Item: BarkBox Privacy Policy
Rating: 44
Author: Privacy.Law Editorial Team

⚠ Key Privacy Concerns

BarkBox builds detailed profiles of your dog's size, breed, age, health conditions, allergies, play style, and chew intensity. This "pet personality" data is valuable to marketers and is shared with advertising networks, brand partners, and data brokers for targeted marketing across platforms.

Data They Collect

Everything BarkBox gathers about you and your dog.

📊 Data Collection Scope (25%) 42/100

What they collect: Dog name, breed, size, age, birthday, allergies, health conditions, chew intensity, toy preferences, treat preferences, photos you upload, and subscription history.

👥 Third-Party Sharing (20%) 38/100

Who gets your data: Advertising networks, social media platforms, brand partners, data brokers, analytics providers, and affiliate companies in the BARK ecosystem.

🕐 Retention & Deletion (20%) 48/100

How long: Pet profiles retained indefinitely for "re-engagement." Purchase history kept for legal/tax purposes. Marketing data kept until opt-out.

☑ User Control & Consent (15%) 50/100

Your control: Email/SMS opt-out available. CCPA "Do Not Sell" option. Account deletion possible but may retain some data. No granular control over pet profile sharing.

🔒 Security & Breach (10%) 45/100

Security: Standard encryption for payments. No specific security certifications mentioned. No breach notification timeline specified in policy.

🔍 Transparency & Access (10%) 45/100

Clarity: Policy uses broad language about "partners." Data access requires email request. Limited visibility into what specific partners receive your data.

Compare With Other Pet Services

⚠ Red Flags

The most concerning privacy practices in BarkBox's policy.

Detailed Pet Personality Profiling

High Risk

BarkBox collects extensive behavioral data about your dog: chew intensity, play style, toy preferences, and more. This creates a valuable marketing profile.

"We collect information about your pet including breed, size, age, allergies, chew style, and preferences to personalize your subscription and improve our products." BarkBox Privacy Policy — "Information We Collect: Pet Profile"

Extensive Third-Party Ad Sharing

High Risk

Pet ownership data and behavioral profiles are shared with advertising networks, allowing targeted ads across the internet based on your dog's characteristics.

"We share information with advertising partners to deliver relevant advertisements on our platform and across third-party sites and applications." BarkBox Privacy Policy — "Information Sharing: Advertising Partners"

Brand Partner Data Sharing

High Risk

BarkBox shares your pet data with unnamed "brand partners" who may use it for their own marketing purposes beyond BarkBox products.

"We may share information with our brand partners and sponsors to help them provide you with relevant offers and services." BarkBox Privacy Policy — "Information Sharing: Brand Partners"

Photo Usage Rights

High Risk

Photos you upload of your dog can be used in BarkBox marketing materials, social media, and shared with partners without additional consent.

"By submitting photos or user content, you grant us a license to use, reproduce, and distribute such content for marketing and promotional purposes." BarkBox Privacy Policy — "User Content: License Grant"

Cross-Brand Data Sharing

Medium Risk

BARK owns multiple brands (BarkBox, Super Chewer, BARK Food). Your data flows between these properties, expanding your profile.

"We may share information among our family of brands and affiliated companies for business purposes." BarkBox Privacy Policy — "Information Sharing: Affiliates"

Indefinite Profile Retention

Medium Risk

Even after canceling, your pet profile data is retained indefinitely for "re-engagement" marketing and analytics purposes.

"We retain information to maintain our business relationship and to re-engage with you should you wish to return." BarkBox Privacy Policy — "Data Retention"

Who They Share With

Where your data ends up beyond BarkBox.

BARK Affiliates: Super Chewer, BARK Food, and other BARK-owned brands

Advertising Networks: Facebook, Google, and programmatic ad platforms for targeted advertising

Brand Partners: Pet product companies for co-marketing and sponsored content

Analytics Providers: Usage patterns, subscription behavior, engagement metrics

Your Rights

What you can (and can't) do about your data.

✅ You CAN: Opt out of marketing emails/SMS, request "Do Not Sell" (CCPA), request data access via email, cancel subscription and request deletion

❌ You CANNOT: Prevent pet profile from being shared with partners while subscribed, remove photos already used in marketing, opt out of cross-brand data sharing within BARK

Analysis

"BarkBox's business model is built on pet data. The detailed profiles they create about your dog - breed, size, chewing habits, allergies, preferences - are enormously valuable for marketing. That's why they retain this data indefinitely even after you cancel.

What sets BarkBox apart from Chewy is the depth of behavioral profiling. They're not just tracking what you buy; they're building psychological profiles of your pet that can be used for targeted advertising across the internet.

If privacy is a concern, be minimal with the information you provide. Don't upload photos, and consider using CCPA's 'Do Not Sell' option. However, understand that opting out of sale doesn't stop BarkBox from using your data for their own marketing purposes."

BarkBox Privacy Policy Review

⚠ Key Privacy Concerns

Data They Collect

Compare With Other Pet Services

🐕 Concerned About Your Data?

⚠ Red Flags

Detailed Pet Personality Profiling

Extensive Third-Party Ad Sharing

Brand Partner Data Sharing

Photo Usage Rights

Cross-Brand Data Sharing

Indefinite Profile Retention

Who They Share With

Your Rights

Analysis

Need Help With Your Privacy Rights?

Schedule a Consultation

BarkBox Privacy Policy Review

⚠ Key Privacy Concerns

Data They Collect

Compare With Other Pet Services

🐕 Concerned About Your Data?

Related Resources

⚠ Red Flags

Detailed Pet Personality Profiling

Extensive Third-Party Ad Sharing

Brand Partner Data Sharing

Photo Usage Rights

Cross-Brand Data Sharing

Indefinite Profile Retention

Who They Share With

Your Rights

Analysis

Need Help With Your Privacy Rights?

Schedule a Consultation