and select individuals and entities, as detailed in the section above titled "Sharing Personal Data with Third Parties."
Audio Information	This information is obtained directly from the users.	This information is used to ensure the quality of our customer support.	N/A
Professional and employment-related information	This information is obtained directly from the users.	We collect this information when you submit a job application through our careers page and utilize it in the process of reviewing and processing your application.	N/A
Data related to education, such as the details provided in your resume	This information is obtained directly from the users.	This information is gathered when you submit a job application through our careers page and is utilized during the processing of your application.	N/A

Please note that we may process your personal data for multiple lawful grounds, depending on the specific purpose for which we are using your data. If you require details about the specific legal basis we are relying on to process your personal data, especially if more than one ground has been specified in the table below, please feel free to contact us.

4. Sharing Personal Data with Third Parties

To provide you with our Services effectively, Neopets collaborates with third parties who perform services on our behalf, with whom we share personal data to facilitate our Services ("Service Providers"). Personal Information may be disclosed to a third party in the context of a merger, acquisition, asset sale, or similar transaction.

Information provided by you during the use of our Services, including technical usage data, is shared with third parties for business purposes in our legitimate interests, such as those providing hosting and server co-location services, as well as data and cyber security services.

Information provided by you during the use of our Services may also be shared with third-party manufacturing services engaged to deliver our Services to you.

Your email address, along with other contact details provided to us, and your interactions with our customer service, are shared with communication, email distribution, and content delivery services, as well as customer support system providers, for business purposes in our legitimate interests. Information about your purchases and payments is shared with billing and payment processing services, fraud detection and prevention services, accounting and financial advisors, to enable us to provide our Services to you. Information about your website usage and other data collected through cookies and similar technology is shared with web analytics, session recording, and online marketing services.

If marketing is provided to you, information about your account, purchases, and preferences may be shared with marketing services. To defend our legal rights as reasonably necessary, we may share your personal data with our legal advisors. We only share personal data with Service Providers who have committed to comply with obligations outlined in applicable data protection laws. For business purposes in our legitimate interests, we may share your personal data with our affiliates (companies within our corporate family).

In certain circumstances, we are obligated to share information with third parties to comply with legal requirements or requests and to protect our or a third party's lawful interests. Additionally, we will disclose your information to third parties within and outside your country only as permitted by applicable law, including:

• To a prospective purchaser or purchaser acquiring all or substantially all of our business;
• To a third party in the event of a sale or purchase of any business or merger, in which case we may disclose your information to the prospective buyer of such business; and
• To a third party if we sell, buy, merge, or partner with other companies or businesses, undergo reorganization, bankruptcy, or liquidation, or otherwise engage in a business transaction or sell some or all of our assets. In such transactions, your information may be among the transferred assets.

Customers may request the list of such third parties by emailing shop@neopets.com. 

5. Retention Period

We will retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including meeting any legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, or reporting obligations. If there is a complaint or a reasonable possibility of litigation related to our relationship with you, we may retain your personal data for a longer period.

To determine the appropriate retention period, we consider various factors such as the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of unauthorized use or disclosure, the purposes of processing the data, and whether those purposes can be achieved through other means. We also take into account legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, or other requirements.

We retain your personal information for as long as we have a legitimate business need to do so, whether to provide services or products to you or as required or permitted by applicable laws. When we no longer have a legitimate business need to process your personal information, we will either delete or anonymize it. If deletion or anonymization is not possible, such as when personal information is stored in backup archives, we will securely store and isolate the data until deletion becomes feasible.

The retention period may vary based on how you use our website (e.g., as a logged-in member or guest) and the purposes for which the information is used. For instance, if you are a registered member, certain data may be retained for a period after account termination or deletion to comply with applicable laws or in case of disputes. The retention period may also be determined by your activity on the platform or to comply with specific arbitration periods or dispute resolution processes.

6. Data Subject Rights

If you are a User or Merchant residing in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you have certain rights under European Union and United Kingdom data protection regulations regarding your personal data. Here is a summary of those rights and how you can exercise them:

Right to Access

You have the right to access any personal information held by Neopets about you. This includes requesting a copy of your personal information, confirmation of whether we are using it, and details about how and why it is being used.

Right to Rectification

You can request that Neopets correct any information you believe to be inaccurate or incomplete.

Right to Erasure

In certain circumstances, you have the right to request the deletion of personal data that Neopets holds about you. For more information on these circumstances, please contact us using the details provided below.

Right to Restrict Processing

You can request that Neopets restrict the processing of personal data we hold about you in certain circumstances. For further details, please reach out to us using the contact information below.

Right to Object to Processing

You have the right to object to Neopets’ processing of personal data we hold about you in certain situations. For more information on these situations, please contact us using the details below.

Right to Data Portability

You can request that Neopets transfer your personal information to a third-party service provider. Send an email to shop@neopets.com to request your data.

Please note that while these rights are available to you, there may be certain limitations. For instance, fulfilling your request could be restricted if it would disclose personal data about another individual, or if you request the deletion of information that we are obligated or permitted by law to retain, or that we have a compelling legitimate interest in retaining (to the extent allowed by applicable law).

Additionally, upon closing your account, access to all products and services associated with it will cease across all Neopets affiliated platforms worldwide. A confirmation notification will be sent to the email address linked to your account or via text message once the account closure process is successfully completed.

Once your account is closed, it becomes inaccessible to both you and other users, and restoration is not feasible. If you wish to resume ordering from us in the future or utilize website features that require an account, you will need to create a new account.

7. Information Security

We employ various security measures to safeguard your Personal Information. This includes storing your Personal Information behind secure networks accessible only to a limited number of individuals with special access rights, who are obligated to maintain confidentiality. Additionally, when you place orders or access your personal information, we utilize a secure server. Any sensitive/credit information provided by you is transmitted using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology, encrypted into our databases, and can only be accessed by authorized personnel as described above.

8. International Transfers of Data

Your personal information might be utilized, stored, or accessed by personnel working for us, other members of our group, our partners, or our suppliers who operate outside the United States and the European Economic Area.

In the event that we share any of your personal information with a third party located outside of the USA and EEA, we will implement suitable measures. These measures may include, where applicable, adopting the European Commission’s Model Clauses for the transfer of personal data to third countries (commonly known as the standard contractual clauses) and any equivalent clauses issued by the relevant competent authority of the UK.

9. Privacy Policy addendum for California residents

California residents are entitled to certain rights regarding their Personal Information under the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), which we outline in detail below.

We operate as both a “business” and a “service provider” under the CCPA, depending on the nature of your interaction with us. This section pertains specifically to the personal information we collect in our capacity as a business. If we act on behalf of a Merchant to fulfill an order for the Merchant’s customer, we are considered a Service Provider under the CCPA. For details on exercising your rights under the CCPA, please refer to the Merchant’s privacy policy. The Merchant is your point of contact for any inquiries regarding how it manages your Personal Information.

The chart in Section 3 of the Privacy Policy outlines the categories of Personal Information we have collected and shared in the past twelve (12) months, the purposes of such collection, and the types of entities with whom we have shared this information.

Rights under the CCPA

If you are a California resident, your personal information may be subject to processing under the CCPA. In such cases, this section provides additional privacy disclosures and informs you of key additional rights. We do not discriminate against you for exercising your rights under the CCPA, which includes providing a different level or quality of service or denying goods or services to you.

Right to Know Request

As a California resident, you have the right to request information about our collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information over the past twelve (12) months. You may request that we provide you, free of charge, with the following information:

1. the categories of personal information collected about you;
2. the sources from which the personal information was collected;
3. the purpose for collecting your personal information;
4. the categories of third parties to whom we disclosed your personal information and the purpose of such disclosure (if applicable); and
5. the specific pieces of personal information collected about you. 

Send an email to shop@neopets.com to request data.

Right to Delete Request

You also have the right to request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.

Right to Opt-Out of the Sale of Personal Information

You may request that we do not sell your Personal Information. Please note that under the CCPA, “sale” is broadly defined and includes various forms of sharing personal information with third parties for valuable consideration.

How to Exercise Your Rights

If you are a California resident to whom the CCPA applies, you can contact us to exercise your rights by sending an email to shop@neopets.com.

Upon receiving your request, we will review it, verify your identity, and process the request accordingly. We may need to collect information from you, such as your email address, government-issued ID, or date of birth, to verify your identity. You may submit a verifiable consumer request to access your personal information twice every twelve (12) months. We endeavor to fulfill all verified requests within 45 days as per the CCPA. If necessary, we may extend this timeframe by an additional 45 days and provide an explanation for the delay.

You may authorize an agent in writing or through a power of attorney document to make requests on your behalf. Before accepting a request from an agent, we will require proof of your authorization, and we may need you to verify your identity directly with us.

10. Privacy Policy addendum for Virginia residents

Under the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (“VCDPA”), residents of Virginia are entitled to certain rights concerning the data we have collected about them. This notice outlines how we collect, use, and share your Personal Data as a “Controller” under the VCDPA, and it explains your rights regarding your Personal Data, including sensitive personal data. For the purposes of this section, “Personal Data'' and “sensitive data” have the definitions provided in the VCDPA and exclude information outside the scope of the VCDPA. In essence, personal data refers to information reasonably linkable to an identifiable person.

The chart in Section 3 of the Privacy Policy details the categories of Personal Data we collect about you. However, the specific type of Personal Data collected depends on your interactions with our Sites and the information you voluntarily provide. Therefore, we may not collect all the information listed in the chart from you. Additionally, we may collect and/or use additional types of information after informing you and obtaining your consent, as required by the VCDPA.

Your Rights under VCDPA

Right to Access Information/Correct Inaccurate Personal Data: You have the right to request access to the Personal Data collected about you, including details about the purposes of collection and the parties with whom we share it. Furthermore, you can request corrections to any inaccurate or incomplete Personal Data.

Right to Deletion of Personal Data

In certain circumstances, you can request the deletion of any Personal Data collected directly from you. However, there may be legal reasons preventing full compliance with your request, and we will explain any limitations in our response.

Right to Opt-Out of Sale of Personal Data to Third Parties

You have the right to opt out of any sale of your Personal Data to third parties by Neopets. We do not sell Personal Data to third parties for their own direct marketing purposes.

Right to Portability

You can request a copy of the Personal Data you provided to us in a portable format.

Right to Opt-Out of Targeted Advertising

You have the right to opt out of Targeted Advertising based on your Personal Data.

Right to Opt-Out of Profiling

You can opt out of having your Personal Data processed for profiling purposes.

Right to Appeal

If we decline any of your requests, you can request a reconsideration within 45 days of our decision.

How to Exercise Your Rights

If you are a Virginia resident covered by the VCDPA, you can contact us to exercise your rights by sending an email to shop@neopets.com.

Upon receiving your request, we will review it, verify your identity, and process it accordingly. We may need additional information, such as your email address or government-issued ID, to verify your identity. We aim to fulfill all verified requests within 45 days under the VCDPA, with explanations provided for any delays. If you authorize an agent to act on your behalf, we will require proof of authorization and may need you to verify your identity directly with us.

11. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, plug-ins, and applications. Clicking on these links or enabling connections may enable third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not have control over these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. We recommend that you review the privacy policy of each website you visit when you leave our site.

12. Marketing

We may gather and utilize your personal data for marketing purposes through email, telephone, and/or mail.

If it aligns with our legitimate interests, we may send you specific marketing communications (including electronic communications to existing customers) for marketing purposes.

In cases where the law requires us to do so, or if we plan to share your personal data with any third party for marketing, we will always seek your consent for direct marketing communications.

To opt out of receiving our email subscriptions, kindly inform us by clicking on the “unsubscribe from this list” link provided in the footer of our newsletter emails. Please be aware that due to email production schedules, you may still receive emails that are already in the production process.

13. Policy Updates

In the event of any changes to our privacy policy, we will promptly update this page to reflect such modifications. Please note that any revisions to the policy will only affect information collected after the date of the change. The last modification to this policy occurred on March 8th, 2024.

14. Contacting Us

Your questions, comments, and concerns about privacy are important to us. Should you have any inquiries or complaints regarding how we collect, use, or store your personal information, or if you wish to exercise any of your rights concerning your personal data, please reach out to us by sending an email to shop@neopets.com. Rest assured, we will thoroughly investigate and endeavor to resolve any complaints or disputes regarding the utilization or disclosure of your personal information.

15. Online Policy Only

This privacy policy specifically pertains to information collected through our website and does not extend to information gathered offline.

16. Terms of Use

We encourage you to visit our Terms of Use section, which outlines the terms of use, disclaimers, and limitations of liability that govern the usage of our website.