See also The Met Store Privacy Policy for Offline Use.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is committed to protecting the privacy of our online visitors. We do not collect personally identifiable information about individuals unless it is specifically requested and provided. The terms of this privacy policy govern all online interactions with www.metmuseum.org, and a link to this policy is included in the footer information on every page of this website. Your use of this website or communication with the Museum by email constitutes your agreement to the terms of this privacy policy.
How We Use the Information You Provide
We use the information you provide to personalize the Museum's website so that we can better meet your needs, fulfill your online order, facilitate customer service, and inform you of the Museum's products and promotional offers. Our use of visitor information varies with the type of visit or transaction. For details about each transaction type, see When You Register, When You Make a Donation or Purchase a Membership, When You Shop in The Met Store, When You Purchase Tickets in Concerts & Lectures, or When You Complete a Survey.
When You Register
You may use www.metmuseum.org without registering or submitting any personally identifiable information. However, registration in My Met Museum enables you to maintain your contact information and sign up for exclusive online features such as My Met Calendar, My Met Gallery, and free email newsletters. Registration in Concerts & Lectures enables you to store your contact information, preferences, and interests to make purchasing tickets faster, and to receive notifications about events that interest you. Registration in The Met Store provides access to features such as your order history and address book.
If you choose to register in any of these areas of the site, you will be asked to provide personally identifiable information that may include a user name and password, your name, email address, postal address, telephone number, and your Membership number, if applicable. We store this information, along with your other preferences, on a secure server so that you need not re-enter it when you return to the website. When registering in My Met Museum, if you select "Remember My Log-in," your information will be displayed automatically the next time you return to My Met Museum. You may review or change your account information in My Met Museum, Concerts & Lectures, or The Met Store at any time.
When You Make a Donation or Purchase a Membership
The Museum will ask you to provide personally identifiable information necessary to process and service your donation or Membership purchase online, which may include your name, billing and shipping addresses, telephone number, email address, and credit card number. Your credit card information will be temporarily stored on a secure server and used only for processing your online transaction. We will retain the personally identifiable information you provided for our records, and to facilitate customer service. The Museum never shares the personally identifiable information you provide when making a donation or purchasing a Membership online, through the mail, in person, or by telephone with third parties for marketing purposes, except as required by law.
In certain cases, you may be asked for additional information required to complete and service your request, such as the names of your children when joining The Met Family Circle. (See Children Under Thirteen Years of Age.)
When You Shop in The Met Store
The Met Store will ask you to provide personally identifiable information necessary to fulfill your online order or catalogue request, which may include your name, billing and shipping addresses, telephone number, and credit card number. This is the same information requested when you place an order by telephone or through the mail. For online orders or catalogue requests, we also require your email address so that you can receive order and shipping confirmation emails, and so that we can communicate with you if we have difficulty processing your order or request. When you make a purchase, your credit card information will be stored temporarily on a secure server, and we will retain the personally identifiable information you provided with your order for our records, to facilitate customer service, and to inform you of our products and promotional offers. If you are a registered customer at The Met Store, your credit card information will be saved for the next time you shop with us, or you may select "Please do not save my payment details" on the Order Review page to opt out of this feature.
When you make an online purchase or request a catalogue from The Met Store, we may share the information you provide, such as your name and your postal address, with other reputable organizations and companies whose products and services might interest you. Please note that the privacy policies of these organizations and companies may differ from ours. If you prefer not to have your personally identifiable information shared in this way, please uncheck the box labeled "On occasion, I would like to receive information from companies carefully screened by The Met Store whose products and services may be of interest to me" that appears on the Billing Address page of The Met Store shopping registration process. You may also email us at customer.service@metmuseum.org to request that we not share your personally identifiable information with third parties for marketing purposes.
As part of our commitment to your privacy, The Met Store supports and adheres to the guidelines and practices of the Direct Marketing Association's Commitment to Consumer Choice. Please read The Met Store Privacy Policy for Offline Use/Your Privacy Rights for more information.
When You Purchase Tickets in Concerts & Lectures
The Museum will ask you to provide personally identifiable information necessary to process and service your ticket purchase, which may include your name, billing and shipping addresses, telephone number, email address, and credit card number. Your credit card information will be stored temporarily on a secure server and used only for processing your online transaction. We will retain the personally identifiable information you provided for our records, and to facilitate customer service. The Museum never shares the personally identifiable information you provide when purchasing tickets in Concerts & Lectures online, through the mail, in person, or by telephone with third parties for marketing purposes, except as required by law.
When You Complete a Survey
The Museum occasionally publishes surveys on www.metmuseum.org or through a reputable third-party service provider. Your participation in these surveys is on a voluntary and anonymous basis, unless otherwise specified. We use the survey responses to improve our understanding of you, our visitors, and to determine how best to serve your needs. Information collected in these surveys is never sold, rented, or shared with third parties for marketing purposes.
E-Cards
In conjunction with special occasions or events, we offer our online visitors the opportunity to send e-cards featuring works of art from the Museum's collection. If you choose to send an e-card, you may be required to provide your name and e-mail address, as well as the recipient's name and e-mail address. The Museum will not use the sender's email address in any way unless permission to do so is specifically granted. The recipient's email address will not be retained or used in any way by the Museum. We will not share these email addresses with any third parties for marketing purposes.
Blogs
We welcome your participation on our blogs. An email address is required to post comments. The Museum will not use these email addresses in any way, unless permission to do so is specifically requested and granted. We will not share these email addresses with any third parties for marketing purposes.
Email Communication Preferences
The Museum regularly sends email newsletters to our registered visitors, and, on occasion, may send emails to other individuals in order to inform them of special events or promotions. Email recipients may opt out at any time by following the "unsubscribe" instructions included in the email message. Website registrants may subscribe or unsubscribe at any time by changing their email preferences online.
Emailing the Museum
If you email the Museum, your message and email address may be saved by the Museum. Any message, material, business information, ideas, concepts, or other information sent to the Museum by email will be treated as non-confidential and non-proprietary.
"Email a Friend" Feature
If you use the Museum's "Email a Friend" or "Email This Event to a Friend" feature, your friend's email address will not be retained or used in any way by the Museum. The Museum will not use the sender's email address in any way unless permission to do so is specifically granted. The recipient's email address will not be retained or used in any way by the Museum. We will not share these email addresses with any third parties for marketing purposes.
Cookies
This website uses "cookies," or small data files that are automatically sent to your browser from a Web server and stored on your computer's hard drive. The cookies we use do not contain any personally identifiable information about you; they are generally used to gather information to analyze website traffic in order to improve our content and navigation, based on our visitors' online behavior. You may choose to set your browser so that it does not accept cookies. Most areas of www.metmuseum.org will function without cookies, but cookies are required if you wish to register, sign in, or place items in your shopping bag. For an optimal experience with our site, we recommend that you allow cookies.
Children Under Thirteen Years of Age
The Museum takes special care to protect the safety and privacy of children. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under thirteen years of age.
Data Security
The Museum makes every reasonable effort to ensure the security of transactions that occur on this website. To maintain data accuracy, prevent unauthorized access, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put appropriate physical, electronic, and administrative procedures in place to safeguard and secure the information we collect online. We utilize SSL (Secure Socket Layer) technology, which encrypts our visitors' credit card numbers, names, and addresses. This website is also a VeriSign Secure Site and The Met Store online is a GeoTrust Secure Site, and PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) compliant, which ensures security and protection of sensitive customer credit card information.
Please be advised that when placing an online order through The Met Store, your personal data will be protected in accordance with United States law but may not be at the same level of protection as is legally required in the European Union. If you are shopping with us and your billing or shipping address is in the European Union, you will be asked to consent to The Met Store's EU Data Protection Disclosure upon checkout.
Third-Party Service Providers
The Museum may engage reputable third-party vendors in order to help us manage our website, process transactions, and allow us to better respond to the needs of our visitors. The Museum requires its vendors to maintain the confidentiality and security of the information to which they are provided access, and restricts these vendors from using the information in any way without express authorization by the Museum.
Changes to the Privacy Policy
The Metropolitan Museum of Art may revise this privacy policy at any time.
Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding this privacy policy, please contact the Museum's Digital Media Department:
Digital Media Department
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10028-0198
Telephone: 212-650-2550
Email: privacypolicy@metmuseum.org
This policy was last updated June 18, 2009.