Privacy Policy

The Real Estate Board of New York (“REBNY”, “we”, “our”) recognizes the importance of protecting the privacy and personal information of our members and users of this website (“members” “users” “you” “your”). This Privacy Statement (“statement”) explains how REBNY collects, uses and safeguards information collected through this website.      

Disclaimer regarding social media and linked sites

This website includes social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and links to other sites on the worldwide web. To enable their functionality, such sites and social media tools may collect users’ Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and set cookies on users’ devices.  Interactions with any such site or tool are governed by the privacy statement of that particular company, not REBNY’s privacy statement.

What Data is Collected

Personal Information

We may ask you for certain information referred to on this website as “personal information,” which includes information that pertains to your identify.  Such information may include, but is not limited to, your name, company name, photograph, postal addresses, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, and credit card number.  You may be required to provide personal information to access or use certain parts of our website or features of the website (“Services”).  If you do not provide the requested personal information, you may not be able to access or use the features of the website where such information is requested.

Web Usage Information

Our servers collect the browser type and IP address of all visitors to the website. Our servers may also record the referring page that linked users to the website (e.g., another Web site or a search engine); the pages users visit on the website; the website users visit after leaving the REBNY website; other information about the type of Web browser, computer, platform, related software and settings users and their computers are using; any search terms users have entered on our website or a referral site; and other Web usage activity and data logged by our Web servers. This “clickstream” data may be combined with other information about our users, including personal information.

We also use cookies to track usage of our website. Cookies are small pieces of data that automatically get stored on your computer when you visit our website. We use the information collected through cookies to administer, monitor and improve our website, and we may use cookies to personalize your experience with our website. While the information collected through cookies generally does not, alone, constitute personal information, we may be able to connect that information to your personal information. Cookies can be blocked or removed through the use of browser settings. Additionally, if you have a Flash player installed on your computer, since Flash cookies generally cannot be deleted through typical browser settings, your Flash player can be set to reject or delete Flash cookies. However, refusing a cookie may, in some cases, preclude you from using, or negatively impact the display or function of, the website or certain features of the website. [We also may use “clear GIFs” (aka “Web beacons” or “pixel tags”) or similar technologies on the website and/or in our communications with you (such as in our e-mails), which help us to verify an individual’s viewing or receipt of a Web page or message, and may enable us to relate such viewing or receipt to other information, including personal information.] Any or all of the above-described activities with respect to web usage information may be performed on our behalf by our Service Providers.

In addition, we currently use Google Analytics to track traffic to, from and around our website, and we use the data gathered through this service (such as what time the current visit occurred, whether the visitor has been to the website before, and what website referred the visitor to the web page) for various purposes, including to improve the REBNY or RLSNY website and our users' experience with it. Google Analytics collects information anonymously, and reports to us website trends without identifying individual visitors. To find out more about how information about your visits to the website may be collected and analyzed through the Google Analytics tools, visit http://www.google.com/intl/en/analytics/privacyoverview.html.

Depending on the type of Web browser you have, you may be able to opt-out of having certain of your web usage information sent to Google Analytics by visiting http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en.

How Collected Data is Used

Personal Information

The personal information that we collect on this website helps us to represent our members efficiently and effectively, to pursue our advocacy agenda including through electoral means, and to provide valuable member benefits.  You may opt-out of participating in our advocacy agenda or any other activity by contacting us at webalert@rebny.com.  Your personal information is also used to complete commercial transactions and respond to inquiries.

We may use your personal information to communicate with you about REBNY’s activities and offerings, unless you opt-out from receiving such messages. We may also use your email address for administrative purposes, such as notifying you of major website changes, sending messages related to actions you have taken on the site or for customer service purposes.

We may also disclose personal information to government authorities, and to other third parties when compelled to do so by government authorities, at our discretion, or otherwise as required or permitted by law, including but not limited to in response to court orders and subpoenas. We also may disclose personal information when we have reason to believe that someone is causing injury to or interference with our rights or property, other users of the website, or anyone else that could be harmed by such activities.

Web Usage Information

We use web usage information for various purposes. For example, cookies and other tracking technologies may enable us to relate your use of the website to other information about you, including your personal information. Additionally, we use web usage information for internal system administration, to help diagnose problems with our servers, to analyze this information to increase the functionality and user-friendliness of the website, to better tailor the website to our users’ needs, and to otherwise operate and administer the website. Such information may also be used to gather broad demographic information, such as country of origin and Internet Service Provider. We may also link this web usage information with personal information.

We may also capture certain “clickstream data” pertaining to your website usage.  Clickstream data includes, for example, information about your computer or device, Web browser and operating system and their settings, the referring page that linked you to the website, the pages, content or ads you see or click on during your visit and when and for how long you do so, items you download, the next Web site you visit when you leave the website, and any search terms you have entered on the website or a referral site.

Payment

Financial transactions relating to our website and services are handled by our payment services provider, TrustCommerce. We will share transaction data with our payment services provider only to the extent necessary for the purposes of processing your payments, refunding such payments and dealing with complaints and queries relating to such payments and refunds. You can find information about the payment services provider’s privacy policies and practices at https://www.trustcommerce.com/privacy-policy/

Security

REBNY takes reasonable efforts to secure and protect the privacy, accuracy, and reliability of your information and to protect it from loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction. REBNY implements security measures as we deem appropriate and consistent with industry standards. As no data security protocol is impenetrable, REBNY cannot guarantee the security of our systems or databases, nor can we guarantee that personal information we collect about you will not be breached, intercepted, destroyed, accessed, or otherwise disclosed without authorization. Accordingly, any information you transfer to or from Services is provided at your own risk.

Please do your part to help us keep your information secure. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and REBNY Account, and are fully responsible for all activities that occur under your password or REBNY Account. REBNY specifically reserves the right to terminate your access to our services in the event it learns or suspects you have disclosed your REBNY Account or password information to an unauthorized third party.

Changes to this Statement

This Privacy Statement is effective as of April 17, 2020 and will remain in effect except with respect to any changes in its provisions in the future, which will be in effect immediately after being posted on this page.

We reserve the right to update or change our Privacy Statement at any time and you should check the Privacy Statement periodically.  Your continued use of the website after we post any modifications to the Privacy Statement on this page will constitute your acknowledgment of the modifications and your consent to abide and be bound by the then-modified Privacy Statement.

Users in California

CALIFORNIA’S “SHINE THE LIGHT” LAW, CIVIL CODE SECTION 1798.83, REQUIRES CERTAIN BUSINESSES TO RESPOND TO REQUESTS FROM CALIFORNIA CUSTOMERS ASKING ABOUT THE BUSINESSES’ PRACTICES RELATED TO DISCLOSING PERSONAL INFORMATION TO THIRD PARTIES FOR THE THIRD PARTIES' DIRECT MARKETING PURPOSES.  YOU MAY REQUEST INFORMATION REGARDING OUR SHARING OF PERSONAL INFORMATION WITH THIRD PARTIES FOR THE THIRD PARTIES’ DIRECT MARKETING PURPOSES BY CONTACTING US IN WRITING AT CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, REBNY, 570 LEXINGTON AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10022 OR BY SENDING AN E-MAIL TO WEBALERT@REBNY.COM.

Users outside of the United States                                                                     

IF YOU ARE LOCATED OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES, YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT THE INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE TO US IS BEING TRANSMITTED TO US AND PROCESSED IN THE UNITED STATES AND WILL BE PROTECTED SUBJECT TO THIS PRIVACY STATEMENT AND UNITED STATES LAWS, WHICH MAY NOT BE AS PROTECTIVE AS THE LAWS IN YOUR COUNTRY.  ALSO, THIS WEBSITE PLACES COOKIES AND LOCAL SHARED OBJECTS ON YOUR COMPUTER OR DEVICE WHICH ARE FURTHER DESCRIBED HEREIN.  BY USING THE WEBSITE, YOU AGREE TO THIS.  IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS, PLEASE LEAVE THE WEBSITE IMMEDIATELY.

Contact REBNY

If you have any questions about the Website or this Privacy Statement, please contact REBNY at webalert@rebny.com.

Effective April 17, 2020