Privacy Policy

 Last updated on May 6, 2018

 

Here are the highlights of some changes we’ve made recently

We’ve simplified the language to make it easier to read and understand

We’ve added details about how we work with the information you submit to us and what we collect through your use of our Website.

We’ve added more information about how and when you can control your privacy or sharing on our websites and mobile applications.

We’ve added information on how we collect, use, and disclose your Synced Information (defined below).

This Privacy Policy is effective immediately for new users of the Website. For pre-existing users, this Privacy Policy is effective 30 days from its posting.

Definition

OpenHouse Digital Marketing. (“OpenHouse”, “OpenHouse Digital”, and “we”, “us”, and “our”) respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy (the “Privacy Policy”) describes our policies on the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information.

This Privacy Policy applies to openhousedigitalmarketing.com.

By using or accessing our Website, you signify your consent to the terms of our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use this Website or submit any personal information to us.

Introduction

OpenHouse Digital Marketing is committed to protecting the privacy of our users. We respect your right to privacy, and we want you to be aware of how we collect and handle information on the websites and mobile applications covered by this Privacy Policy.

Because our business changes constantly, our Privacy Policy will change also, and information collected through the website is subject to the Privacy Policy in effect at the time the information is collected, unless you later give your express consent for us to do otherwise.

You are advised to check this web page (or such other page accessible by clicking on the Privacy Policy link in the footer of this website) frequently to see recent changes.

Parkbench will notify users of any changes to this Privacy Policy by posting the version of the Privacy Policy containing such changes on this web page (or such other page accessible by clicking on the Privacy Policy link in the footer of this website).

For more information about privacy issues in Canada and protecting your privacy, visit the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada website.

Personal Information We Collect

Personal information is information about an identifiable individual (“personal information”). OpenHouse Digital Marketing collects personal information when you voluntarily provide it through our Website, or when you provide it to us through other means. For example, we may collect personal information when you:

a. Register for a service we provide;

b. Sign up for any of our emails or newsletters;

c. Post a rating/review, or any other content on our Website;

d. Contact us by email, telephone, fax, mail or by other correspondence; or

e. Make a transaction through our Website.

The extent and type of personal information we may collect depends on service you request, your use of the Website, and/or the information you voluntarily provide to us.

The personal information we collect may include:

Your contact information, such as address, email address, phone number;

Information We Collect Through Technological Means;

Any other information you provide us.

Other information we collect:

ACCOUNT INFORMATION: If you create an account on the Website, we may store and use your full name, email address, postal code and other information you may provide with your account, such as your gender and birth date. By default, your first name and last initial, as well as any photo you submit through the registration process, will by publicly displayed as part of your account profile. You can modify this setting and some of the information associated with your account. If you feel that an unauthorized account has been created depicting you or your likeness, you can request its removal here.

PUBLIC CONTENT: The information that you post to the Website is intended for public consumption, including your reviews, tips, photos, comments, likes, message board posts, and account profile. To the extent your posts contain personal information, we may collect such information. We may display this information on the Website, share it with businesses listed on our Website, and further distribute it to a wider audience through third party websites and services.

CONTACTS: You can invite your friends to join the Website by providing their contact information, or by allowing us to use your address book from your computer, mobile device, or other sites. If you invite a friend to join and connect with you on the Website, we may transmit your friend’s contact information to OpenHouse Digital Marketing long enough to process your requests. If you invite your friends using this method, we may disclose your name and picture to your friend when sending the message.

SYNCED INFORMATION: If you sync non-OpenHouse Digital Marketing content or third party services (such as your mobile device or email address contact book) with your Website account, we will collect such synced information (“Synced Information”). For example, if you use our email invite feature to invite people in your email address book to join OpenHouse Digital Marketing, we will collect the names and emails of the people you intend to invite so that we can send invitations on your behalf. The extent of the Synced Information collected will vary depending on the non- OpenHouse Digital Marketing content or third party service which is synced, the privacy policy of the third party, and your account settings on the third party website or service. Open House Digital Marketing’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use governs OpenHouse Digital Marketing’s collection and use of the Synced Information, but OpenHouse Digital Marketing’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use does not necessarily govern the practices of third parties, including those who disclose information to OpenHouse Digital Marketing.

COMMUNICATIONS: When you sign up for an account, you are opting in to receive emails from other Website users, businesses, and OpenHouse Digital Marketing itself. You can manage your email preferences here, but note that you cannot opt out of receiving certain administrative or legal notices from OpenHouse Digital Marketing. If you exchange messages and emails with others through the Website, we may store them in order to process and deliver them, allow you to manage them, and investigate possible wrongdoings in connection with the Website. If you send information from the Website to your phone via SMS text message, we may log your phone number, phone carrier, and the date and time that the message was processed. Carriers may charge recipients for texts that they receive. When you send emails to OpenHouse Digital Marketing through the Contact page or other contact pages, or through any email service, we may collect your email address, name, and the content of that specific email you have sent us.

TRANSACTIONAL INFORMATION: If you obtain any kind of promotion (e.g. IDX Broker, Wolfnet) from businesses with which you transact through the Website, we may publicly display the fact that you transacted with those businesses.

Information We Collect Through Technological Means

When you visit our Website, some information is also automatically collected, such as your computer’s Internet Protocol (IP) address, your computer’s operating system, the browser type, your mobile device, your location information, the address of a referring web site, and the time and date of your visit. We treat this information as personal information if we combine it with or link it to any of your identifying information. Otherwise, it is used in the aggregate only.

We collect information on Website visitors collectively, including which sections of the Website are most frequently visited, how often, and for how long. This type of information is aggregated, non-personal information and helps us understand trends and our users’ needs so that we can further improve the websites and/or services. OpenHouse Digital Marketing also collects and uses some information on an individual basis regarding your interaction with us.

Our web servers collect the IP addresses of our users. These are mainly used in an aggregate form to determine usage trends, however, they are also used as another identifier, to help protect the integrity of the information on our Website. For instance, if a particular business is reviewed consecutively by the same IP address within a short time-frame, that might prompt OpenHouse Digital Marketing to investigate to ensure that the reviews are legitimate and based on actual customer experiences.

We use this automatically collected information to better understand how visitors use our Website, and to improve our Website to better meet your needs. The amount of information that is sent by your web browser depends on the browser and settings you use. Please refer to the instructions provided by your browser if you want to learn more about what information it sends to websites you visit, or how you may change or restrict this.

Cookies, Tracking Pixels, and Applets

Cookies are small text files placed on your hard drive by a website you visit. These files identify your computer and record your preferences and other data about your visit so that when you return to the website, the website knows who you are and can personalise your visit.

We, and third parties with whom we partner, may use cookies, web beacons, tracking pixels, local shared objects (sometimes called “flash cookies”), and similar technology in connection with your use of the Website and third party websites (collectively, “Cookies”). Cookies may transmit information about you and your use of the Website, such as your browser type, search preferences, data relating to advertisements that have been displayed to you or that you have clicked on, and the date and time of your use. Cookies may be persistent or stored only during an individual session.

OpenHouse Digital Marketing uses Cookies to enhance Website functionality and to provide you with a better experience. For example, Cookies allow you to automatically log on every time you visit the website (if you choose this option). We also use Cookies to provide you with personalized advertisements on third party websites.

If you wish to disable Cookies, refer to your browser help menu to learn how. However, if you disable Cookies, you may be unable to access some features on our Website.

a. Processes

Intended to make the Website work in the way you expect it to. For example, we use a Cookie that tells us whether you have already signed up for an account.

b. Authentication, security, and compliance

Intended to prevent fraud, protect your data from unauthorized parties, and comply with legal requirements. For example, we use Cookies to determine if you are logged in.

c. Preferences

Intended to remember information about how you prefer the Website to behave and look. For example, we use a Cookie that tells us whether you have declined to allow us to use your phone’s geolocation data.

d. Notifications

Intended to allow notice of information or options that we think could improve your use of the Website. For example, we use a Cookie that allows us to stop showing you the signup notification if you have already seen it.

e. Advertising

Intended to make advertising more relevant to users and more valuable to advertisers. For example, we use a Cookie that tells us if you have recently clicked on an advertisement.

f. Analytics

Intended to help us understand how visitors use the Website. For example, we use a Cookie that tells us how our search suggestions correlate to your interaction with the search page.

Control of Personal Information and Communications

We give you the opportunity to opt-out of receiving communications from us and to view and correct your own personal information.

If you do not want to receive emails from us, you can;

a. Click on “Your Name” to go to your account profile, and then click “Settings” and alter your preferences accordingly;

b. Follow the opt-out instructions at the bottom of any email you receive from us;

You have a right to access your personal information and to request a correction to it if you believe it is inaccurate. If you want to view or correct your personal information, you can access your information online by clicking on “Your Name” at the top of the page or by contacting us at the address provided below in the Contact section.

Other users may be able to identify you, or associate you with your account if you include personal information in the content you post publicly. You can reduce the likelihood of being personally identified by using the Website pseudonymously, though doing so could detract from the credibility of your contributions to the Website. Please note, however, that even if you use the Website pseudonymously, we will still collect, use, and disclose your information as described in our Privacy Policy.

Please also note that the messages you send or receive using the Website are only private to the extent that both you and the sender/recipient keep them private. For example, we do not have any control over whether a recipient of one of your messages publicly posts it or its contents. Similarly, OpenHouse Digital Marketing may also access such messages in the course of investigations relating to Website use.

Data changes

If you change your personal information or content, we usually update our databases immediately. However, some data may update more slowly, and some old data may remain in our archives and records. Also, we may be unable to propagate changes to any partners or other users who receive your information or content.

How We Use and Disclose Collected Information

In general, the personal information we collect may be used for the purposes for which it was collected, as provided in this Privacy Policy, or for other purposes that are disclosed to you and to which you consent. For example, we use personal information to process and fulfill your requests, provide you with products or services, enhance the Website’s functionality, improve the Website’s quality, personalize your experience, track usage of the Website, provide feedback to businesses that are listed on our Website, send you promotional or informational communications, display relevant advertising, provide customer support, correspond with you, to back up our system and prepare for disaster recovery, enhance Website security, verify that any reviews or other content you post is genuine and legitimate, to inform you about products or services that we think will be of interest to you, or to comply with OpenHouse Digital Marketing’s legal obligations. We may disclose personal information to third party service providers that help us perform these activities. When we use personal information in our marketing efforts, we provide you with options to opt-out of these types of communications. Personal information provided online may be linked together or merged with other information so that we may better understand your needs and inform you about our products or services and those of our partners. In addition, if we receive information from third parties with whom we have business relationships, we may combine this information with the other personal information we maintain about you or other non-personal information we have collected (which may result in the creation of new personal information). Our Privacy Policy governs this information. We absolutely do not transfer or sell your information for inclusion on third party email or other marketing lists.

We use Synced Information to improve your experience on the OpenHouse Digital Marketing website and services and to increase your network. For example, we may use Synced Information to assist you with sending invitations to your personal contacts who are not yet on the Website or to send reminder invitations on your behalf. We also store your Synced Information to avoid inadvertently sending multiple invitations to the same person.

If you send an invitation to another person, that person may gain access to some of your personal information. For example, recipients of your invitations may see your name and contact information.

Sharing of Personal Information

Other than as set out in this Privacy Policy, we do not disclose your personal information to third parties unless we first provide you notice and receive your consent. In addition, we may disclose personal information when we believe that we are lawfully authorized or obligated to do so, or that doing so is reasonably necessary to comply with legal processes or authorities, respond to any claims, or to protect the rights, interests, property, or personal safety of OpenHouse Digital Marketing, our users, our employees, officers, directors, and agents, or the public.

We don’t share your Synced Information with anyone, except to the extent necessary to send invitations on your behalf or to comply with legal obligations.

Please keep in mind that if you disclose personal information when posting reviews or other content to the Website, this information may be collected and used by others. You agree that OpenHouse Digital Marketing shall bear no responsibility for any such disclosures. We recommend that you exercise caution in giving out personal information to others in public online forums.

Third Parties

In addition to other disclosures described in this Privacy Policy, we may share personal information with third parties as follows:

ADVERTISERS: We may allow third parties to use Cookies on the Website to collect the same type of information for the same purposes as OpenHouse Digital Marketing does for itself, or we may disclose such information to our third party advertisers. They may be able to associate the information they collect with other information they have about you from other sources.

We do not necessarily have access to or control over the Cookies third parties use, but you may be able to opt- out of some of their practices by visiting the following sites: Network Advertising Initiative, Omniture, Aperture, Digital Advertising Alliance and PrivacyChoice. Please note that opting-out does not prevent the display of advertisements to you.

ONLINE BEHAVIOURAL ADVERTISING: We use online behavioural advertising which helps us advertise to you on third party websites. We may use and disclose your personal information with third parties for the purposes of displaying our advertisements. You can opt-out of our online behavioural advertising by contacting us at the address provided near the end of this Privacy Policy.

SERVICE PROVIDERS: Some of the services that are offered through the Website, such as the IDX Real Estate Search, may be provided by third-party providers. We may share personal information with third-party providers who assist us in performing functions necessary to operate our business. These functions may include technical and customer support, data entry, website hosting, tracking and reporting functions, quality assurance testing, payment processing functions, and other services. We may share information from or about you with these third party providers so that they can perform their services or complete your requests. We limit the information shared with our third-party providers to that which we believe is necessary to carry out the uses, activities, and functions described in this Privacy Policy. Moreover, we require our third-party providers to comply with our privacy practices, and not to use the information for other purposes except as required by law. We are not responsible for any failure on their part to comply with our privacy practices, nor are we responsible for any additional information you provide directly to these parties, and we encourage you to become familiar with their practices before disclosing information directly to them.

PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS AND AGENTS: We may share your personal information with our agents and professional advisors.

AGGREGATE INFORMATION: We may share user information in the aggregate with third parties, such as advertisers and content distributors. For example, we may disclose the number of users that have been exposed to, or clicked on, advertisements.

AFFILIATED COMPANIES: We may share your personal information with subsidiaries, affiliates, parent companies, joint ventures, or other companies under common control, in which case we will require them to honour this Privacy Policy. Typically, such information will be shared for the purpose of improving Website functionalities and our services and products.

SALE OF BUSINESS: If we intend to merge with a third party or to sell or transfer ownership or control of any or all of our business, assets, operations, or services to a third party, we reserve the right to share your personal information with such third party both before and after the purchase or merger. However, in the event the sale or merger closes, we will require that the receiving party agree that they will be similarly bound by the provisions of this Privacy Policy. If another company acquires OpenHouse Digital Marketing or all of our assets, that company will gain ownership of your personal information, and will assume the rights and obligations with respect to that information as described in this Privacy Policy. In the event the sale or merger does not close, we will require the potential purchaser or merging party to not use or disclose your personal information any manner whatsoever and to completely erase the same. We may also disclose your personal information.

BUSINESSES ON THE OPENHOUSE DIGITAL MARKETING WEBSITES: We may share personal information (such as your age and gender) and your use of the Website (such as, which businesses you bookmark or call) with businesses on the Website.

INVESTIGATIONS: We may investigate and disclose personal information if we have a good faith belief that such investigation or disclosure is (a) reasonably necessary to comply with legal process and law enforcement instructions and orders, such as a search warrant, subpoena, statute, judicial proceeding, or other legal process served on us; (b) helpful to prevent, investigate, or identify possible wrongdoing in connection with the Website; or (c) protect our rights, reputation, property, or that of our users, affiliates, or the public.

LINKS: The Website may contain links to unaffiliated third party websites. Except as set forth herein, we do not share your personal information with them, and are not responsible for their privacy practices. We suggest you read the privacy policies on all such third party websites.

FACEBOOK AND TWITTER: If you are logged into third party website such as Facebook or Twitter, and you access but are not logged into the Website, we may receive information from such third party website to make it easier for you to create an account on the Website and show you relevant content from your friends on that third party website. This information personalizes your experience and helps you create a OpenHouse Digital Marketing account.

You can also connect your OpenHouse Digital Marketing account to your accounts on third party services like Facebook, Google, LinkedIn and Twitter, in which case we may collect and store information identifying your account with the third party service. We use the information to help you connect and share public content with your friends and followers.

Data Retention and Account Termination

You can request to close your account by clicking here. We will remove your public posts from view and/or dissociate them from your account profile, but we may retain information about you for the purposes authorized under this Privacy Policy unless prohibited by law or contractual obligation. For example, we may retain information to prevent, investigate, or identify possible wrongdoing in connection with the Website or to comply with legal obligations. Please note that businesses cannot remove their business listings, ratings or reviews by closing their accounts.

Data Retention and Account Termination

The Website is not directed to persons under the age of majority in their jurisdiction. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you become aware that a minor has provided us with personal information without parental consent, please contact us here.

If we become aware that a minor has provided us with personal information without parental consent, we take steps to remove such information and terminate the minor’s account.

Security

The security of your personal information is important to us. All personal information relating to our users is stored in a secure environment. We have put into place reasonable security measures in an effort to protect personal information while it is under our control. However, no security measure is 100% secure. Therefore, while we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

You also have a responsibility in protecting against unauthorized access to your personal information. For example, do not share your password with anyone and, if you use a shared computer, sign off when you’re finished using the Website. You are responsible for all uses of OpenHouse Digital Marketing from your account.

Please advise us immediately if you believe your password has been misused by clicking here.

Please be careful whenever sending personal information to us by email. Generally speaking, email is not a secure way of transferring information. We therefore cannot guarantee that information sent by email to us will not be lost, stolen, or used in a fraudulent manner. We encourage using email encryption when communicating with us.

Contact Us & Withdrawal of Consent

We welcome your feedback. If you have any comments or concerns about this Privacy Policy, our privacy practices, or would like to contact us for any reason, you can contact us online by clicking here or write to us at the following address: OpenHouse Digital Marketing, Attn: Privacy Officer, 20 Camden Street, Suite 200, Toronto, ON M5V 1V1.

You can also use this contact information to withdraw your consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information as provided in this Privacy Policy, subject to our legal and contractual obligations and a reasonable period of time required to give effect to your consent withdrawal. Please note, however, that personal information you have sent to other users will be preserved, despite your withdrawal request or the deletion of your account. If you withdraw your consent, you may not use or access our Website unless you have regranted your consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information as set out in our Privacy Policy. As provided above, your use of our Website signifies your consent to our Privacy Policy.

Jurisdiction

Some or all of the personal information we collect may be stored or processed in jurisdictions outside of Canada. As a result, this information may be subject to access requests from governments, courts, or law enforcement in those jurisdictions according to laws in those jurisdictions.

We comply with the EU & Swiss Safe Harbor Privacy Frameworks as set forth by the United States Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of data from the European Union and Switzerland.

We have certified that we adhere to the Safe Harbor Privacy Principles of notice, choice, onward transfer, security, data integrity, access and enforcement.

We will respond to requests relating to personal data within 30 days.

To learn more about the Safe Harbor program, please visit http://export.gov/safeharbor.

Enforcement

We regularly review our compliance with our Privacy Policy. We also adhere to several self-regulatory frameworks. When we receive formal written complaints, we will contact the person who made the complaint to follow up. We work with the appropriate regulatory authorities, including (when necessary) local data protection authorities, to resolve any complaints regarding the transfer of personal data that we cannot resolve with our users directly.

Modifications to this Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time. We will reflect any such modifications to this Privacy Policy on our Website. Your continued use of the Website after any such changes constitutes your acceptance of this Privacy Policy, as revised.

Further privacy information

For more information about privacy issues in Canada and protecting your privacy, visit the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada website.