A new website that focuses on consumer privacy issues is the latest tool the Toronto Real Estate Board is using in its battle against the federal Competition Bureau.
The website at www.ProtectYourPrivacy.ca was launched the same day TREB released a survey that says, “The vast majority of Ontarians clearly expressed their opposition to abandoning the privacy safeguards of the current MLS system.”
TREB says the Competition Bureau is “taking action that would force TREB to abandon the safeguards in the MLS system and make personal information publicly available on the Internet, threatening the privacy and safety of GTA consumers.”
The Angus Reid Vision Critical poll says:
• 75 per cent of Ontarians believe that personal information such as name and final sale price should be kept confidential by Realtors.
• 70 per cent of homeowners do not want their personal contact information released to the public.
• 67 per cent of Ontarians oppose any measure to make personal contact information such as name and address available to others who are not subject to a professional code of conduct.
“The results of this poll are overwhelming,” says TREB president Richard Silver in a news release. “TREB strongly believes that Realtors have an obligation to protect consumers’ personal information. That’s why TREB and Realtor members are fighting for the privacy rights of consumers.”
Last year the Competition Bureau filed a complaint with the Competition Tribunal, stating that TREB’s VOW policy would “thwart the development of new, innovative and efficient methods of providing real estate brokerage services using the Internet.” The tribunal hearings are scheduled to be heard in September.
TREB says if the Competition Commissioner is successful in getting the complaint upheld, “consumers’ private information, which is currently protected on our secure MLS system, would become freely available on the Internet, including seller’s name and address, property floor plans, sensitive property access information, negotiated sale price and mortgage details.”
