MLSonline.com, Inc. (“MLSOI”) understands that participating in our service involves a great deal of trust on your part. We take this trust very seriously, and make the security and confidentiality of the personal information you provide to us a high priority. This MLSOI Privacy Policy is a key component of our overall strategy to ensure privacy, confidentiality and personal control over your information.

This Privacy Statement applies to personal information we collect online through our web site, Online Service and Client Software. It also governs data collection and usage for all MLSOI services. As a visitor to this web site, you have the right to understand our information privacy practices prior to providing us with any personal information. If there are any material changes to the ways in which we use or disclose your personal information, we will send you an e-mail to explain these changes before we implement them, and individuals may always contact MLSOI with specific questions regarding privacy. By using this site and furnishing personal information to us, you are indicating your consent to our collection and processing of your personal information as described here.

MLSOI complies with all applicable privacy and security laws and regulations. In addition, we are working with independent agencies to certify our commitment to Member Privacy, confidentiality and ethical business practices.

What is personal information?
Personal information is information that can be linked to a specific individual, including name, physical address, e-mail address, telephone number, and credit card information.

What personal information do we collect?
In general, we only collect personal information that you choose to provide to us. We collect this information at two points in the MLSOI system – (a) when you register as a new Member, and (b) if and when you decide to become a paying subscriber and advertise your services on MLSOI. When you register as a new Member, we only require the minimum amount of information necessary to operate the service, including your name, e-mail address, and zip code. We also require Members to establish a unique username and password to log in to the system, and for security purposes. Once you have registered, you may elect to become a paying subscriber by building an Extended Personal Profile that can include more information, such as the services you offer, client success stories, detailed biographical information, and other interests.

We may also collect personal information about Members and other individuals who use our service from our business affiliates and third parties. For more information about our affiliates, see below.

What other information do we collect about you?
Some information is collected automatically every time you visit our site. If you visit our Web site to browse, read, or download information, we automatically collect and store non-personal information that is collected from your computer's Web browser, such as your Internet Protocol address, operating system, Web browser software (i.e., Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer), screen resolution, and referrer Web site. We use this information to enable you to connect your computer to and navigate our Web site.

Once you sign in as a member, we may also place a “cookie” on your computer. Cookies are small text files that are placed on your hard drive and transmit encrypted information back to our computer system. These cookies collect information about your activities on our site so that we may provide you with customized content. Cookies save you time by simplifying the process of recording personal information, such as billing addresses or preferences. When a Member returns to MLSOI, the information previously provided can be retrieved, so that personal features and preferences are restored. In order to recognize you when you return to our Web site, we may combine personal information that you voluntarily provide with cookies. Third parties that advertise on our Web site may also place cookies on your computer. These cookies do not contain any personal information, but rather collect anonymous information in order to provide advertisements about goods and services that may be of interest to you.

While most Web browsers automatically accept cookies, users can block them by modifying browser settings to decline them. MLSOI Members may decline cookies, but they will not be able to fully experience the interactive features of the MLSOI services and affiliated Web sites visited. You can also manually delete cookies once they are placed onto your computer. Consult your Web browser for instructions on how to decline and/or delete cookies.

How do we use your personal information?
We may use the personal information that you provide to deliver our service, enhance your experience on our site, and facilitate communications among Members. Specifically, we may use this information for the following purposes:

• Managing Your Account. We will use personal information to maintain your member account, respond to questions related to your account, and notify you about changes to your account.
   
• Processing Transactions. We may use personal information to process, complete, and confirm any transactions performed through our Web site. We may also use this information to update you on the progress of your transaction. If you are making a transaction on behalf of someone else, we may collect and use personal information about that individual. You should obtain the consent of other individuals prior to providing us with any of their personal information, as they will be unable to directly access our systems to view or change any information you provide on their behalf.
   
• Performing Our Service. We use the information that you provide us to execute our service. This includes finding and reviewing information about homes for sale, applying for home mortgages online and obtaining pre-approval from authorized mortgage brokers and lenders, listing your home for sale, and connecting home buyers/sellers with Mortgage Brokers and Real Estate Agents who can assist them in the loan approval and home buying/selling process.
   
• Notifying You About Our Products and Services. We may use your personal information to send you electronic mail messages that contain information about updates, use instructions, or product or service offerings that we believe may be of interest. If you do not want to receive commercial e-mail communications about our products and services, you can opt out of future mailings by updating your Preferences page and through the unsubscribe link provided in every such e-mail message.
   
• Notifying You About Third-Party Promotions. We may also send you promotional material on behalf of third parties with which we do business. When we do this, we do not give that third-party business your personal information. You may opt out of receiving promotional material about third parties with which we do business by updating your Preferences page and through the unsubscribe link provided in every third-party promotional e-mail message.
   
• Responding to Inquiries. If you ask a question through the Web site or request information, we will use the information you provide to respond to your request.
   
• Soliciting Feedback. We may also use the information you provide to contact you to request additional feedback and information about our services.

With whom do we share your information?
We take very seriously our responsibility to maintain your privacy with respect to your personal information. We will therefore share personal information only with the following entities, and only in the manner described below. Note, however, that we do not share the network contact information that you provide except as required by law.

• Authorized Service Providers. We share your personal information with our authorized service providers that perform certain functions or services on our behalf. This includes those who provide marketing assistance and process credit card payments. [In addition, if you call our toll-free number, your information may be accessed by a third-party service provider, as necessary, to respond to your request for customer service.] We only give our service providers the personal information that they need to complete each transaction, and we contractually require that they use your personal information only to perform the service for which they have been hired (such as to process your membership payment).
   
• Co-Branded Partners. We may also share your personal information with those businesses with whom we partner to provide services. You can tell when we offer a product or service jointly with a third party because their name will appear with ours. If you choose to access these optional services, the co-branded service provider may actually collect your personal information, or we may provide your personal information to the provider. Because we do not control the privacy practices of these parties, you should review their practices before deciding to use co-branded services.
   
• Third Parties To Protect Our Customers And Others. We may share your personal information as required by law, including as necessary to deal with someone who poses a threat to our interests (such as customer fraud) or whose activities could bring harm to others. It may also be necessary for us to provide customer information to third parties, such as credit card companies, to enable them to resolve disputes that arise in the normal course of business. Finally, we may disclose your personal information in connection with a liquidation or sale of our assets.
   
• Extended Personal Profile for Real Estate Agents and Mortgage Brokers. Unlike information that you provide elsewhere on our site, information that you provide in the optional Extended Personal Profile is public. If you choose to complete the optional Extended Personal Profile, that information will be available to the public, including through the use of search engines. If you post contact information online in your Extended Personal Profile, you may receive unsolicited messages from other parties in return.

We may also occasionally share aggregated information about you and our other visitors with third parties. This information does not contain any personal information and is used to develop featured programs, content, and services that we hope will be of interest to you and our other members and guests.

What about third-party Web sites?
There are places throughout our Web site where you may accept a link to other Web sites that do not operate under our privacy practices. When you click through to these Web sites, our privacy practices no longer apply. We recommend that you examine the privacy statements for all third-party Web sites to understand their procedures for collecting, using, and disclosing your information.

How can you access, edit, and delete your personal information?
We believe that you should be able to ensure that your personal information is accurate and up to date. You can review and update your personal information by clicking on the link to your profile displayed on our home page. There you will be able to add to or edit your personal information, and to set your preferences for how your personal information is shared. You can also review and update your personal information and preferences by contacting us. More information about how to contact us is provided below.

You may also choose at any time to remove yourself from the MLSOI service by contacting us directly using the information provided below. When you elect to cancel, all of your profile, account and contact information is deleted from the MLSOI system. MLSonline will not retain a copy or use any of this information. We will then send you an e-mail confirming account closing, and requesting your feedback, including why you terminated your account and how we might improve our service.

How do we protect your information?
The security of your personal information is a high priority for us. While no Web site can guarantee security, we try to protect the confidentiality of your personal information by employing leading security technology and procedures (which are reviewed regularly). For example, only authorized employees are permitted to access personal information, and they only may do so for permitted business functions. In addition, each registered Member is assigned a unique username and password, and this information is required to access account information. In order to secure your information, all communications between a User and the MLSOI Web site are protected through Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption provided by VeriSign. MLSOI servers are located in secure environments. Firewalls and other advanced security technologies are employed to prevent intrusion, interference or unauthorized access. These safeguards maintain data accuracy and ensure appropriate use.

It is each Member’s responsibility to protect the security of his or her log-in information, including username and password. The voluntary disclosure of personal information through external public channels (e.g., chat, instant messaging, direct e-mail, etc.) cannot be and is not protected by MLSOI.

What about children’s privacy?
Our Web site is a general audience site, and we do not knowingly collect information about children. Should a child whom we know to be under 13 send personal information to us, we will use that information only to respond directly to that child to inform him or her that we must have parental consent before receiving his or her personal information.

What if we change our privacy policy?
MLSOI reserves the right to make changes to this Privacy Policy, but we will not make any material changes retroactively without informing you of the change in advance, and giving you the opportunity to consent to it. Changes will be posted online and made accessible via the MLSOI Web site prior to taking effect, and we will also notify you by e-mail in the case of any material changes. We also recommend that you revisit and review this Privacy Policy periodically to ensure that it meets your privacy needs.

How can you contact us?
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or any other service we provide, please email us at privacy@MLSonline.com, contact us by mail at MLSonline.com, Inc., 1158 26th St. Suite 511, Santa Monica, CA 90403.
 

This web site is intended for use by residents of the U.S. and that are over 18 years of age.
This policy was last updated on May 8, 2008.