Privacy Policy

Effective Date: January 1, 2020

At Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (“Volkswagen”), we value your privacy and want you to know how your information will be handled and used.  To better protect your privacy we provide this Privacy Statement, which explains our information practices when you interact with Volkswagen and its websites, mobile applications, vehicles, products and services, including practices across all of Volkswagen’s websites and digital properties as well as mobile versions of our site and mobile applications (each a “Volkswagen Property” and collectively, the “Volkswagen Properties”). Your use of any Volkswagen Property constitutes your agreement to the terms of this Privacy Statement.

This Statement does not apply to other Volkswagen entities such as our vehicle brands or our credit services, which have their own privacy statements available on their websites.

If you are a California resident, please view the “Your California Privacy Rights” section below for more information on your California privacy rights.

Table of Contents

  1. From Whom Do We Collect Information?
  2. What Information Do We Collect?
  3. How Do We Use Information?
  4. With Whom Do We Share Information?
  5. Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies
  6. Third-Party Collection and Online Advertising
  7. Your Choices
  8. Security
  9. Our Commitment to Children's Privacy
  10. External Links
  11. Changes to this Privacy Statement
  12. Contact Us
  13. Your California Privacy Rights

 

1. From Whom Do We Collect Information?

As you interact with Volkswagen and its websites, mobile applications, vehicles, products and services, we may collect certain information from or about you from the following sources:

1.1 Directly from you.

1.2 Cookies and online technologies.  

1.3 Dealers. 

1.4 Volkswagen-authorized sellers of consumer merchandise.

1.5 Affiliated entities within the Volkswagen Group family of companies. 

1.6 Third-party service providers

1.7 Other third parties, such as companies that provide or sell lists of potential vehicle purchasers and current owners (data brokers), business partners, social media platforms and networks.   

We may combine information that we receive from the various sources described in this Privacy Statement, including third-party sources, and use or disclose it for the purposes identified below.

2. What Information Do We Collect?

The types of information that Volkswagen collects about you include:

2.1 Identifiers, such as name, postal address, telephone number, date of birth, email address, and survey data.

2.2 Commercial information regarding vehicle purchase/lease/service

2.3 Electronic activity, such as data gathered by technology when you visit our website or use our mobile applications (such as IP address, browser information, ICCID, device type, app and OS version, etc.). If you access the Volkswagen Properties on your mobile device, we may collect the location of that device with your consent. If you do not want to provide this information to us, you can turn off location services in your mobile device settings.

2.4 Professional or employment-related information, such as employment application information (including previous employment, salary, education, and gender, ethnicity and veteran status (as permitted by law), SSN, Driver’s license, financial information, and other information needed for background screening)

2.5 Inferences drawn from any of the information we collect to create a profile about you reflecting your preferences and characteristics.

We may also collect user generated content you choose to publish on the Volkswagen Properties.

You may be able to use your Facebook, Google, or Twitter account credentials to sign in to certain Volkswagen Properties. If you connect using your Facebook credentials, you authorize us to collect identifiers, such as your authentication information, (username, access credentials), and other information that may be available on or through your Facebook account, including your name, country, email address, and date of birth.

3. How Do We Use Information?

We use your information for a number of business purposes, including:

3.1 To provide you with products or services, such as to respond to queries, and to provide order status and order tracking information to you.

3.2 For our own internal business purposes, such as to evaluate the usage, performance and safety of our vehicles, products and services; improve the quality of our vehicles, products and services and design new products and services; operate the Volkswagen website and digital properties and customize the content; and maintain internal records.

3.3 To consider you for employment. When applying for a job or an internship (including via our Careers page) to provide you with information about employment opportunities, administer the application process and consider you for employment for a job or an internship.

3.4 For marketing, such as to send promotional emails to you, to enter you into contests and sweepstakes, to participate in our online communities, to conduct surveys and market research, to provide product materials and updates on new products and services 

3.5 For legal, safety or security reasons, such as to comply with legal requirements; protect the safety, property or rights of Volkswagen, owners, registered users, drivers, passengers or others; or prevent and detect fraud or misuse of the vehicles, products or services.

3.6 In a de-identified or aggregated format, we may also use or share your information in a de-identified or aggregate manner for any purpose.

3.7 For services of third parties that you authorize, with your consent, we will provide the information needed by third parties that we introduce or with whom you independently engage in order to provide their services to you.

We also provide your information to third parties who use it for the commercial purpose of marketing their products and services to you.

4. With Whom Do We Share Information?

We may share your information:

4.1 Within the Volkswagen family of companies, which includes parents, corporate affiliates, subsidiaries, business units and other companies that share common ownership, including Volkswagen AG.

4.2 With third-party service providers.

4.3 With Volkswagen authorized dealerships

4.4 With others for legal, safety or security reasons, such as to comply with legal requirements; protect the safety, property or rights of VWGoA and its affiliates, vehicle owners, users, drivers, and passengers or others; or prevent and detect fraud or misuse of the vehicles, products or services.

4.5 With other companies in connection with a corporate transaction. If we or some or all of our assets are acquired by another company, including through a sale in connection with bankruptcy, that company will possess the information collected by us, and it will assume the rights and obligations regarding your information as described in this Privacy Statement.

4.6 With third parties for their own marketing purposes, we share your information with third parties for their own marketing purposes, such as Volkswagen authorized dealers.

5. Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies

The Volkswagen Properties may also collect information, via cookies, web beacons, pixels, tags or other tracking technologies, such as your Internet Service Provider and IP address, the date and time you access the Properties, the pages you have accessed while visiting the Properties, and the Internet address from which you accessed the Properties. Some cookies exist only during a single session and some are persistent over multiple sessions over time. We use these technologies to remember user preferences, maximize the performance of our website and services, provide you with offers that may be of interest to you, measure the effectiveness of our email campaigns and to personalize online content.

You may refuse or delete cookies.  If you refuse or delete cookies, some of our website functionality may be impaired.  If you previously accepted cookies and directed us to share your information on one of our sites, you can change your cookie preference by clicking on the cookie settings link in the footer of that site.  Please refer to your browser’s Help instructions to learn more about how to manage cookies and the use of other tracking technologies.  Some browsers have incorporated Do Not Track (“DNT”) preferences.  If you set your browser to signal that you do not wish to be tracked online, we will honor your preference by disabling targeting and social media cookies unless you explicitly consent through our cookie banner to enable these categories.

6. Third-Party Collection and Online Advertising

Our advertising agencies and service providers may collect information to customize the design of the Volkswagen Properties and for other business purposes, including advertising, analytics, website optimization, and measurement. These companies may use cookies (a small text file), pixels, tags, or similar technologies that are placed in browsers to gather information about your visits to a Volkswagen Property, as well as your visits elsewhere on the Internet.

Some of these companies may use this information to provide you with more relevant advertising, a practice known as interest-based advertising. Some of these companies may be participants in the Digital Advertising Alliance (“DAA”). The DAA offers a choice mechanism with respect to certain types of data collection and use. We adhere to the DAA’s Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising. Visit www.aboutads.info to exercise choice with respect to those companies that participate in the DAA Choice Page. If you change computers, devices, or browsers, use multiple computers, devices, or browsers, or delete your cookies, you may need to repeat this process for each computer, device, or browser.

7. Your Choices

To opt-out of receiving promotional email messages from us, please click on the "Unsubscribe" link contained at the bottom of each email.  Opting out of promotional email will not affect Volkswagen’s communication with you by email about your vehicle or other product or service-related matters.

Nevada residents:  please contact us at privacy@vw.com to inquire about your right to opt out of the sale of your personal information.

California residents: please see the Your California Rights section for more information about your privacy choices.

8. Security

Volkswagen will take reasonable precautions to protect your information from loss, misuse or alteration.  Please be aware, however, that any email or other transmission you send through the Internet cannot be completely protected against unauthorized interception. 

9. Our Commitment to Children's Privacy

Volkswagen does not knowingly collect, use, share or sell personal information from children under the age of 16. The Volkswagen Properties are general audience websites or digital properties directed at general audiences. In the event that we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under age 16, we will delete that information.

10. External Links

The Volkswagen Properties may contain links to other websites, including social networks, advertisers, individual dealer’s websites, and websites belonging to other third parties. Some of these sites may share a similar “look and feel” to the Volkswagen Properties. Such sites may include social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter, and other third-party sites including individual dealer websites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of other websites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies provided by other websites before you provide information to them. 

11. Changes to this Privacy Statement

We may update this Privacy Statement. We will notify you of any changes to our Privacy Statement by updating this page. We encourage you periodically to check this site to learn about the information we collect, use, and share. Your continued use of any of the Volkswagen Properties or providing data after the posting of an updated Privacy Statement affirms your agreement to such changes.

12. Contact Us

Should you have other questions or concerns about this Privacy Statement, please email us at: privacy@vw.com.

You may also contact us by phone, 24 hours a day, at: 1-800-822-8987.

And by mail at:

Office of General Counsel
Volkswagen Group of America
Attn: Privacy Office
2200 Ferdinand Porsche Drive, Herndon, VA 20171

13. Your California Privacy Rights

In addition to the information provided above about the data we collect and how we use and share it, in accordance with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), below is a list of the categories of personal information collected and for each category, the categories of third parties with whom we share the personal information for a business or commercial purpose.

As a California resident, you have certain rights, subject to legal limitations, regarding the collection, use, and sharing of your personal information. You can submit a Data Subject Rights Request by clicking (privacy.vwgoa.com), and following the instructions in the web form, or you can call (833) 909-1767.

Please note that certain rights may be limited where your personal information is subject to certain state or federal laws, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA), the federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”), or the California Financial Information Privacy Act.

13.1 Right to Opt-Out/Do Not Sell

California Consumers have the right to request that we not sell your personal information to third parties. However, even if you opt-out, we are allowed to continue sharing with service providers as permitted by law.

Where our web properties use cookies or other tracking technologies to transfer your personal information to third parties, those web properties will offer you an option to set preferences for online data sharing, found by clicking the link in a cookie banner.

13.2 Right to Delete

California Consumers have the right to request that we delete personal information about you that we have collected from you.

13.3 Right to Know

California Consumers have the right to request that we disclose personal information that we have about you. You can request that we provide you with the categories of personal information we have collected in the 12 months preceding your request, and information about how we used and shared those categories of information. You can also request that we provide you the specific pieces of personal information that we have about you.

California Consumers can submit a Request to Know twice in a 12-month period and the report will be provided free of charge.

13.4 Verification

In order to verify your identity, match you to our records, and to reduce fraud, will ask you for your personal information or information about you. You will need to provide certain pieces of information. The information you provide must match our records in a manner that we have determined to be reliable, for us to process your request. We may also ask you to provide a signed declaration, under penalty of perjury, that you are the person whose personal information is the subject of the request. We also use third party verification companies to help us verify your identify.

13.5 Household request

If you are submitting a request on behalf of a household, we will need to verify each member of the household in the manner set forth above.

13.6 Use of authorized agent

If you are making any of the requests above as an authorized agent, we will require written authorization or a valid Power of Attorney. Additionally, we will seek to verify your identify in the manner stated above.  To make a request using an authorized agent please call (844) 987-2272.

13.7 Timing of Response

We will respond to Requests to Delete and Requests to Know within 45 calendar days, unless we need more time, in which case, we will notify you. It may take up to 90 calendar days in total to respond to your request. We will respond to Requests to Opt Out/Do Not Sell within 15 business days.

In accordance with applicable law, we will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

 

Last updated:  July 1, 2020

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