https://www.inman.com/2019/05/06/corelogic-accused-of-inappropriately-selling-MLS-data/
The
Austin Board of Realtors (ABOR) is accusing
CoreLogic, the vendor of its multiple listing service (MLS), of selling home sold data to
Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD), a county-level home appraisal organization.
“When we were made aware that our [MLS] vendor may have inappropriately sold MLS data, we demanded they stop immediately and take the steps necessary to destroy that data,” ABOR said in a statement. “They agreed.”
What happens is that CoreLogic - like many other companies- has software that allows users, with legitimate access to specific MLSs to download data via their "tool". Only they, i.e. the client, i.e. the broker or appraiser, have to supply a password for their MLS batch data access to the intermediary. The data is downloaded through given intermediary's software (e.g. CoreLogic's "Rets Connector"- which can and will then intercept and store the data on the intermediary's servers. The given intermediary (e.g.CoreLogic) has obtained the data through the possibly improper disclosure of the logon id and password by the client, - but then that is not their, i.e. the intermediary's, concern. The MLS cannot actually claim that the data was "stolen" by the intermediary, who obtained it via the legal login,
well, perhaps inappropriately supplied by the client, for which it can claim no knowledge of the specific contractual agreement between the given client and given MLS. The intermediary, e.g. CoreLogic is then in possession of said data, for which it has no contractual agreement with anyone as to disclosure, distribution,etc... So, why can it not distribute the data further? The said client, the poor appraiser or real estate broker, of course had no intent to give their data to the intermediary. Thus the MLS, takes no action against the client in question, as they, the MLS, are not only a company - but in fact represent to a large degree, their customer/clients, more specifically the brokers, via the Realtor Association to which they are invariably bound. If they let broker's off the hook, by the way, it kind of make sense to let appraisers off the hook ...although it is usually the brokers using things like Rets Connector.
But, AS A LOWLY APPRAISER (rather than a God Real Estate Broker), I would be cautious about supplying your user name and password to a download service. It may backfire one day.