"Zappos presents a moderate-to-high privacy risk score of 56, driven primarily by extensive third-party data sharing (including advertisers and corporate subsidiaries), cross-site behavioral tracking for interest-based advertising, and collection of sensitive financial and location data. While the company provides some opt-out mechanisms for marketing communications, the lack of granular control over interest-based advertising tracking and undefined data retention periods present ongoing privacy concerns."
zappos Privacy Concerns & Scorecard
Zappos implements cross-website behavioral tracking and retargeting through interest-based advertising served by third-party service providers based on purchasing activity and website visits across unaffiliated websites.
Zappos collects extensive personal and financial data including name, email, phone, shipping/billing addresses, credit card information, purchase history, browsing history, search queries, IP address, browser type, cookies, location data, mobile device information, and device identifiers.
Customer information is treated as a business asset that will be transferred to acquiring companies during mergers or acquisitions, though existing privacy promises are stated to remain.
No specific data retention period is defined in the privacy policy, leaving the duration of data storage indefinite.
While opt-out options exist for email and physical mail marketing, there is no clear mechanism to opt out of interest-based advertising tracking without disabling cookies that are essential for site functionality.
Zappos explicitly disclaims complete security, stating 'one hundred percent complete security does not presently exist' online or offline, which may limit user expectations of data protection.
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Data Collection & Tracking
Personal Information Collected
Account creation, order management, and customer communication
Payment processing, fraud prevention, and order fulfillment
Targeted advertising and location-based app features
Website functionality, security, analytics, and personalized advertising
Interest-based advertising, personalization, analytics, and service improvement
Site functionality, analytics, fraud prevention, and interest-based advertising
Cross-Platform Tracking
Zappos tracks users across unaffiliated websites and apps through cookies and unique identifiers to serve interest-based (targeted) advertising based on purchasing activity and website visits. Location data is collected from mobile apps and used for targeted advertising. Email tracking is performed via web beacons and confirmation mechanisms to monitor engagement.
Tracking Methods:
Cookies (First & Third-Party)
Zappos uses both first-party cookies (for site functionality and account management) and third-party cookies (for interest-based advertising) to track user behavior, store preferences, and enable cross-site behavioral tracking for ad personalization
Web Beacons / Tracking Pixels
Zappos employs web beacons and pixel tags in emails and on web pages to track email opens, click-throughs, and user engagement across Zappos-owned and unaffiliated websites for advertising targeting
Device Identifiers & Unique IDs
Mobile app installation and use generates device identifiers and unique user identifiers that enable cross-platform and cross-device tracking for interest-based advertising
IP Address & Browser Fingerprinting
Zappos collects IP addresses, browser type, and other device attributes that can be combined to identify and track users across multiple browsing sessions and devices
AI & Data Training
zappos does not train AI on your content
Based on their public policy, your content is not used to train AI models.
How to Object
No opt-out available
This service does not currently provide a public way to opt out of AI training.
Why We Analyzed zappos
TrueTerms automatically audits privacy policies and data practices using advanced machine learning to keep you informed and protected. This scorecard is based on the latest available public terms of service and privacy policies as of 2026.