MLS HAWAII, INC.
dba Hawaii Information Service (HIS)
Website Privacy Policy

Who we are

MLS Hawaii, Inc. dba Hawaii Information Service (HIS) is a Hawaii corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Hawaii Island Realtors® and Kauai Board of Realtors®. HIS owns, operates, and/or maintains HawaiiInformation.com, AlohaLiving.com, and other websites on which this notice appears or is linked (Site or Sites). These publicly-accessible Sites are intended to provide information to you and may allow you to search for available properties for sale or rent.

HIS is committed to protecting the privacy of personal information that you provide to us through the Site. If you have any questions about our policy, or our practices with regards to your personal information, please contact us at dataprotectionofficer@hiinfo.com.

This Privacy Policy governs the manner in which HIS collects, uses, maintains, and discloses information collected from users (each, a "User") of the Sites and our related services, except where stated otherwise. This Site is intended for use by persons 18 years of age or older. This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time so please check back frequently.

This Privacy Policy addresses the following items:

  1. Your acceptance of this policy
  2. Information we collect
  3. How we use collected information
  4. How we protect your information
  5. Other links and websites
  6. Opting-out and limiting information gathering
  7. Additional information for Users in the European Economic Area
  8. Changes to this policy
  9. Contacting Us
  10. Last update
  1. Your acceptance of this policy

  2. Please carefully read this Privacy Policy. By using this Site, you signify your acceptance of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, please do not use our Site. Your continued use of this Site following the posting of changes to this Privacy Policy will be deemed your acceptance of those changes.

  3. Information we collect

  4. HIS collects information about you when you use our Site, products, and services. The kinds of information we collect from you will vary depending on how you use our Site, products, and services.

    Personally identifiable information you disclose to us

    We will collect personally identifiable information from you only if you voluntarily submit such information to us. The choices that you make with regards to the Site, products, and services will determine when and what type of personally identifiable information is collected. For example, certain personally identifiable information will be requested when you register on our Sites, fill out a form, and in connection with other activities, services, features or resources we make available on our Sites. If you choose to take advantage of some of our products and services, you may be asked for the following personally identifiable information:

    - Name and contact information, including first and last name, email address, mailing address, phone number, and other similar contact data

    - Credentials, such as username, password, challenge questions, and similar security information used for authentication and account access

    If you choose to purchase our products or services, you may be asked for financial information:

    -Transactional information, such as payment method (i.e., credit card number, debit card number, or bank account information), purchase amount, date of purchase.

    Providing us with personally identifiable information is always optional, however certain features, products, or services may not be available to you without the submission of personally identifiable information.

    Information collected from your use of our Site

    We collect certain information and data about Users whenever they interact with our Sites. In additional to the personal information that you choose to submit, our systems are set up to gather certain data to help us better understand how the site is being used and how we can improve it.

    This information and data is not linked to you personally (it does not include your name, contact information, username, or password). Non-personally identifiable information may include the browser name, the type of computer and technical information about Users’ means of connection to our Sites, such as the operating system and the Internet service providers utilized, statistics about how visitors navigate through our site, and information provided through the use of cookies and web beacons (which is described in more detail below), geographical location, and other similar information.

    Web browser cookies, web beacons, and similar technology

    The Site uses cookies, web beacons, and similar technology. Cookies are small files or a piece of data that are sent to and stored on your computer so that we and third parties that provide services for our Sites can recognize your computer as a unique machine the next time you visit our Sites. Cookies have different durations depending on the type of cookie and its purpose. We use this technology for record-keeping purposes and sometimes to track information about Users for the following reasons:

    - Authenticating users and remembering user settings for your convenience;

    - Altering our content depending on your browsing patterns;

    - Tailoring advertisements (both on and off our site) for products and services;

    - Understanding the size of our audience and their traffic patterns within our network; and

    - Analyzing and researching other measures to help us pursue similar goals.

    You may choose to set your web browser to refuse cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. Generally, this is done by selecting the appropriate cookies setting on your web browser (usually found in “Internet Options” or “Preferences”). Please note that if you do use such settings, some parts of our Sites may not function properly.

  5. How we use collected information

  6. HIS uses your information for purposes based on your consent, our legitimate business interests, and our legal and compliance obligations. Specifically, HIS collects and uses your information for the following purposes:

    - To provide, maintain, and improve our Site, products and services, including creating and managing your account.

    - To improve customer service: information you provide helps us respond to your customer service requests and support needs more efficiently.

    - To personalize User experience: we may use information in the aggregate to understand how our Users as a group use the services and resources provided on our Sites.

    - To send periodic emails, marketing or promotional communications: we may use the email address you provide to respond to your inquiries, questions, and/or other requests, or notify you of upcoming events or programs.

    - Track usage of our Site, including compiling anonymous statistical data and analysis for use internally or with third parties.

    - To provide you with products and services that you purchase from us via our Sites.

    Financial information provided by you will only be used to process the transactions you request. This information will be provided to and maintained by reputable credit reporting databases but will never be shared with, sold or provided to other third parties, except for the sole purpose to provide you with our services. When you authorized payment for our fees and services, HIS shares your credit information with its third party processors for payment processing services. HIS does not store any credit card or bank account information in its files, systems or servers, but does store information related to your billing cycle and payment method.

    Additionally, we will disclose personal information when we believe in good faith that such disclosures (a) are required by law, including, for example, to comply with a court order or subpoena, or (b) will help to: enforce our policies; protect your safety or security, including the safety and security of property that belongs to you; and/or, protect the safety and security of our Site(s) or third parties.

    We also may share non-personally identifiable information with third parties, for example with advertisers, to show information or trends about how our Site and services are used.

  7. How we protect your information

  8. We use appropriate data collection, storage and processing practices, and security measures to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or destruction of your personal information, username, password, transaction information, and data stored on our Sites. HIS is a company based in the United States and we process and store information on our servers located in the United States. As such, your data may be transferred outside of the country where you live. By accessing or using our Site, products or services, you consent to the processing, transferring, and storage of information in and to the United States.

    We do not sell, trade, or rent Users personally identifiable information to third parties. We may share generic aggregated demographic information not linked to any personally identifiable information regarding visitors and users with our business partners, trusted affiliates, and advertisers for the purposes outlined above.

    We follow generally accepted standards to protect the information we collect. We test our security procedures regularly and modify them as new technologies become feasible. Our servers are located in a locked, secure environment. We store the information we collect for as long as it is necessary for the purpose(s) for which we originally collected it. We may retain certain information for legitimate business purposes or as required by law.

    While we take reasonable measures to help protect your personal information, please be aware that no security measures are 100% secure. We encourage you to use common sense when disclosing information over the Internet and please let us know immediately if you suspect that information you shared with us is being used in any way contrary to this Privacy Policy. Please contact us at dataprotectionofficer@hiinfo.com.

  9. Other links and websites

  10. This Privacy Policy only applies to sites owned and operated by HIS. Our pages may contain links to websites outside our control. Please be aware that these sites may collect information about you, and operate according to their own privacy practices that may differ from this Privacy Policy, including the use of cookies, web beacons, and other similar technologies. Remember that once you’re outside our websites, any information you submit is outside of our control.

  11. Opting out and limiting information gathering

  12. For Sites that provide the creation and use of user accounts, you may at any time review or change the information in your account by logging in and changing your account information. You have the ability to terminate your account with HIS at any time. You also have the ability to opt-out of any advertising email communication by unsubscribing or emailing us at dataprotectionofficer@hiinfo.com.

    You may opt out of third-party internet based advertising on our Site, you can use the Network Advertising Initiative's multi-cookie opt-out mechanism at: http://optout.networkadvertising.org, or the Digital Advertising Alliance Opt-out Tool at: http://optout.aboutads.info. Additionally, you can find more information about “do not track” options at http://www.allaboutdnt.com.

  13. Additional information for Users in the European Economic Area

  14. If you are from the European Economic Area, you may have additional rights under data protection laws, including accessing your personal data, objecting to the processing of your personal data, or restricting its use, or correcting, erasing, or exporting your personal data. You may also withdraw your consent you have provided us to your personal data at any time.

    If you wish to exercise any of the rights, please contact us at dataprotectionofficer@hiinfo.com.

  15. Changes to this privacy policy

  16. HIS has the sole discretion to update this Privacy Policy at any time. When we do make changes to the Privacy Policy, we will revise the “Last Update” date at the bottom of this page. We encourage Users to frequently check this page for any changes to stay informed about how we are helping to protect the personal information we collect. You acknowledge and agree that it is your responsibility to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Any changes or modifications will be effective immediately upon posting the updated Privacy Policy on the Site, and you waive the right to receive specific notice of each such change or modification.

  17. Contacting us

  18. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of this Site, or our other Sites, your dealings with this Site or our other Sites, please contact us at:

    Hawaii Information Service
    Attention: Data Protection Officer
    680 Iwilei Road Ste 670
    Honolulu, HI 96817
    Phone: 808-599-4224
    dataprotectionofficer@hiinfo.com

  19. Last Update

  20. This document was last updated on July 19, 2018.