Privacy and Security Policy
Statement of Purpose
This Privacy and Security Policy (the “Policy”) sets forth the privacy and security practices of Bock Realty Group (“BRG”) with respect to information collected from visitors to the website of BRG, and all specific websites beginning with such domain (collectively referred to herein as, the “BRG Website”). The Policy contains information about the types of data collected and how such data is used by the BRG.
This Policy only applies to the BRG Website. This Policy does not apply whenever visitors leave the BRG Website by clicking on and following a link to another website, including the websites of other real estate agents and brokerages. The privacy and security policies of the websites visited outside of the BRG Website should be reviewed to determine how each site owner addresses the issue of disclosure of personally identifiable information.
Definition
“Personally identifiable information” means information that could be used to name or distinguish an individual conducting business on the BRG Website from others such individuals. Personally identifiable information includes, but is not limited to: name; address; phone numbers; mobile numbers; and e-mail addresses.
Collection of Information
For transactions conducted on the BRG Website individuals will be requested to enter certain information about themselves and/or the organization with which they are affiliated. When personally identifiable information is requested, there will be an indication of whether the disclosure of such information is mandatory or optional to continue the transaction. The type of information requested will vary based upon the type of transaction. BRG collects this information in the same manner and for the same reasons as if the transaction were performed in person, over the telephone, or through the mail with BRG. Additional information may be requested if required by law, if such information is necessary to verify an individual’s identity and secure the transaction, or if the visitor would like updates regarding new features offered by the BRG Website. Information regarding BRG Website features will only be sent to visitors if they explicitly choose to receive it.
For all other browsing, visitors are not asked for personally identifiable information, and none will be collected.
Use of Information
Information collected in the course of transactions via the BRG Website are used for the following purposes:
Transaction and Information Facilitation
- To conduct online transactions between a visitor and BRG via the BRG Website;
- To send an e-mail to a visitor using the online service provided via the BRG Website confirming the transaction; or
- To provide information about new features offered by the BRG Website to visitors who have elected to opt-in to receive such information.
Website Statistics
For site management functions, information is collected for analysis and statistical purposes. This information is not reported or used in any manner that would reveal personally identifiable information. E-mail addresses will not be released to outside parties unless we are required to do so in connection with law enforcement investigations, legal proceedings, or as otherwise required by applicable state or federal law.
We use log analysis tools to create summary statistics, which are used for purposes such as assessing what information is of most interest to visitors, determining technical design specifications, and identifying system performance or problem areas. The following information is collected for this analysis:
- User Client hostname – The hostname (or IP address if DNS is disabled) of the user/client requesting access;
- HTTP header, “user-agent” – The user-agent information includes the type of browser, its version, and the operating system it’s running on;
- HTTP header, “referrer” – The referrer specifies the page from which the client accessed the current page;
- System date – The date and time of the user/client request;
- Full request – The exact request the user/client made;
- Status – The status code the server returned to the user/client;
- Content length – The content length in bytes of the document sent to the user/client;
- Method – The request method used;
- Universal Resource Identifier (URI) – The location of a resource on the server;
- Query string of the URI – Anything after the question mark in a URI; and
- Protocol – The transport protocol and version used.
E-Mail Protocol
Without the affirmative consent of an affected individual, BRG is prohibited from disclosing the e-mail addresses of members of the public that have communicated electronically with it. Personally identifiable information contained in a question or comment sent electronically to BRG in an e-mail message or submitted in an online form is only used by BRG to respond to the question or comment.
Law Enforcement
BRG may be required by law enforcement or judicial authorities to provide personally identifiable information to appropriate governmental authorities. BRG will cooperate with law enforcement agencies in identifying those who appear to be using its services for illegal activities. BRG reserves the right to report to law enforcement agencies any activities that officials of BRG in good faith believe to be unlawful.
Personally Identifiable Information
Except as otherwise provided by applicable state or federal law, BRG does not sell or release personally identifiable information. Please note that information provided to BRG is generally public information subject to disclosure pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act or applicable federal legislation unless a specific statutory exception applies. Information about the Texas Public Information Act is available from the Office of the Attorney General, and at Texas Government Code, Chapter 552.
Security
The BRG Website uses Secure Sockets Layer (“SSL”) for secure transmissions. SSL applies encryption between two computers, in this case the individual’s personal computer and the BRG Website server. The BRG Website utilizes 128-bit encryption, which is the strongest encryption currently standard in the marketplace. As a minimum, the following information will be protected when transmitted via the BRG Website:
- Name;
- Social Security Number;
- All credit, debit, and charge card numbers;
- Bank account and electronic check information;
- Transaction payment information; ” Personal identification numbers (PIN) and passwords; and
- E-mail addresses.
A web browser will automatically activate the appropriate security features when initiating a transaction via the BRG Website. On most browsers, an unbroken key or locked padlock graphic at the bottom of the browser screen indicates that a secure connection is established.
Cookies
A cookie file contains unique information a web site can use to track such things as passwords, lists of pages previously visited by a particular visitor, and the date when a particular visitor last looked at a specific page. In addition, a cookie file may identify a visitor’s specific session at a particular web site. A cookie is often used in commercial sites to identify the items selected for a specific shopping cart application. Cookies come in several types, primarily session or persistent. A persistent cookie is information from a Web site that lasts longer than the immediate connection. A session cookie lasts for the duration of the connection.
You should note that cookies obtained via the BRG Website neither contain nor collect personally identifiable information about visitors. Moreover, BRG will not match visitor activities with personally identifiable information.
Contact Information
If you have questions or concerns about this policy, please feel free to contact our team via our contact forms. If you have questions or concerns about how other real estate agents or brokerage bodies handle personally identifiable information, please contact those groups directly.