Clareity Security, which provides user authentication and "single sign-on" services for multiple listings services, has rolled out a new product intended to help MLSs make sure users are complying with publishing standards and rules governing the distribution of listings.
Clareity Security says its SAFE Syndication compliance management tool will provide integration with industry technology platforms, including ListHub, the largest online syndicator of real estate listings to real estate websites.
Data collected and delivered on behalf of MLSs syndicating through ListHub will be integrated into SAFE Syndication, and ListHub Publisher Scorecards will also be accessible via SAFE Syndication.
Both companies "are working together on a method for watermarking syndicated MLS data and detecting its unauthorized use," Clareity Security said.
"ListHub and Clareity Security offer complementary services that will help MLSs generate exposure for brokers and their listings while ensuring the appropriate use of their valuable content," said Errol Samuelson, chief revenue officer of ListHub operator Move Inc., in a statement.
"We look forward to the continued expansion our suite of ListHub services to benefit both content providers and publishing sites."
Clareity Security describes SAFE Syndication as a consolidated system for measuring and reporting on listing distribution activity, providing independent verification and reporting by the MLS or Clareity as a neutral party.
The tool will help MLSs manage data distribution licenses, publishing standards compliance, and audits of Internet Data Exchange (IDX) and virtual office website (VOW) compliance.
A compliance API for portals and vendors allows for centralized reporting of violations, and the ability for MLSs to define their own compliance standards for reporting and comparison.
Clareity Security says additional capabilities, including innovative ways to find and document unlicensed data uses, are in development and will be available in the near future.
The unauthorized use of listing data, including "scraping" by third-party websites, and compliance issues such as out-of-date listings, are issues of concern to MLSs and their member brokers and agents.
The National Association of Realtors has proposed allowing brokers and agents to feed IDX listings to social media sites and mobile applications using methods including Really Simple Syndication (RSS). But some MLS administrators and brokers have expressed concern about how they would monitor listing feeds for compliance with IDX rules.
"Our customers have been asking us for a tool to help manage data leaving the MLS system for some time," said Clareity Security CEO Gregg Larson in a statement. "We had the idea for SAFE Syndication two years ago, but the market didn’t seem quite ready. We now have a product that meets the demand for improved oversight and management of listings after they are distributed from the MLS system."
According to the company’s website, Clareity Security’s SAFEMLS solution — a strong authentication system that uses several methods to verify user’s identities — is currently in use by 66 clients representing nearly 500,000 real estate professionals. The company can configure SAFEMLS to provide "single sign on" (SSO) capabilities to multiple applications.
Clareity Security also offers an identity-profiling engine that monitors users’ keystroke patterns, "Scout for SAFEMLS," that’s been adopted by the Miami Association of Realtors and the NAR’s Realtors Property Resource LLC subsidiary, among others.
