AOL U.S. State Privacy Notice
Last Updated: January 2, 2026
Some U.S. states have privacy laws that require specific disclosures and grant their residents certain rights (“State Privacy Laws”). If you reside in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, this U.S. State Privacy Notice (“Notice”), together with our Privacy Policy, applies to you. This Notice and our Privacy Policy explain the collection, use, and processing of personal data of users ("user" or "you") by AOL Media LLC ("we" or "us") in connection with your use of AOL website, available at https://www.aol.com/ (“Website”), as well as the app, services and platform (“Services”). This Notice also serves as our California notice at collection.
We may update this Notice from time to time. If we make changes, we will notify you by revising the Last Updated date above. If we make material changes, we will provide you with additional notice (such as by adding a statement to the Website or Services, or by sending you a notification). We encourage you to review this Notice regularly to stay informed about our information practices and the choices available to you.
Contents
- Collection of Personal Data
- Use and Disclosure of Personal Data
- Your Rights Under State Privacy Laws
- Contact Us
Collection of Personal Data
As described in our Privacy Policy, we collect various categories of personal data depending on how you interact with us. In this section, we describe the sources of this data.
- We collect information you provide directly to us, such as identity and contact data, account data, user-generated content, and feedback. For example, we collect information directly from you when you create an account, fill out a form, submit or post content through our Website or Services (including product reviews and other user-generated content), request customer support, or otherwise communicate with us.
- We automatically collect information about your interactions with us or our Website and Services, including: transaction data (such as when you make a purchase); online activity information and technical data (such as when and how you access the Services); call recordings (when you have phone calls with us); precise geolocation information (with your consent); and through tracking technologies, such as cookies, pixels, and SDKs.
- We obtain information from other sources. For example, we may collect information from identity verification services and advertising networks.
- We may derive information or draw inferences about you based on the information we collect. For example, we may make inferences about your approximate location based on your IP address or infer that you are looking to purchase certain products based on your browsing behavior and past purchases.
Use and Disclosure of Personal Data
Our Privacy Policy describes the categories of personal data that we collect and explains how we use and disclose information about you. Below, we also provide additional information about our use and disclosure for business purposes, targeted advertising and analytics activities.
Use and Disclosure for Business Purposes
| Purpose | Categories of Processed Data |
|---|---|
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a) To enable you to use our Services (“Service Delivery”). For example, we may process your data to enable you to perform the following activities:
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Username, password, log-in activity and the unique identifiers we create for your account (“Account Data”). Information about your approximate location (for example, the country or city you are in) (“Approximate Geolocation Information”). This does not include precise geolocation information. Name, email address, phone number, postal address, IDs (“Identity and Contact Data”). Information about your interaction with our Services, such as your browsing history and search history, and information about your interaction with our ads (“Online activity information”). Comments, photos and videos that you upload to our consumer services and make available to other people (“User-generated Content”). Technical data such as your IP address, your login data, browser type and version, hardware information, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and website, and other technology on the devices you use to access the Services or originating from another platform you use to access the Services (“Technical Data”). Details about the payments made and the products and services purchased (“Transaction data”). We do not store card details on our servers. |
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b) To provide you with some specific, smart features, such as the smart email features (e.g., to automatically identify travel-related emails, including those relating to flight and hotel bookings, and allowing one-tap unsubscribing from emails you no longer want to receive) (“Smart Features”). |
Account Data. Information about the emails you send and receive, such as the subject line, the content of incoming and outgoing emails and attachments, and metadata about your emails, such as the times they are sent (“Email Information”). |
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c) To improve and develop our products and services (“Service Improvement”). For example, we may process your data by conducting statistical analysis or other research activities to optimize our features and provide you with new ones. |
Account Data. Age, gender, marital status and socioeconomic information (for example, your level of education, employment status and income range) (“Demographic Data”) Your comments, suggestions, and answers to our surveys (“Feedback”). Identity and Contact Data. Online activity information. Information that describes where you are in a precise way (e.g., the co-ordinates—latitude and longitude—of your device, which are precise enough to locate it at a specific place) (“Precise Geolocation Information”). User-generated Content. Information about your preferences that you provide us (e.g., selecting your sport team), or that we infer (e.g., assuming you are interested in sport if you visit the related section of our Website) (“User Preference Information”). Technical Data. Transaction Data. |
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d) To provide tailored content to you, including to build a content interest profile (“Tailored Content”). |
Account Data. Approximate Geolocation Information. Information that we may collect from the emails you receive from retailers or other organizations (“Commercial Emails”). Demographic Data. Identity and Contact Data. Online activity information. Precise Geolocation Information. User-generated Content. User Preference Information. Technical Data. Transaction Data. |
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e) To ensure the quality and the proper functioning of the Services, by analyzing, preventing or correcting failures and bugs, and to prevent the illicit use or misuse of the Services (“Troubleshooting”). |
Account Data. Identity and Contact Data. User-generated Content. Technical Data. |
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f) To enforce our Terms of Service, and enhance the safety and integrity of our Services and users (“Service Integrity”). |
Account Data. Recordings of phone calls you have with us, for security, fraud detection, prevention, quality assurance and training purposes (“Call Recordings”). Identity and Contact Data. User-generated Content. Technical Data. |
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g) To carry out marketing activities, and send you information and marketing communications about our products and services—such as tips, offers, and newsletters—to conduct user research activities, or to promote our partners’ products, through email or push notifications (“Marketing”). |
Approximate Geolocation Information. Demographic Data. Identity and Contact Data. User-generated Content. User Preference Information. Technical Data. |
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h) To comply with our legal obligations, including requests from public authorities, and to prove that we have complied with them, such as in the event of a request from a public authority (“Compliance”). |
Any information necessary to comply with legal obligations and requests from public authorities. |
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i) To send you administrative or technical updates and to process and respond to customer support communications and any other requests or communications from you (“Customer Support”). |
Account Data. Call Recordings. Identity and Contact Data. User-generated Content. Technical Data. |
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j) To establish, exercise or defend our rights and those of our employees, and to carry out corporate transactions or operations (“Defense”). For example, we may process your data in case of bankruptcy, merger, acquisition, reorganization, sale of assets or assignments, and due diligence related to any such transactions. |
Any information necessary to ensure the performance of these purposes. |
We collect information that is considered "sensitive" under State Privacy Laws. For example, we may offer features that, with your permission, collect precise geolocation data. We also collect information about the emails you send and receive, including the contents, to provide you with certain smart features (e.g., identifying travel-related emails). We do not use or disclose this information to infer characteristics about you and we do not "sell," "share," or use sensitive personal data for purposes of targeted advertising.
We disclose aggregated or de-identified information that cannot reasonably be used to identify you. We maintain and use this information only in a de-identified fashion and will not attempt to re-identify such information, except as permitted by law.
We retain personal data for as long as necessary to carry out the purposes for which we originally collected it and for other purposes described in Section 3 of our Privacy Policy.
Sales, Sharing, and Targeted Advertising Activities
We disclose certain categories of personal data to show you targeted ads on third-party properties, expand the reach and effectiveness of our own marketing campaigns, and allow certain third parties to use this information for their own marketing purposes. These disclosures may be considered "sales," "sharing," or use of personal data for "targeted advertising" under State Privacy Laws, and the table below covers the categories of personal data we disclose for these purposes and the categories of third parties that receive it.
| Category of Personal Data | Category of Third Parties |
|---|---|
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Your Rights Under State Privacy Laws
Opt Out of Sales, Sharing, and Targeted Advertising
You may opt out of activities that we engage in that constitute "targeted advertising," "sharing," or "sales" of personal data under the State Privacy Laws from the Privacy Dashboard or the Tracking Technologies control page.
Access, Correction, and Deletion
You have the right to (1) request to know more about and access your personal data, including in a portable format, (2) request deletion of your personal data, and (3) request correction of inaccurate personal data. Individuals in Connecticut, Minnesota, and Oregon also have the right to request a list of third parties to whom we have disclosed personal data, and residents of Rhode Island may learn more about these third parties as well.
To exercise these rights, visit the Privacy Dashboard. To authenticate your request, we will ask you for information that matches information we have on file about you.
Nonretaliation
We will not retaliate against you for exercising your privacy rights.
Appeals
If we deny your request, you may appeal our decision by contacting us via the form provided in the Privacy Dashboard. If you have concerns about the result of an appeal, you may contact the attorney general in the state where you reside.
Authorized Agents
If you are an authorized agent seeking to make a request to opt out of sales, sharing, or targeted advertising on behalf of a consumer, please contact us via the form provided in the Privacy Dashboard.
If you reside in California, you may also designate an authorized agent to submit an access, deletion, or correction request on your behalf. We may ask authorized agents to submit proof of their authority to make a request, such as a valid power of attorney or proof that they have signed permission from the consumer who is the subject of the request. In some cases, we may contact the individual who is the subject of the request to verify their own identity or confirm the authorized agent has permission to submit the request. If you are an authorized agent seeking to make an access, correction, or deletion request on behalf of a California resident, please contact us via the form provided in the Privacy Dashboard.
Shine the Light
A California law known as "Shine the Light" permits residents of California to opt out of disclosures to third parties for direct marketing purposes. If you are a California resident and would like to make such a request, please contact us via the form provided in the Privacy Dashboard to turn off "targeted advertising," "sharing," and "sales" based on your email address [and other non-cookie identifiers.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, comments or concerns about this Notice or our privacy practices, you can reach us through the form provided in the Privacy Dashboard.