Privacy PolicyPrivacy Policy
Last Updated on Monday, 29 November 1999 19:00 Written by Matt L Mueggenborg Tuesday, 21 April 2009 14:57
Please Note: Our Privacy Policy Changes From Time To Time. Please Check Back For Updates.
ATEC Dynamics, LLC dba RealtyScoreCard.com ("RSC," "we" or "us") knows that you care how information about you is used and shared, and we appreciate your trust that we will do so carefully and sensibly. We take your privacy very seriously and make it a priority to protect personally identifiable information, such as your name, email address, mailing address and telephone number; that we obtain from and about individuals both online and off-line. Please take a moment to review this Privacy Policy ("Privacy Policy") which describes how RSC collects, uses and shares such information.
Use of this website is not intended by persons under 18 years of age. You acknowledge that by using this web site and/or providing information and registering to use this site and through the submission of information requested, you agree and approve of the terms and conditions of this Privacy Policy and subsequent amendments to this Privacy Policy by your continued use of this website. This Privacy Policy shall govern our use and disclosure of your personal information. We are a website based in the United States.
By visiting the RSC Site (whether or not you are a registered member) or using any of the RSC Services on any of the Sites, you are accepting this Privacy Policy. If you do not want information about you to be used in the manner set forth in this Privacy Policy, please do not use the RSC Services.
What does this Policy cover?
Unregistered users
We encourage you to register with us in order to take advantage of RealtyScoreCard.com’s many personalization features. However, you may choose not to register and take advantage of any feature of our site where registration is not required.
If you do not register, then the information we collect from you is limited. We log your IP address in order to help diagnose problems with our server, administer our Web site and track usage statistics. Your IP address may vary each time you visit, or it may be the same, depending on whether you access our site through an always-on type of Internet connection (e.g., cable modem or DSL), or through a dial-up connection (e.g., AOL or Earthlink).
Either way, it would be extremely difficult for us to identify you through your IP address, and we make no attempt to do so. If you reached our site by clicking on a link or advertisement on another site, then we also log that information. This helps us to maximize our Internet exposure, and to understand the interests of our users. All of this information is collected and used only in the aggregate; that is, it is entered into our database, where we can use it to generate overall reports on our visitors, but not reports about individual visitors.
Registered users
If you choose to register with us, you'll be able to add content to our site. For example, you may post your own Realty Professional reviews and participate in our discussion forums. You will also be able to email RealtyScoreCard.com content to yourself and others. In addition, you will benefit from the ability to personalize your RealtyScoreCard.com site experience. The benefits of registering will increase over time as we get to know you better and introduce new features. We encourage you to register so that you can experience everything that RealtyScoreCard.com has to offer!
If you register with us, we will collect personal information from you in addition to the non-personal information described above. That personal information may include but not limited to, your name, email address, mailing address, telephone number, realty preferences, user name and password, as well as contact information for other people that you provide to us. The information we collect may vary, but we only collect the information that you manually enter into our forms or otherwise authorize us to collect.
We may store all or some of that information in a cookie file on your hard drive, so that our system will recognize you each time you visit our site. In that way, we can save your preferences from visit to visit and present you with a customized Web site, without requiring you to log into our site every time you visit. To improve services and enhance personalization, we may periodically obtain information about you from other independent third-party sources and add it to your registration information. Additionally, authorized RSC personnel may update your registration information to accurately reflect any new information included in communications received from you.
If you visit our site by "clicking-through" from a site operated by one of our partners, and you have registered with that partner, then certain information about you that you have provided to that partner may be transmitted to us. You should review the privacy policy of the Web site from which you reached our site in order to determine what information was collected and how you agreed that our partner could use that information. We may or may not retain that information; if we do, then we will only use it in accordance with our privacy policy, regardless of the policy of the partner site from which you came to us.
If you reach our site through one of our partners (whether or not you have registered with our partner), and you choose to register with us, we may be required to give our partner some or all of your registration information. We will only do so in accordance with this policy, but we cannot control how our partner uses the information. If you have questions about our partner's privacy policy, you should review their policy before providing information to us. Of course, you can ensure that the personal information you provide to us is not shared with our partners (except in accordance with this policy), by visiting us directly instead of clicking-through from one of our partners.
Why does RealtyScoreCard.com collect information about me?
RSC collects personally identifiable information in order to establish and enhance our relationship with you. Also, it helps us deliver a first class user experience. RSC’s use of this information includes the following general purposes: contacting you, verifying your review, customizing the content and advertising you view, fulfilling your requests for products or services, improving our services, conducting research, and providing anonymous reporting for internal and external clients. We only collect personally identifiable information from you because you are voluntarily submitting the information to us in order to enjoy certain RSC Services.
We also may obtain personally identifiable information from reputable third parties in order to further enhance your user experience with the RSC Services.
What are cookies, and how are they used to collect information?
Cookies are small bits of information placed on the hard drive of your computer. Cookies remember information about your activities on a website. For example, cookies can store your session for easy sign-in to a website you have previously visited. They enable us to make your visits to the RSC Site more enjoyable. Information about your activities on the RSC Site and other non-personally identifiable information about you may also be used to target the online ads you encounter to those we believe are consistent with your interests.
Third party advertisements displayed in connection with the RSC Services may also contain cookies set by internet advertisers. We do not control these cookies and users of the RSC Services should check the privacy policy of the advertiser to understand whether and how it uses cookies (for more information on this topic, please refer to the section titled "Are there other parties collecting information about me that I should be aware of while using the RSC Services?").
We may use cookies and similar tools to relate your use of the RSC Services to personally identifiable information obtained from you or a reputable third party, and to obtain anonymous aggregated data (as described below). For example, if you have asked us to send you information about our upcoming services or promotions, cookie or click stream data about your activities using the RSC Services may allow us to limit the materials we send you to items that we think you will find interesting, based on your prior online activities and preferences.
You can program your computer to warn you each time a cookie is being sent or to refuse cookies completely. However, without cookies you will not have access to certain RSC Services.
Do you collect anonymous aggregated data, and what do you do with it?
Anonymous data is information (originally personally identifiable or non-personally identifiable) that subsequently is used in aggregate form. We may use anonymous data for purposes of research or analysis. We may conduct research on our customer demographics, internet usage, and interests and behavior based on personal data we gather. Although anonymous data may be based in part on personal data, it does not identify you personally. RSC may share this type of anonymous data with a variety of third parties, including its affiliates, advertisers and other current and prospective business partners. But because it is anonymous, these third parties will not be able to contact you based on this data.
RSC may display targeted advertisements based on personal information. RSC does not provide any personal information to the advertiser when you interact with or view a targeted ad, although advertisers (including ad serving companies) may assume that people who interact with, view, or click targeted ads meet the targeting criteria.
We may use anonymous data collected for website administration, advertising and promotional purposes, and we may share such information with various affiliated and unaffiliated entities for such purposes. For example, IP addresses are used for the purposes of system administration and to provide anonymous aggregated data to advertisers about the volume of use on the RSC Services. We may also enter into agreements with outside companies that possess the technology that allows us to customize the advertising and marketing messages you receive while using the RSC Services. Your non-personally identifiable information and click stream data about your activities may be shared with these companies so this customization can be accomplished. Our agreement with these companies restricts them from sharing your information with third parties or using it for any other purpose. Anonymous click stream and demographic information may also be shared with our advertisers and business partners.
Do I have a choice in how RealtyScoreCard.com uses my personal information?
This Privacy Policy is our primary disclosure to you of when and how your information may be used. At times, however, we may choose or be required by law to provide you with additional notice. You will be given an opportunity to notify RSC how it may use your personally identifiable information (for more information on specific uses for which you will have consent rights, please refer to the section titled "How does RSC use my personally identifiable information?").
Whether you opt in or opt out of receiving communications from RSC, we reserve the right to send you administrative messages, service announcements, and other similar communications without offering you the opportunity to opt out of receiving them. This is important in case we need to communicate with you about items such as your account, website maintenance, and other non-promotional matters. From time to time, you may be given an opportunity to indicate your preferences regarding various account settings, communication preferences or other information related to your account. For example, if you wish to receive additional communications relevant to you, such as alert messages about your favorite content, you will need to elect to receive them. Therefore, please take that opportunity to review and select your preferences carefully. To opt out of receiving communications, send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
How does RealtyScoreCard.com use my personally identifiable information?
We will use the personally identifiable information you provide to us in a manner that is consistent with this Privacy Policy.
Only if you have given RSC consent, we may (i) use your personally identifiable information to provide you with information about RSC’s features, services and other offerings that may be of interest to you; (ii) send information or offers to users on behalf of RSC partners (please note that if we were to do this, we would not give those partners personally identifiable information such as your name or address); or (iii) share your personally identifiable information with advertisers, business partners, and other entities that are not affiliated with RSC who would like to send you information about their products and services.
Under certain circumstances (for example if you win a contest) we may post your personally identifiable information on the RSC Site. However, we will notify you of this possibility when collecting personally identifiable information or we will obtain your consent.
We may share some of your personally identifiable information with our parent company, our subsidiaries and sister companies around the world that are committed to providing you with a comprehensive array of tools and services to meet your realty needs. Sharing this information allows us to better understand the ways in which our various product and service offerings can assist homeowners. It also enables us to provide you with information about real estate opportunities in which you might be interested. We do not place restrictions on the use of personal information by our parent company, subsidiaries, or affiliates but they will treat it at least as protectively as they treat information they obtain from their other users. They also will comply with applicable laws governing the transmission of promotional communications, and give you an opportunity in any such email that they send to choose not to receive such promotional e-mail messages in the future.
RSC's employees, agents and contractors must have a legitimate business reason to obtain access to your personally identifiable information. We may share your personally identifiable information with companies that provide services to us, including outside contractors or agents who help us manage our information activities (for example, contest and sweepstakes administration). But they may only use your personally identifiable information to provide us with a specific service and not for any other purpose. Similarly, we may share your personally identifiable information with other people or entities in order to provide goods or services that you have requested or to complete a transaction at your request.
There may be instances when we may disclose personally identifiable information without providing you with a choice in order to protect the legal rights of RSC or its affiliates, and each of their respective investors, directors, officers, employees, agents and suppliers; to protect the safety and security of users of the RSC Services or to enforce our Terms of Use; to protect against fraud or for risk management purposes; or to comply with or respond to the law or legal process, whether or not legally required. If you submit a Notice of Copyright Infringement pursuant to the Terms of Use, we will send a copy to the person or entity that uploaded, stored or transmitted the material addressed by the communication. If we sell all or part of our business, or make a sale or transfer of assets, or are otherwise involved in a merger or business transfer, we may transfer your personally identifiable information to a third party as part of that transaction.
Is the personal information collected about me secure?
We use reasonable physical, electronic, and procedural measures to safeguard personally identifiable information in our possession against loss, theft and unauthorized use, disclosure or modification. For example, passwords and other sensitive information are encrypted in transit.
We limit access to personal information about you to employees whom we believe reasonably need that information to provide products or services to you or to do their jobs.
Are there other parties collecting information about me that I should be aware of while using the RealtyScoreCard.com Services?
The RSC Services may be linked to internet websites operated by other companies. Some of these websites may be co-branded with our name or logo, even though they are not operated or maintained by us. For example, users can use the RSC Services on the Distribution Sites. RSC is not responsible for the privacy practices of the Distribution Sites or other websites operated by third parties that are linked to any of the Sites. Once you have left the RSC Site by clicking on a link, or if you are using the RSC Services on another Site, you should check the privacy policy of the other website to determine how it handles any personally identifiable information they collect from you.
RSC carries advertisements from other companies, often with the ability to click through to websites run by such other companies. RSC is not responsible for the privacy practices of advertisers. Once you have left the RSC Site by clicking on an advertisement, you should check the privacy policy of the advertiser to determine how it handles any personally identifiable information they collect from you. Please be aware that RSC does not warn you when you have chosen to link through to another website from the RSC Site.
Some of the advertisements that appear in connection with the RSC Services may be delivered to you by internet advertising companies (also called "ad networks" or "network advertisers"). These companies may use cookies and other technologies to deliver advertisements to you, measure their effectiveness, and personalize advertising content. RSC does not have access to or control over cookies or other technologies that they may use. The information practices of these advertising companies are governed by their own privacy policies and are not covered by this Privacy Policy.
What happens when RealtyScoreCard.com changes its Privacy Policy?
From time to time, RSC may revise this Privacy Policy to reflect industry initiatives or changes in the law or to the scope of the RSC Services, among other reasons. Any revisions will be effective upon posting the new Privacy Policy on the RSC Site at www.realtyscorecard.com/privacy.html.
Therefore, it is important to check the effective date of the Privacy Policy posted at this location each time you visit the RSC Site or use any of the RSC Services to ensure you are familiar with the most updated policies and practices. If you do not agree with any changes to the Privacy Policy, you must leave the RealtyScoreCard.com Site and discontinue any use of the RSC Services. Any visit to the RSC Site or use of the RSC Services on any of the Sites by you after the new Privacy Policy is posted will indicate your agreement to the new Policy.
Who can I contact if I have concerns about this Privacy Policy?
If you have concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, including if you believe that RSC may have incorrect information for you or if you would like your personally identifiable information to be permanently removed from our database, you may email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You may also contact us by mail or facsimile at:
Attention: Legal Department
RealtyScoreCard.com
57 W. Timonium Road, Ste. 205
Timonium, MD 21093
410.941.2445 or 866.766.9485
Emails sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for purposes other than communication about personally identifiable information may not be answered.
