Privacy Policy

Our policy

Effective as of 4/22/2021

This Privacy Policy describes the privacy practices of Aalto, Inc. (“Aalto,” “we”, “us” or “our”) and how we handle personal information that we collect through our digital properties that link to this Privacy Policy, including our website (collectively, the “Service”), as well as through social media, our marketing activities, and other activities described in this Privacy Policy.  

You can download a printable copy of this Privacy Policy here.


Personal information we collect

Information you provide to us. Personal information you may provide to us through the Service or otherwise includes:

  • Contact data, such as your first and last name, salutation, email address, billing and mailing addresses, and phone number.
  • Demographic Information, such as your city, state, country of residence, postal code, and age.
  • Account data, such as the username and password that you may set to establish an online account with us, date of birth, and any other information that you add to your account profile.  
  • Communications that we exchange with you, including when you contact us with questions or feedback, through the Service, social media, or otherwise. 
  • Marketing data, such as your preferences for receiving our marketing communications and details about your engagement with them.
  • Government-issued identification numbers, such as national identification number (e.g. Social Security Number, tax identification number, passport number), state or local identification number (e.g., driver’s license or state ID number), and an image of the relevant identification card.
  • User-generated content, such as photos of your property, comments, questions, and other content or information that you generate, transmit, or otherwise make available on the Service, as well as associated metadata. Metadata includes information on how, when, where and by whom a piece of content was collected and how that content has been formatted or edited. Metadata also includes information that users can add or can have added to their content, such as keywords, geographical or location information, and other similar data.
  • Property listing data, such as the property’s physical address, square feet, acreage, year built, property type, target price range, number of rooms and bathrooms, photograph(s) of the interior and exterior of the property you are interested in selling, Seller Q&A information and responses, and any other details or description that you choose to provide about the property. 
  • Financial data, such as your stated income, economic standing, financial account numbers or payment card information, and loan pre-approval information.
  • Testimonial and survey data, such as the name and content of any voluntary testimonials after using the Service and any information you provide when you complete one of our surveys. 
  • Other data not specifically listed here, which we will use as described in this Privacy Policy or as otherwise disclosed at the time of collection.

Third-party sources. We may combine personal information we receive from you with personal information we obtain from other sources, such as:

  • Public sources, such as government agencies, public records, social media platforms, and other publicly available sources, including reviews from third-party websites.
  • Data providers, such as information services and data licensors that provide demographic and other information. For example, we use data providers such as Smarty Streets (for address data) and Estated (for tax data) and may combine this data with personal information we receive from you.
  • Our affiliate partners, such as our affiliate network provider and publishers, influencers, and promoters who participate in our paid affiliate programs.
  • Marketing partners, such as joint marketing partners and event co-sponsors.

If you choose to login to the Service via a third-party platform or social media network, or otherwise connect your account on the third-party platform or network to your account through the Service, we may collect information from that platform or network. For example, this information may include your Facebook username, user ID, profile picture, cover photo, and networks to which you belong (e.g. school, workplace). You may also have the opportunity to provide us with additional information via the third-party platform or network, such as a list of your friends or connections and your email address. 

Automatic data collection. We, our service providers, and our business partners may automatically log information about you, your computer or mobile device, and your interaction over time with the Service, our communications and other online services, such as:

  • Device data, such as your computer’s or mobile device’s operating system type and version, manufacturer and model, browser type, screen resolution, RAM and disk size, CPU usage, device type (e.g., phone, tablet), IP address, unique identifiers (including identifiers used for advertising purposes), language settings, mobile device carrier, radio/network information (e.g., Wi-Fi, LTE, 3G), and general location information such as city, state or geographic area.
  • Online activity data, such as pages or screens you viewed, how long you spent on a page or screen, the website you visited before browsing to the Service, navigation paths between pages or screens, information about your activity on a page or screen, access times and duration of access, and whether you have opened our marketing emails or clicked links within them.
  • Precise geolocation data when you authorize the Service to access your device’s location.

Cookies and similar technologies. Like many online services, we use the following technologies:

  • Cookies, which are text files that websites store on a visitor’s device to uniquely identify the visitor’s browser or to store information or settings in the browser for the purpose of helping you navigate between pages efficiently, remembering your preferences, enabling functionality, helping us understand user activity and patterns, and facilitating analytics and online advertising. Our sites may use both session cookies (which expire once you close your web browser) and persistent cookies (which stay on your computer or mobile device until you delete them). Some of these cookies are served by third party service providers or business partners and can be used by these parties to recognize your computer or mobile device when it visits the Service and other online services.
  • Local storage technologies, like HTML5 and Flash, that provide cookie-equivalent functionality but can store larger amounts of data, including on your device outside of your browser in connection with specific applications. 
  • Web beacons, also known as pixel tags or clear GIFs, which are used to demonstrate that a webpage or email address was accessed or opened, or that certain content was viewed or clicked. 
  • Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and Software Development Kits (SDKs), which are used to incorporate third party computer code into the Service. We may use third party APIs and SDKs as part of the functionality of our Services that allows our third party service providers or advertising partners to collect data directly from the Service for a variety of purposes, including to provide us with analytics regarding the use of the Service, to integrate with social media, add features or functionality to the Service, or to facilitate online advertising.  
  • Session Replay Technologies, we use third party services provided by FullStory that employ software code to record users’ interactions with the Services in a manner that allows us to watch DVR-like replays of those user sessions. The replays include users’ clicks, mobile app touches, mouse movements, scrolls, and keystrokes during those sessions. These replays help us diagnose usability problems and identify areas for improvement. You can learn more about FullStory at https://www.fullstory.com/legal/privacy-policy and you can opt-out of session recording by FullStory at https://www.fullstory.com/optout/.

These cookies and similar technologies may be employed for the following purposes:

  • Advertising. Used by advertising companies to collect information about how you use our websites and other websites over time. These companies use this information to show you ads they believe will be relevant to you within our services and elsewhere, and to measure how the ads perform.  
  • Analytics. Help us understand how our services are performing, being used, and to provide support. These cookies may work with web beacons included in emails we send to track which emails are opened and which links are clicked by recipients. For example, we use Google Analytics to help us understand user activity on the Service. You can learn more about Google Analytics cookies at https://developers.google.com/analytics/resources/concepts/gaConceptsCookies and about how Google protects your data at http://www.google.com/analytics/learn/privacy.html. You can prevent the use of Google Analytics relating to your use of our sites by downloading and installing a browser plugin available at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en.   
  • Essential. Necessary to allow the technical operation of our services (e.g., remember preferences you set or information you entered on a previous page).

Data about others. Users of the Service may have the opportunity to refer friends or other contacts to us and share their contact information with us. Please do not refer someone to us or share their contact information with us unless you have their permission to do so. 


How we use your personal information

We may use your personal information for the following purposes or as otherwise described at the time of collection:

Service delivery. We may use your personal information to:

  • provide, operate and improve the Service and our business;
  • facilitate your invitations to friends who you want to invite to join the Service;
  • communicate with you about the Service, including by sending announcements, updates, security alerts, and support and administrative messages;
  • understand your needs and interests, and personalize your experience with the Service and our communications; and
  • provide support for the Service, and respond to your requests, questions and feedback.

Research and development. We may use your personal information for research and development purposes, including to analyze and improve the Service and our business. As part of these activities, we may create aggregated, de-identified or other anonymous data from personal information we collect. We make personal information into anonymous data by removing information that makes the data personally identifiable to you. We may use this anonymous data and share it with third parties for our lawful business purposes, including to analyze and improve the Service and promote our business.

Marketing and advertising. We, our service providers and our third-party advertising partners may collect and use your personal information for marketing and advertising purposes:

  • Direct marketing. We may send you Aalto-related or other direct marketing communications as permitted by law. You may opt-out of our marketing communications as described in the Opt-out of marketing section below.  
  • Interest-based advertising. We may engage third-party advertising companies and social media companies to display ads on our Service and other online services. These companies may use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your interaction (including the data described in the automatic data collection section above) over time across the Service, our communications and other online services, and use that information to serve online ads that they think will interest you. This is called interest-based advertising. We may also share information about our users with these companies to facilitate interest-based advertising to those or similar users on other online platforms.

Compliance and protection. We may use your personal information to:

  • comply with applicable laws, lawful requests, and legal process, such as to respond to subpoenas or requests from government authorities;
  • protect our, your or others’ rights, privacy, safety or property (including by making and defending legal claims); 
  • audit our internal processes for compliance with legal and contractual requirements or our internal policies; 
  • enforce the terms and conditions that govern the Service; and 
  • prevent, identify, investigate and deter fraudulent, harmful, unauthorized, unethical or illegal activity, including cyberattacks and identity theft.  

To create anonymous, aggregated or de-identified data. We may create anonymous, aggregated or de-identified data from your personal information and other individuals whose personal information we collect. We make personal information into anonymous, aggregated or de-identified data by removing information that makes the data identifiable to you. For example, we may generate and share anonymized buyer information and activity with sellers on the Service. We may use this anonymous, aggregated or de-identified data and share it with third parties for our lawful business purposes, including to analyze and improve the Service and promote our business.  

Retention. We retain personal information as necessary to perform services, to satisfy legal, accounting, or reporting requirements, to establish or defend legal claims, for fraud prevention purposes and as otherwise permitted by law. 


How we share your personal information

We may share your personal information with the following parties and as otherwise described in this Privacy Policy or at the time of collection.  

Affiliates. Our corporate parent, subsidiaries, and affiliates, for purposes consistent with this Privacy Policy.

Service providers. Third parties that provide services on our behalf or help us operate the Service or our business (such as hosting, information technology, customer support, email delivery, marketing, and website analytics). In addition, we may use and share information with certain property-related service providers, including listing services, such as the Multiple Listing Service, Zillow, or Redfin, property inspection services, staging services, title companies and escrow agents.

Advertising partners. Third-party advertising companies for the interest-based advertising purposes described above. 

Potential buyers. We are required by law to provide certain property related information with potential buyers. 

Third parties designated by you. We may share your personal data with third parties where you have instructed us or provided your consent to do so. For example, we may share your personal information with third-parties that offer you additional services such as inspection, repair/maintenance, or other services. We will share personal information that is needed for these other companies to provide the services that you have requested. 

Third-party platforms and social media networks. If you have enabled features or functionality that connect the Service to a third-party platform or social media network (such as by logging in to the Service using your account with the third-party, or otherwise linking your account with the Service to a third party’s services), we may disclose the personal information that you authorized us to share. We do not control the third party’s use of your personal information.

Professional advisors. Professional advisors, such as lawyers, auditors, bankers and insurers, where necessary in the course of the professional services that they render to us.

Authorities and others. Law enforcement, government authorities, and private parties, as we believe in good faith to be necessary or appropriate for the compliance and protection purposes described above. 

Business transferees. Acquirers and other relevant participants in business transactions (or negotiations and due diligence for such transactions) involving a corporate divestiture, merger, consolidation, acquisition, reorganization, sale or other disposition of all or any portion of the business or assets of, or equity interests in, Aalto or our affiliates (including, in connection with a bankruptcy or similar proceedings).  

Other users and the public. Your profile, Property listing data and other user-generated content (except for messages) are visible to other users of the Service and the public. For example, other users of the Service or the public may have access to your information if you chose to make your Property listing data, profile, or other personal information available to them through the Service, such as when you post a property for sale, provide property listing details, express interest in or request information about properties, provide comments, leave reviews, provide survey responses, or share other content. This information can be seen, collected and used by others, including being cached, copied, screen captured or stored elsewhere by others (e.g., search engines), and we are not responsible for any such use of information.


Your choices 

You have the following choices with respect to your personal information.

Access or update your information. If you have registered for an account with us through the Service, you may review and update certain account information by logging into the account. 

Opt-out of marketing communications. You may opt-out of marketing-related emails by following the opt-out or unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of the email, or by contacting us. Please note that if you choose to opt-out of marketing-related emails, you may continue to receive service-related and other non-marketing emails.  

If you receive marketing text messages from us, you may opt out of receiving further marketing text messages from us by replying STOP to our marketing message. 

Cookies. Most browsers let you remove or reject cookies. To do this, follow the instructions in your browser settings. Many browsers accept cookies by default until you change your settings. Please note that if you set your browser to disable cookies, the Service may not work properly. For more information about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set on your browser and how to manage and delete them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

Mobile location data. You can disable our access to your device’s precise geolocation in your mobile device settings.

Advertising choices. You can limit use of your information for interest-based advertising by:

  • Browser settings. Blocking third-party cookies in your browser settings.
  • Privacy browsers/plug-ins. By using privacy browsers or ad-blocking browser plug-ins that let you block tracking technologies. 
  • Platform settings. Google and Facebook offer opt-out features that let you opt-out of use of your information for interest-based advertising:
  • Google: https://adssettings.google.com/ 
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/about/ads ‍
  • Ad industry tools. Opting out of interest-based ads from companies participating in the following industry opt-out programs: 
  • Network Advertising Initiative: http://www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp 
  • Digital Advertising Alliance: optout.aboutads.info.
  • AppChoices mobile app, available at https://www.youradchoices.com/appchoices, which will allow you to opt-out of interest-based ads in mobile apps served by participating members of the Digital Advertising Alliance. ‍
  • Mobile settings. Using your mobile device settings to limit use of the advertising ID associated with your mobile device for interest-based advertising purposes.

You will need to apply these opt-out settings on each device from which you wish to opt-out.  

Please note that we also may work with companies that offer their own opt-out mechanisms and may not participate in the opt-out mechanisms that we linked to above. 

Do Not Track. Some Internet browsers may be configured to send “Do Not Track” signals to the online services that you visit. We currently do not respond to “Do Not Track” or similar signals. To find out more about “Do Not Track,” please visit http://www.allaboutdnt.com.

Declining to provide information. We need to collect personal information to provide certain services. If you do not provide the information we identify as required or mandatory, we may not be able to provide those services.

Third-party platforms. If you choose to connect to the Service through your social media account or other third-party platform, you may be able to use your settings in your account with that platform to limit the information we receive from it. If you revoke our ability to access information from a third-party platform, that choice will not apply to information that we have already received from that third party.

Delete your content or close your account. You can choose to delete certain profile data in your account or you can request to close your account by contacting us.


Other sites and services

The Service may contain links to websites, mobile applications, and other online services operated by third parties. In addition, our content may be integrated into web pages or other online services that are not associated with us. These links and integrations are not an endorsement of, or representation that we are affiliated with, any third party. We do not control websites, mobile applications or online services operated by third parties, and we are not responsible for their actions. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of the other websites and mobile applications and online services you use.


Security 

We employ a number of technical, organizational and physical safeguards designed to protect the personal information we collect. However, security risk is inherent in all internet and information technologies and we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information. 


International data transfer

We are headquartered in the United States and may use service providers that operate in other countries. Your personal information may be transferred to the United States or other locations where privacy laws may not be as protective as those in your state, province, or country.  


Children  

The Service is not intended for use by children under 13 years of age. If we learn that we have collected personal information through the Service from a child under 13 without the consent of the child’s parent or guardian as required by law, we will delete it. We encourage parents or guardians with concerns to contact us. 


Changes to this Privacy Policy 

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time. If we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will notify you by updating the date of this Privacy Policy and posting it on the Service. If required by law we will also provide notification of changes in another way that we believe is reasonably likely to reach you, such as via email or another manner through the Service. Any modifications to this Privacy Policy will be effective upon our posting the modified version (or as otherwise indicated at the time of posting). In all cases, your use of the Service after the effective date of any modified Privacy Policy indicates your acceptance of the modified Privacy Policy.


How to contact us

Email: contact@aalto.com