Borders Plans to Sell Customer Info to B&N

Borders Books, which recently filed for bankruptcy and shuttered nearly 200 stores (), plans to sell information on 45 million former customers to ex-rival , which also has a Peabody store.

State Attorney General Martha Coakley issued an advisory to consumers on Monday, warning that in order for former Borders customers to keep their information private, they must opt-out in advance of the sale.

The information being transferred includes names, addresses, email addresses and some level of purchase history, which customers provided to Borders through its website, rewards programs or other special offers. Coakley says the purchase history won't include specific title names, however.

Borders will also not be selling or transferring credit card numbers or other financial account information, according to Coakley. That data will be securely deleted.

As part of a court agreement on the transfer, Barnes & Noble will email all Borders customers whose information is to be transferred, explaining what the information is and how to opt out. Those customers then have 15 calendar days to contact Barnes & Noble.

Notices will also be published on both booksellers' websites and any customers who don't have access to email will have 30 days to contact Barnes & Noble through those notices.

Coakley said Borders has been allowed by Bankruptcy Court to conduct the sale and Barnes & Noble has promised that it would protect the sensitive information under its privacy policy. The bookseller says those who do opt out will have their information deleted securely.

“Customers of Borders bookstores need to know that their information is being sold and that they have a limited amount of time to opt-out,” said Coakley. “We urge consumers who have concerns about the use of their private data to take action.”

You can find a letter that Borders issued to its customers here. Customers who wish to keep their information private can opt out on the Borders website here.

As for the fate of Borders, the parent corporation received court approval on July 21 to accept a proposal from Hilco and Gordon Brothers to purchase the store assets of the business and administer the liquidation process of 399 stores nationwide. Liquidation began July 22 and stores were expected to close by the end of September.