Confidentiality and protection of your data, especially personal information, has always been a priority for FBS. The online world is at the start of a new era of data privacy and protection, as regulations are beginning to be prepared and enacted around the country and the globe. One such set of regulations is the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In order to address such regulations, Flexmls is introducing the following changes to the Flexmls System starting on October 18th:
- In-app links to the Flexmls Privacy Policy
- For consumers:
- The ability to opt-in or opt-out of notification emails;
- The ability to request their personal data that is stored in Flexmls;
- The ability to request that their account be removed and all personal data deleted from Flexmls.
The changes being announced here are intended to help you, our customers, comply with privacy laws to the extent you use our software and services to collect or manage personally identifying information about your customers. Of course, as with all legal matters, you should consult with your own legal counsel on your compliance with the GDPR or any other privacy laws that may apply.
When Will It Change
This update will be available on October 18, 2018.
Who Will Be Affected
All Flexmls users and their clients will have access to these updates.
What Will Change
Your Access to the Flexmls Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
As before, you can access FBS’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use from the links at the bottom of the flexmls.com login page. In addition, you will now be able to access these links from the bottom of the My Profile page in Flexmls. Use the Menu to find and Select My Profile. Links to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use will be available at the bottom of the page. Note that the Terms of Use link will only be available for users who have purchased Flexmls IDX.
Portal: New Data Privacy Options
From inside the Portal, there will be several new Preferences available for your contacts. The location will vary by platform, but generally on the settings or preferences screen. The newest version of the Flexmls Portal is shown as an example.
To access their preferences, contacts can click their initials in the upper right and select the Preferencesoption.
There are several options for Messages/Notifications and Privacy: Receive Emails, Get Message Notifications by Email, Request Data, Remove Account, and Privacy Policy.
Receive Emails
This option allows the user to opt-in or out to receiving subscription updates. If the user is already receiving email updates for their subscriptions, this will be set to On. If it is currently Off, and the user toggles it to On, a notice will appear that lets them know they will receive an email that lets them opt-in to receive subscription updates via email.
Get Message Notifications by Email
When this is set to On, the user will receive an email notification whenever you respond to messages they’ve sent you from the Portal.
Request Data
If the user clicks this link, a popup will appear that lets them send you a request for their personal data that is stored in Flexmls.
After clicking Send Email, a confirmation will pop up to let them know the email has been sent. You’ll receive an email notification of the data request. The email you receive provides directions on how to get the contact’s data from Flexmls so you can send it to them.
Note: if your client is a resident of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA), you will need to send them their personal data from Flexmls within 30 days of the request.
Remove Account
If the user clicks this link, a popup will appear that lets them send you a request to remove their personal information from Flexmls.
After clicking Send Email, a confirmation will pop up to let them know the email has been sent. Then you’ll receive an email of the request that provides you with a step by step walkthrough for removing them from Flexmls.
Note: if your client is a resident of the EU or EEA, you will need to remove their account from Flexmls within 30 days of the request.
Privacy Policy
If the user clicks this link, they’ll be taken to the FBS Privacy Policy page.
Why Are We Making These Changes
These changes are intended to give you and your clients better access to FBS’s Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions. They also provide transparency so your clients can review the personal data that you have stored for them in Flexmls. Finally, these updates ensure that Flexmls complies with the General Data Protection Regulation, where applicable.