Security and Privacy
We know you're concerned about security and privacy, and we hope this
will answer some of the most common questions about what we're doing
to protect you.
Credit card security
Statistically, it's much safer to use your credit card on the Web than
to use it in a restaurant or department store. We think that's good
news, but we still take every possible precaution to protect
the integrity of your credit card information.
Our secure server
We use the Netscape Secure Commerce Server, which encrypts any
information you type in. You can safely enter your entire credit card
number on the secure server and it cannot be read in transit.
Of course, you can use the secure server even if you want to
pay by check or enter only the last five digits of your card number.
Remember, if you choose the secure server, all the information you enter
on the order form--name, address, phone number, etc.--is safely encrypted.
Secure ordering
There are two ways in which you can order from us without having to
enter your complete credit card number on the Web:
- Paying by check or money order
You can select "pay by check" on the order form, and send us
a personal check or money order in U.S. dollars for the amount of your
order. PLEASE NOTE that currently we are only able to accept postal
money orders denominated in U.S. dollars or checks denominated in
U.S. dollars and drawn on a U.S.bank. Checks must have a valid
nine-digit bank routing number (ABA code) micro-encoded on the bottom
of the check. Paying by check does slow down your order somewhat, as we
don't order your books until your check is received, and we don't ship
the books to you until your funds clear. If you are in the United
States, paying by personal check typically delays your order about
seven to ten days.
- Calling or faxing your card number
We have a way
for you to use your credit card without ever having to enter the
complete number on the Internet. When filling out the order form, you
can enter just the last five digits and the expiration date of your
credit card on the order form. This gives us a way to track your
order but guarantees your security. Then you can call or fax us to
give us the rest of your credit card number. You can do this even if
you can't use our secure server, and your credit card number will be
completely protected.
Phone:
- (800) 201-7575 (toll-free in the USA and Canada)
- (206) 694-2992 (outside the USA and Canada)
Fax:
- (206) 694-2950
How we store your credit card number
To give you an
additional layer of security, all credit card numbers are stored on a
computer that is not connected to the Internet. After you type
it in, fax it in, or call it in, your complete credit card number is
transferred to this secure machine across a proprietary one-way
interface. This computer is not accessible by network or modem, and
the numbers are not stored anywhere else.
We respect your personal privacy
We do not now sell or rent our list of customers to anyone. In fact,
the Electronic Privacy Information Center cites the quality of our
concern with customer privacy as one of the reasons they became an Amazon.com
Associate. If you would like to make sure we never sell or rent
information about you to third parties, just send an e-mail message to
never@amazon.com.