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This Data Security and Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) describes the types of information Rental Beast gathers from users of the Rental Beast Website at www.RentalBeast.com and the Rental Beast software platform (the “Platform”), the Rental Beast mobile application, and any other websites operated by Rental Beast, Inc. (“Rental Beast”), including the information provided by users that access the Platform as installed on the sites of our third-party partners. It also describes how we use that information. We refer to all of our Websites as our “Websites,” and all of the services and functionalities that we provide - including our Websites, our Platform, and our mobile application - as our “Services.”
Our Privacy Policy is incorporated as part of the Rental Beast Terms of Use. Please read this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use carefully before using our Services. By using Rental Beast’s Services, you indicate your consent to the provisions of this Privacy Policy.
Our goal in this Privacy Policy is to be completely transparent about the data we collect, why we collect it, and how we use it, in order to connect renters seeking new homes, landlords and real estate brokers, efficiently and effectively. Rental Beast is the owner and operator of www.RentalBeast.com (the “Website”), the Platform, and the Rental Beast mobile applications and/or websites, including without limitation rental listing advertising, rental application, tenant screening, and related services, features, or offerings made available through the Platform, Website, or Rental Beast mobile application (collectively, the “Services”), which are intended to supply various services as more fully described on the Website to you, a user of the Services (“you” or “User”).
Rental Beast is a real estate information service provider. To provide our Services, we use information we collect to:
• Help Users find the most relevant information for their needs by customizing our Services to optimize the User experience;
• Keep you connected with Rental Beast across the Internet and update you with residential real estate-related news and information, if you allow us to do so;
• Put you in touch with the right people to help with residential rental-related activities or residential real estate research;
• Optimize the information we share with those parties to initiate a productive and efficient relationship; and
• Any other purpose as provided in this Privacy Policy.
This Privacy Policy addresses:
1. What personally identifiable information does Rental Beast collect?
2. How does Rental Beast use personally identifiable information?
3. With whom may Rental Beast share personally identifiable information?
4. What choices are available to Users regarding collection, use and distribution of personally-identifiable information?
5. What types of security procedures are in place to protect the loss, misuse or alteration of personally identifiable information under Rental Beast’s control?
6. How can Users correct any inaccuracies in their personally identifiable information maintained by Rental Beast?
Rental Beast may share personally identifiable information about our Users with those within our team who have custodial responsibilities for customer data and with third-parties with whom we contract to provide related services, such as real estate brokers and agents, movers, cable television providers, financial service providers, and other service providers. Those within our team who have custodial responsibilities for User data are limited to only the access that is required or useful for the proper maintenance and care of User data. Those third parties with whom we share information may, at their discretion, provide you with the ability to opt-out from communications with them.
This Privacy Policy applies to everyone who uses our Services, but sometimes we direct parts of it toward the following particular groups of Users.
Users: “Users” are everyone who use our Services, including but not limited to Renters, REPs, and members of the general public.
Renters: “Renters” are Users who use the Services for the purpose of finding residential rental properties.
Real Estate Professionals: “Real Estate Professionals” or “REPs” are Users who have created accounts (free or paid) or otherwise partner with us to list properties available for rent, participate in our advertising services, and participate in other Services that we direct toward the professional real estate community. REPs include landlords, agents, mortgage professionals and subscribers (described further below). We send leads to REPs on Renters’ behalf, as described in this Privacy Policy.
When you use the Service, we may collect information that can be used to identify you, personally, such as your name, email address, or phone number (“Personal Information”). We also collect non-personal information about your usage of the Website or Services which cannot be used to identify you, personally (“Log Data”). We collect PersonalInformation and Log Data from Users, Renters, and REPs, as identified below.Please note that you may fall into more than one category. For example, Renters and REPs are types of Users, and thus all notices applicable to Users will also apply to Renters and REPs.
We collect the following types of information from all Users:
Like many online services, we use technologies like session and persistent cookies, web beacons (tiny image files on web pages that communicate information about the page viewer to the beacon owner), log data, and third-party analytics services to collect and analyze Log Data about all Users of our Services. This includes information like Users’ search preferences, interaction with ads on our Website, and location.
Log Data: Our servers automatically record information (Log Data) created by your use of the Services. Log Data may include information such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, the referring web page, pages visited, location, your mobile carrier, device, search terms, and cookie information. We receive Log Data when you interact with our Services, for example, when you visit our Websites, sign into our Platform, or interact with our email notifications. We use Log Data to provide ourServices and to measure, customize, market and improve them.
Cookies/SimilarTechnologies: Cookies are small data files that we transfer to your computer. We use “session” cookies to keep you logged in while you use our Services, to better understand how you interact with our Services, and to monitor aggregate usage and web traffic information on our Services. We use “persistent” cookies to recognize you each time you return to our Services. For example, we create a persistent cookie that includes some basic information about you, like your most recent search and whether an agent responded to a query you sent using the Services for Renters. We use this persistent cookie to remember your preferences and, if you create an account, to make your User experience consistent after you register. We may use, and may allow third-parties to use, other similar technologies, such as web beacons, pixels, and clear gifs, to collect information about your interactions with our Services, advertising content, and third-party websites in order to deliver targeted advertising to you based on your interests.
Most Internet browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can change your settings or use third-party tools to refuse cookies or prompt you before accepting cookies from the Websites you visit. You can also use your browser settings or other tools to delete cookies you already have. Please be aware that some parts of ourServices may not work for you if you disable cookies.
Information We Collect When You Use the Rental Beast Mobile Application: When you use the Rental Beast mobile application, we may collect Log Data specific to your mobile device (Mobile Log Data”), like your mobile device model, your operating system, your device ID, whether you are logged in or not, and information about how you use our app and mobile site, such as what properties you are viewing and whom you contact through the app. We use this information in order to analyze how mobile Users interact with our Website and Services so we can improve our Services and the ads we show you. This information is stored with your Rental Beast account, if you have one.
Information We Collect From Surveys: From time-to-time our Website may request Personal Information from Users via surveys. Participation in these surveys is completely voluntary and the User therefore has a choice whether or not to disclose this information. The requested Personal Information typically includes contact information (such as name and shipping address), and demographic information (such as zip code). Survey information will be used for purposes of monitoring or improving the use and satisfaction of the Website and/or the Services and may be shared with the same types of service providers described in the Summary above.
Information You Voluntarily Provide to Us: We use information you voluntarily provide to us, including any Personal Information, such as any requests, feedback, ideas, or suggestions, to improve our Services, respond to your request, market our Services, or any other purpose not inconsistent with this Privacy Policy.
Information From Communications: When you send email or other communications to Rental Beast, we may retain those communications in order to process your inquiries, respond to your requests and improve our Services. When you send and receive SMS messages to or from one of our Services that provides SMS functionality, we may collect and maintain information associated with those messages, such as the phone number, the wireless carrier associated with the phone number, the content of the message, and the date and time of the transaction. We may compile and use this information to analyze market and user trends and usage of our Services. We may use your email address to communicate with you about our Services.
Information We Collect When You Use the Services: When you use the Rental Beast software-as-a-service Platform, we may collect Personal Information such as your username or e-mail address, password, whether you are logged in or not, and information you enter into the Services. We use this information to provide the specific Services you requested, operate the Services, fulfill your order, analyze how Users use the Services so we can improve performance, to compile reports and other data analytics, and to deliver content or features based on the information we have about you, including targeted advertising. We may use your contact information to send you transactional or promotional emails, telephone calls, text messages, or short message service (SMS) messages. You can opt-out as described in the ‘Opting-Out’ section of this Privacy Policy.
Location Data: If you provide location information (like a ZIP code, street address, or even just a city) during the registration processor at any other time via your account settings, we will store that information and associate it with your account.
If you use our mobile Website or app, we will collect location data directly from your device automatically if your device allows us to do so. In some circumstances, you may have to opt into sharing your location data with us. Additionally, your mobile device may provide you with choices about how and whether location data is shared with us.
We may use and store information about your location to provide localized features, to analyze our Services with the help of third-party analytics services, to provide you with relevant advertising and marketing materials, and otherwise to improve and customize our Services.
User Payment Information: When Users access the Services, they may provide payment information (such as credit card number and expiration date or bank account information for ACH payment facilitation). This information is used for one-time and recurring billing purposes according to the type of Services ordered and the terms pertaining thereto, and to fulfill Users' orders. Payment information is stored in encrypted format, as more fully detailed in the "Security" section below and is used only to send to our payment processors, for the purposes of collecting payment forServices rendered or to be rendered. We currently use the following payment gateway providers:
In order to use certain payment functionalities, such as payment through ACH, you must open a Dwolla Platform. Any funds held in the Dwolla account are held by Dwolla's financial institution partners as set out in the Dwolla Terms of Service. You understand that you will access and manage your Dwolla account through our Services, and Dwolla account notifications will be sent by us, not Dwolla. We will provide customer support for your Dwolla account activity and can be reached as set forth in the Contact Information section below.
Registration: When using our Services, you have the option to create an account or register using Facebook, LinkedIn or other third-party identification tools. If you choose to create an account, we ask you to provide us with some limited Personal Information like your name, email address, username, and password; if you join via a third-party tool, we will ask you to provide us with some limited Personal Information like your name and email address, and your account information for the third-party tool. We may use this information to contact you or share with third parties who may contact you about the services on our Website in which you have expressed interest, or to suggest the Platform or other tools and services to improve your home buying, selling or renting process. If your browser permits the use of cookies, we will collect and store additional information using persistent cookies, as described above, and associate it with your account even if you are logged out. We use Personal Information to manage your account, make the Services available to you, provide you notices about your transactions with Rental Beast, send you information about our Services, and respond to requests or communications from you.
Information You Enter into the Service: We collect any information you provide when using the Service, including but not limited to any property search parameters you enter, screening questions you answer, such as your income level or rental history, rental application information, feedback, REP reviews, or comments. Some of this information, on its own, may not contain any Personal Information but will be combined and stored with other Personal Information you have provided.
Additional Information About You that We Obtain from Third Parties: We may sometimes obtain Personal Information about you from third parties and use it to help us provide you with the Services you want, and to help our agents and affiliates serve you better. For example, our affiliates may help us provide predictions of your income range and how likely you may be to purchase a home. We may also receive Personal Information about you from our Service Providers, such as our payment processor if you complete a transaction. We will combine this information with the Personal Information about you we already retain.
Registration: If you create a REP account with us, whether as a landlord, agent, or subscriber, we will ask you to provide certain Personal Information in order to set up your account. We ask all REPs to provide a name, a company (if available), a phone number, and an email address. We also ask agents to provide a real estate license number and additional information related to their business background. If you create a paid REP account and become a subscriber, we require you to submit all of the information required from landlords and agents as well as a description of your campaign. We will also collect financial data like credit card information and billing addresses from you and other subscribers, so that we can handle billing, and information about how you use the Services and specific features comprising the Services. If you area subscriber, a Rental Beast representative may call you to verify your information. We use Personal Information to manage your account, make the Services available to you, provide you notices about your transactions with Rental Beast, send you information about our Services, and respond to requests or communications from you.
Information You Enter into the Service: We collect any information you provide when using the Service, including but not limited to any rental property details you enter. This information, on its own, may not contain any Personal Information, but will be combined and stored with other Personal Information you have provided.
Rental Beast may disclose your Personal Information to third parties in the limited situations described below. We do not sell your Personal Information.
Information of All Users:
Information of all Users may be shared with:
Marketing Affiliates: If you use SMS features of the Service, we may share information about your use of those features with our marketing affiliates in aggregated, anonymized form.We do not share information about identifiable individual users derived fromSMS communications with marketing affiliates or use this information to send marketing messages to individual Users.
Referrals: If you choose to use our referral service to tell a friend about our Services, we will ask you for your friend’s name and email address. We will automatically send your friend emails inviting him or her to use the Services. Rental Beast stores this information for the sole purpose of sending these emails. Your friend may contact us at info@RentalBeast.com to request that we remove this information from our database.
Social Networks: When you use any social sharing function to share our products and Services, your sharing activity will be processed through a third party social network’s site or service. These third parties’ privacy policies, not ours, govern the collection and use of the information collected on those sites.
Users: If you use our user-generated content services, like posting a question, answer or blog on the Website, you should be aware that any Personal Information you submit there can be read, collected, or used by other Users and could be used to send you unsolicited messages. We are not responsible for the Personal Information you choose to submit in these forums.
Service Providers: If you have provided us with Personal Information, we share your Personal Information with third parties that provide Services to Rental Beast, including without limitation our payment processor, email distributor, analytics provider, and database manager. We only provide the information needed for the third-party to carry out their duty to us. For our mobile products, we may use third-party service providers to help us collect your feedback and impressions and to analyze your Mobile Log Data and location data, so that we can improve and localize our services, show you relevant advertisements, and study the way our mobile Users interact with our Websites and Services.
Government or Legal Authorities: We may disclose Personal Information when we believe that doing so is appropriate to comply with a legitimate law, regulation, or legal request; to enforce or apply our policies; to initiate, render, bill, and collect for amounts owed to us; to protect our rights or property; to protect the safety of our Users; to address fraud, security, or technical issues; to defend against legal claims; or if we reasonably believe that an emergency involving immediate danger of death or serious physical injury to any person requires disclosure of communications or justifies disclosure of records without delay.
Acquiring or Merging Companies: In the event we merge with another company or sell our assets to a third-party, we may be required to disclose your Personal Information as a part of that sale or merger pursuant to an agreement which contains reasonable confidentiality obligations.
Website Third-Party Ad Services: We use third-party ad services to deliver ads to you on our Services. These third-party ad servers may collect and use Log Data about your visits to our Services in order to present advertisements that may be of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice or to opt out of having this information used by third-party ad servers to provide targeted ads on our Websites, please visit http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices.
Other Parties, With Your Consent: If you specifically direct us to share your Personal Information with a third-party, we will do so with your consent.
Information of Renters may also be shared with:
REPs: When you express an interest in a rental property or submit an application, we may share Personal Information that you share with us and information about your use of our Services with third parties with whom we are affiliated including, but not limited to, real estate professionals or mortgage lenders. This may include, for example, data Renters input such as rental search criteria, rental application data, or inquiries about a particular property. If such third party wants to contact you based on the Rental Beast pages you visited, we may provide the data you input to such third party along with your Personal Information. If you wish to have a REP delete or make changes to your Personal Information, you must contact that REP.
Credit Reporting Agencies: When you submit an application, we may share Personal Information from your application with credit bureaus or credit reporting agencies in order to utilize their background check or credit check services, in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Renters: When a Renter expresses an interest in a property you have listed in the Services, we will provide the Renter with your Personal Information for the purposes of inquiring about the rental property or submitting a rental application. If you wish to have a Renter delete or make changes to your Personal Information, you must contact that Renter.
Operational Procedures
Our operational procedures to provide data security and privacy include the following:
· Limiting the number of people within our organization that have access to detailed information about our Users. Those who are granted access to perform their work responsibilities are trained on and agree to this Privacy Policy.
· We require our service providers to agree to protect your Personal Information using commercially reasonable standards and only provide service providers with the Personal Information needed to provide services to us. Internal procedures and practices are followed to protect our Users’ data, such as data encryption, complex password definition (with frequent revision and controlled access), and in some cases dual authentication requirements prior to data access.
REPs may publish testimonials from their clients or customers on their Rental Beast account, which may include your Personal Information. Rental Beast does not monitor or control testimonials, nor does Rental Beast collect Personal Information from any testimonial. To make changes to or delete your Personal Information contained in a testimonial, contact the owner of the Rental Beast account where the testimonial is published.
Rental Beast processes Personal Information on our servers in the United States ofAmerica. In some cases, we may process personal information outside your own country. If you are located outside of the United States, please be aware that any information you provide to us will be transferred to and stored in the United States, where the data protection laws may not be as comprehensive as those of your country of residence. By using the Services and providing us with your Personal Information, you consent to our collection, transfer, storage, and continued use of your PersonalInformation in the United States in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Opting-out: You can control whether you receive Rental Beast emails by following the instructions at the end of each email we send. You may also opt-out of receiving phone calls, SMS messages, or email by sending an email to info@RentalBeast.com or as otherwise described in the call, SMS message, or email. Please note that you may not be able to opt-out of some email communications, such as emails related to services you requested, notices regarding the availability or maintenance of our Services, or notices of updates to our terms.
Accessing Your Personally Identifiable Information: If your Personal Information changes, or if you no longer desire to use our Services, you may correct, update, delete or deactivate your Personal Information by logging into your account or by emailing our Customer Support at info@RentalBeast.com or by contacting us by postal mail at the contact information listed below.
Deleting Your Account: While we will be sad to see you go, you can delete your account by contacting our customer service team at info@RentalBeast.com. Some information may remain in our systems due to back-ups and archiving.
Our Services are targeted to Users who are at least eighteen (18) years old. Rental Beast does not knowingly collect or store any Personal Information from or about persons under the age of thirteen (13). If we discover we have collected thePersonal Information of someone under the age of 13, we will immediately delete it. If you believe a child is using the Services without parental consent, please contact us at info@RentalBeast.com.
Our Website may contain links to other websites. When you click on one of these links, you are navigating to another Website. We are not responsible, and do not accept liability, for the Personal Information collection and sue practices of any Website controller to which we may link. Additionally, our affiliates may embed our Platform directly into their websites. We also do not have any responsibility of liability for the content on such affiliate websites. This Privacy Policy only applies to information collected through our Website and Services. We encourage you to read the privacy statements of these sites, which may differ from ours.
Your browser settings may allow you to automatically transmit "do not track" signals to websites and online services you visit. We honor “do not track” signals and therefore do not track, use cookies or use advertising when a “do not track" mechanism is in place. However, we authorize third parties to collect Personal Information from our Users through advertising technologies, such as cookies or web beacons, in order to deliver relevant advertisements to you. Those third-party technologies may not respond to “do not track” signals.
The following notices apply only to residents of California:
Shine the Light Disclosures:
Under California Civil Code Section 1798.83 (the “Shine the Light” law), California residents who provide certain Personal Information in connection with obtaining products or services for personal, family, or household use are entitled to request and obtain the following from us: (i) a list of the categories of Personal Information (such as name, address, email address, and the type of services provided to the User) that we have disclosed to third parties during the immediately preceding calendar year for the third parties' direct marketing purposes, and (b) the names and addresses of all such third parties. To request the above information, please contact us by writing to us at contact information below. We will respond to such written requests within thirty (30) days following receipt. Please note that we are only required to respond to each User once per calendar year. Please be aware that not all information sharing is covered by the “Shine the Light” requirements, and only information on covered sharing will be included in our response.
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Disclosures
PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION COLLECTED FOR BACKGROUND OR CREDIT CHECK PURPOSES IS NOT SUBJECT TO THE CCPA REQUIREMENTS.
The California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) (Cal.Civ. Code §1798.100 et seq.) requires that we make certain disclosures to you. Those disclosures are set forth in this section.
The table below identifies, for the previous twelve (12) month period, the categories of Personal Information we have collected from California residents, the source of the Personal Information, the business or commercial purpose for using the Personal Information, and the categories of third parties to whom we have disclosed Personal Information.
i. Right to Know
Pursuant to the CCPA, California residents have the right to request from us, for the preceding twelve (12) month period: (1) the categories of Personal Information and the specific pieces of Personal Information that we have collected about the resident, (2) the categories of sources from whom the Personal Information was collected, (3) our purposes for collecting the Personal Information, and (4) the categories of third parties with whom we have shared the Personal Information.
ii. Right to Delete
You also have the right to request that we delete any Personal Information we have collected from you. Once we verify your request, we will delete any Personal Information from our records, unless retaining your Personal Information is necessary for us to:
• complete the transaction for which we have collected the Personal Information or provide you with the Services;
• detect security incidents, protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity, or prosecute those responsible for that activity;
• identify and repair errors;
• exercise a legal right;
• comply with the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (Cal. Penal Code §1546 et seq.);
• comply with a legal obligation; or
• fulfill other internal and lawful uses of your Personal Information that are compatible with the context in which you provided your Personal Information.
iii. Right to Opt-out of Sale of Personal Information
You have the right to opt-out of the sale of your Personal Information. As stated above, RentalBeast has not sold Personal Information in the past twelve (12) months.
iv. Right to Non-Discrimination
We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights under this section. Discrimination would include:
• denying you goods or services,
• charging you a different price or rate for goods or services,
• providing you a different level or quality of goods or services, or
• suggesting that we will do any of the foregoing.
If you are a California resident and you wish to make any of the above requests, please send a request to:
Mail: RentalBeast, Inc.
Attn: California Privacy Officer
222 Third Street, Suite 2240
Cambridge, MA 02142
Email: send request to info@rentalbeast.com with “California PrivacyInformation Request” in the subject line
When you make a request, we will need to verify your identity by matching pieces of Personal Information you provide with Personal Information we maintain about you. Your authorized agent can make a request for you, if you provide us with written permission authorizing the agent to act on your behalf. Please note RentalBeast will still need to verify your identity.
We will confirm receipt of right to know and deletion requests within ten (10) business days of receiving such requests and will provide information as to how we will process such requests. We will respond to verified requests within forty-five (45) days of receipt. Please note that we are only required to respond to each website visitor twice per twelve (12) month period.
We are not required to: (1) retain any Personal Information about you that was collected for a single, one-time transaction if, in the ordinary course of business, that information about you is not retained; or (2) reidentify or otherwise link any data that, in the ordinary course of business, is not maintained in a manner that would be considered Personal Information.
We are not obligated to comply with a request if we cannot verify that the person making the request is the person about whom we collected Personal Information or is someone authorized to act on such person’s behalf. Any Personal Information we collect from you to verify your identity in connection with your request will be used solely for the purposes of verification.
Upon verification, we will provide the requested information to you at your email address within the time period noted above. The information will be provided to you free of charge. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights under this section.
We collect Social Security numbers of Renters who submit a rental application. We use a Renter’s Social Security number in order to conduct a credit check at the Renter’s request..
Our policy with regards to your Social Security number is to:
• comply with all laws relating to the use and disclosure of Social Security numbers;
• use secure encryption when your Social Security number is transmitted over the Internet or stored;
• prohibit the unlawful disclosure of your Social Security number. We only disclose your Social Security number to credit reporting agencies for the purpose of conducting a credit check; and
• limit access to your Social Security number to those employees who have a need to know for legitimate business purposes.
Rental Beast takes reasonable measures in order to safeguard users' Personal Information.
Payment information (such as credit card number and/or social security number) and other sensitive information of Users is protected by using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) software, which encrypts the aforementioned information when viewed online.
While on a secured page, such as our order form, the lock icon on the bottom of Web browsers such as Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer becomes locked, confirming that the page is secure. Do not submit Personal Information on any pages where the lock icon is not closed or locked.
In addition, we limit access to Personal Information to employees who we believe reasonably need to receive such information to provide our Services or in order to do their jobs and take other precautions we deem reasonable to protect the security of Users' Personal Information. Any employees who are granted access to Users’ Personal Information are instructed on the privacy and confidentiality of such Personal Information.
You are responsible for maintaining the secrecy and accuracy of your password, email address, and other account information at all times. We recommend a strong password that you do not use with other services. We are not responsible for personal data transmitted to a third party as a result of an incorrect email address. If you believe your password has been compromised, please change your password immediately via the Rental Beast Website or contact us at info@RentalBeast.com for assistance.
Users should be aware that no internet transmission is 100% secure, and we cannot fully guarantee the security of their Personal Information. We are not liable for any unauthorized disclosure of Personal Information beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to intercepted transmissions or unauthorized acts of third parties. You provide Personal Information to us at your own risk.
If users have any questions about security, please contact us at: info@RentalBeast.com.
We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes to our information practices. If we make any change in how we use your Personal Information, we will notify you by email (sent to thee-mail address specified in your account) or by means of a notice on this Website and updating the Effective Date below prior to the change becoming effective. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our privacy practices.
If you have any questions or suggestions regarding our privacy policy, information use, collection, or security please contact us at:
177 Huntington Ave, Ste 1703
PMB 73899
Boston, Massachusetts 02115 Email - info@RentalBeast.com
Phone - (617) 623-5700
Attention: Privacy Officer
Effective Date of Policy: October 1, 2022
