Privacy Policy
Effective Date: March 2, 2021
Thank you for visiting TheMLSonline.com, which is owned by TheMLSonline.com, Inc. ("TheMLSonline", "we", "us", or "our"). This Privacy Policy (this "Policy") applies only to information collected through TheMLSonline-owned platforms on which it is posted (individually, a "Site", collectively, our "Sites"), including our website at TheMLSonline.com and our mobile app.
Table of Contents
Types of Personal Information We Collect
Information About Third-Party Cookies and Interest-Based Advertising
How We Use Personal Information Collected Through This Site
How to Access, Update or Correct Your Personal Information
Steps We Take to Safeguard your Personal Information
How We Share Your Personal Information With Others
Notice to Users Located Outside of the United States
Your Consent
This Policy is part of the Terms of Use that govern your use of this Site. A link to our Terms of Use is provided at the bottom of each page of this Site.
Please take a few minutes to review this Policy. It governs your use of our Sites.
This Policy May Change
This Policy describes TheMLSonline's current policies and practices with regard to the personal information we collect through this Site. We are continually improving and adding to the features and functionality of our Site and the services we offer through our Site. As a result of these changes (or changes in the law), we may need to update or revise this Policy. Accordingly, we reserve the right to update or modify this Policy at any time, without prior notice, by posting the revised version of this Policy and by making it available through the mobile application governed by this Policy. Your continued use of our Site after we have posted the revised Policy constitutes your agreement to be bound by the revised Policy and your agreement that any information we previously collected from you may be used as described in the revised Policy.
Supplemental Privacy Notices
This Policy may be supplemented or amended from time to time by "privacy notices" posted on this Site. These privacy notices provide a level of detail that we cannot provide in this more general description of our privacy practices. For example, certain pages of this Site may contain privacy notices providing details about the personal information we collect on those pages, why we need that information, and choices you may have about the ways we use that information.
Types of Personal Information We Collect
Information You Manually Provide. TheMLSonline collects the Personal Information you manually provide (using your keyboard, mouse, or touchpad) when you use our Site. For example, we collect the information you provide when you set up an account, inquire about a property, request a showing, or otherwise interact with our Site. Some of the information you manually provide may identify you personally, alone or in combination with other information available to us ("Personal Information"). For example, if you sign up for an account, we may ask you to provide your name, phone number, mailing address, and email address.
Information From Third-Party Social Media Platforms. You may be able to choose to register, log-on, or enhance your profile on our Site through a third-party social media platform, such as Facebook. When doing this, you are asking the third-party social media platform to send us registration information from your profile on that platform. We treat that information as we do any other information you give to us when you register, log-on, or enhance your profile. After you have connected, the third party may also send us additional information from your profile that allows us to offer certain functionalities on the pages you view.
Information Sent to Us by Your Web Browser. We collect information that is sent to us automatically by your Web browser. This information typically includes your IP address, the identity of your Internet service provider, the name and version of your operating system, the name and version of your browser, the date and time of your visit, and the pages you visit. Please check your browser if you want to learn what information your browser sends or how to change your settings. We use this information, which does not identify individual users, to better serve our visitors in the event that a request of our services is made. We link this automatically-collected data to your Personal Information only if you create an account, inquire about a listing, request a showing, or request assistance with our products or services.
More About IP Addresses. Your IP address is the identifier assigned to your particular computer when you access the Internet. Depending on how you connect to the Internet, your IP address may always be the same, or it may change each time you access the Internet. IP addresses do not include your name, email address or other Personal Information, but in some cases, they can and may be used to identify you. For example, if you have registered with our Site, we may link your IP address to account information that identifies you personally. We may also provide your IP address to our third-party service providers who can use it to identify information such as your state and zip code. If we suspect inappropriate or criminal activity or a threat to our Site or their users, we may also share our server logs—which contain users' IP addresses—with the appropriate investigative authorities, who could use that information to trace and identify individuals.
Cookies and Similar Technologies. A cookie is a small file placed on your device when you visit a website that can be understood by the website that issued the cookie. We use cookies and other technologies, including device identifiers, to collect information and support certain features of our Site. For example, we may use these technologies to:
- collect information about the ways visitors use our Site—for example, which pages they visit, which links they use, and how long they stay on each page;
- support the features and functionality of our Site—for example, to save you the trouble of reentering information already in our database or to prompt the settings you established on previous visits; and
- personalize your experience when you use our Site, including by serving targeted advertisements.
Generally, the information we collect using these web technologies does not identify you personally. If, however, you have created a user account, we may link the information we collect using these web technologies to other information that identifies you personally.
If you do not wish to receive cookies, you may be able to set the browser of your computer or mobile or tablet device to reject cookies or to alert you when a cookie is delivered. You may also be able to delete our cookies as soon as you leave our Site. Although you are not required to accept our cookies when you visit our Site, if you set your browser to reject cookies, you may not be able to use all of the features and functionality of our Site.
Information from Your Computer or Mobile Device. When you access a Site through your computer or mobile device, we may automatically collect certain information from and/or about your device, such as the type of device you use, your device's unique ID, the IP address of your device, your device's operating system, the type of Internet browsers you use, and information about the way you use our mobile. We automatically collect log data when you access and use the Site, even if you have not created an account or logged in.
Using GPS technology, we may also collect precise, real-time location information from your mobile device and use that information to deliver tailored content through our mobile application. For example, if our mobile application recognizes that you are near a particular advertiser's place of business, we may send a message to your mobile device letting you know about an offer from that advertiser. We may also share information about your location with your friends and other contacts, to the extent you interact with them using the social networking tools available on our Site. Your mobile device may allow you to adjust your settings so that location information is not available to any mobile website or application. If you have questions about the security and privacy settings of your mobile or tablet device, please refer to instructions from your mobile service provider or the manufacturer of your device.
Additional Sources of Information. You may provide additional information to us when you request information or an estimate for services. We may receive this information from you through email, the website, or over the phone. This information may be combined with information you provide to us through a Site.
Information About Third-Party Cookies and Interest-Based Advertising
In addition to the cookies TheMLSonline delivers to your computer or mobile device through our Site, certain third parties may deliver cookies to you for a variety of reasons. For example, we use Google Analytics, a web analytics tool that helps us understand how visitors engage with our Site. To learn more about Google Analytics, click here. To learn more about how Google uses data collected through partner sites or applications, click here.
Other third parties may deliver cookies to your computer or mobile or tablet device for the purpose of tracking your online behaviors across nonaffiliated websites and delivering targeted advertisements either on our Site or on other websites.
For information about how you can control the collection of such information, please see "Your Choices" below.
How We Use Personal Information Collected Through This Site
Generally, we use the Personal Information we collect through this Site:
- to provide the information, products and services you request;
- for security, credit or fraud prevention purposes;
- to provide you with effective customer service;
- to provide you with a personalized experience when you use our Site;
- to contact you regarding products or services we believe many be of interest to you (in accordance with any privacy preferences you have expressed to us);
- to contact you with information and notices related to your use of our Site;
- to better understand your needs and interests;
- to improve the content, functionality and usability of this Site;
- to improve our products and services;
- to improve our marketing and promotional efforts;
- and for any other purpose identified in an applicable privacy notice, click-through agreement or other agreement between you and us.
Please see below for information about the choices you have about the ways we use your Personal Information.
Use of Aggregated Information
We may use information gathered through our Site to create a compiled, aggregate view of our Site' audiences and their visitors' usage patterns. We use aggregated information to operate our services and to better understand our audience as we develop new products and services. We may also share aggregated information with our third-party service providers as well as with potential investors, advertisers, and subscribers so they can better understand and/or market to our audience. For example, we might share that a certain percentage of our users are female or within a certain age range or live within a cluster of zip codes. Aggregate information is not personally identifiable.
Your Choices
In General. We respect your right to make choices about the ways we collect, use and disclose your Personal Information. In most cases, we will ask you to indicate your choices at the time we collect your Personal Information. For example, if you register with this Site, we provide you with an opportunity to "opt out" of receiving certain communications from us. In addition, we will include an "opt out" link in each electronic newsletter or promotional e-mail we send you, so that you can inform us that you do not wish to receive such communications from us in the future.
Previously Expressed Preferences. You may change previously expressed preferences regarding how we use your Personal Information. If you are a registered member of this Site, you may be able to change certain privacy preferences through your account settings. Otherwise, if at any time you wish to be taken off our mailing lists, please contact us at our e-mail address or telephone number below. Please provide your full name, postal address and e-mail address so that we can find you on our mailing lists. Once we have the information we need, we will remove you from our mailing lists as you have requested. Please give us a reasonable amount of time to honor your request.
Do Not Track Mechanisms. Because of the changing state of technology and indecision within the industry regarding the meaning of DNT signals, we currently do not make any guarantee that we will honor DNT signals.
How to Access, Update or Correct Your Personal Information
You can access, update or correct Personal Information related to your account on TheMLSonline by clicking here. You may also be able to access, update or correct the Personal Information you have submitted to us using a functionality available through a mobile application. If you are unclear as to how to access, update or correct your Personal Information, please contact us at our e-mail address below. We will respond to you within a reasonable time and, in any case, within the time limits established by applicable law. We may ask you for additional information to verify your identity. In most cases, we will provide access and correct or delete any inaccurate information you discover. In some cases, however, we may limit or deny your request if the law permits or requires us to do so or if we are unable to verify your identify.
Steps We Take to Safeguard your Personal Information
We maintain reasonable administrative, physical and technological measures to protect the confidentiality and security of Personal Information you submit on or through this Site. Unfortunately, no Web site, server or database is completely secure or "hacker proof." We therefore cannot guarantee that your Personal Information will not be disclosed, misused or lost by accident or by the unauthorized acts of others.
How We Share Your Personal Information With Others
Third–Party Service Providers. TheMLSonline shares Personal Information collected through our Site with third-party service providers who act for or on behalf of TheMLSonline. For example, we may use third-party vendors to design, operate, and/or host our Site, and to help us with our promotional efforts. These third parties may need information about you to perform their functions. With Other Carefully Selected Business Partners. From time to time, we may share your Personal Information with selected third parties (other than our service providers) for their own marketing purposes. Before doing so, however, we may offer you the opportunity to "opt out" or "opt in" as required by applicable law. With Our Licensors, Manufacturers and our Affiliates. We may share the information collected through the Site with our affiliates, manufacturers and licensors (collectively, "Other Parties") if you have "opted in" or otherwise previously granted us permission to do so. Our Other Parties may use the information in all the ways listed in this Policy, provided that such use relates to services authorized by TheMLSonline.
Business Negotiations. We may contemplate, for strategic or other reasons, selling, buying, merging, or otherwise reorganizing one or more of our businesses. In negotiating with a third party about entering into such an arrangement, we may need to disclose your Personal Information. In such cases, we will take reasonable measures to protect the Personal Information we disclose, for example, by requiring a prospective purchaser to sign a non-disclosure agreement limiting the use and protecting the confidentiality of the Personal Information.
Business Transfers. We may transfer the Personal Information you submit on or through our Site to any organization that acquires or merges with us.
Compliance with Laws and Protection of Our Rights and the Rights of Others. We may disclose your Personal Information when we, in good faith, believe disclosure is appropriate to comply with the law, a court order or a subpoena. We may also disclose your Personal Information to prevent or investigate a possible crime, such as fraud or identity theft; to protect the security of this Site; to enforce or apply our Terms of Use or other agreements; or to protect our own rights or property or the rights, property or safety of our users or others.
With Third-Party Social Media Platforms. We may provide functionality on our Site that allows you to automatically post information to a third-party social media platform (such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram). If you choose to take advantage of this functionality, people with access to your profile on the third-party platform will be able to see your post. Thus, you should have no expectation of privacy in those actions. Further, if you choose to link your profile on our Site with an account on a third-party social media platform, we may share the information in your profile with that third-party platform. We may also use third-party social media platforms to offer you interest-based ads. To offer such ads, we may convert your email address into a unique value which can be matched by our partner company with a user on their platform. Although we do not provide any personal information to these platform vendors, they may gain insights about individuals who respond to the ads we serve.
As Described in a Privacy Notice. We reserve the right to disclose your Personal Information as described in any privacy notice posted on a page of this Site where you provide that information. By providing your Personal Information on that page you will be consenting to the disclosure of your Personal Information as described in that privacy notice.
As Described in a Click–Through Agreement. We reserve the right to disclose your Personal Information as described in any click–through agreement to which you have agreed.
Children's Privacy
Our Site is not intended for children or minors under the age of 18 without the permission of a parent or guardian. If you believe that a child has submitted Personal Information on or through our Site without the consent and supervision of a parent or guardian, please contact us using the information provided below so that we can take appropriate action.
Links to Other Sites
Our Site may provide links to other websites operated by third parties. We expect our partners, providers of content and services, and advertisers to be transparent about their data protection practices. Be aware, however, that we have no control over third-party websites. This Policy does not apply to Personal Information collected on any third-party website. When you access third-party websites through a link on our Site, please take a few minutes to review the privacy policy posted on that site.
Notice to Users Located Outside of the United States
Our Site and the services on our Sites are targeted for users in the United States of America only. Any information you enter on a Site may be transferred outside of your home country to the United States of America, which may not offer an equivalent level of protection to that required of your home country's data protection laws.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us using the information provided below:
TheMLSonline.com, Inc.Attn: Client Services Dept.
11150 Commerce Dr N
Minneapolis, MN 55316
Phone: 612-221-6654
Email: molly@themlsonline.com