General Privacy Policy
Arak International (“We,” “Our”) places great importance on protecting your personal information. We follow the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (“DPA”), its Implementing Rules and Regulations, and relevant issuances from the National Privacy Commission (“NPC”) to safeguard your data.
We have created this Privacy Policy to address concerns about how Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”) is collected and used online. In the context of privacy laws and information security, PII refers to data that can be used—alone or in combination with other details—to identify, contact, or locate a specific person, or to identify an individual within a particular setting.
Under the DPA, “Personal Information” encompasses any details that reveal or can reasonably and directly determine a person’s identity, or that, when combined with other information, would certainly and directly identify someone.
Please review this Privacy Policy to understand how we collect, use, protect, manage, and otherwise handle your Personal Information. It applies to all services offered by Arak International—both online and offline—including our listing and information services (the “Services”), our website, and our mobile applications (collectively, the “Applications”).
What Information Do We Collect?
When you register for or use our Applications and Services, you may be asked to provide various details, including but not limited to your chosen username, full name, email address, residential address, date of birth, gender, occupation, marital status, nationality, contact number, home address, or other information. We securely store confidential user data (such as passwords) in our database by encrypting it.
To facilitate your use of our Services and Applications, we may also collect transaction-related data and information about the specific service you are utilizing. This can involve personally identifiable information (PII), for example:
- The address of the property you wish to sell, lease, or purchase
- The property owner’s name
- Purchase price
- Personal details of your broker or agent
- Corporate information, such as registration documents or a list of shareholders
If you contact our Service Provider Service Center, we may collect details about the issue you are reporting and maintain a record of this information.
Our Applications include informational features that allow you to view, share, or collaborate with others. Upon registering, any content posted or shared through these informational services is considered public. This public content can include the messages or comments you post, your name, and display name, as well as any additional profile information you choose to make public.
When and How Do We Collect Information?
We collect information from you when you register, input data, and share information via our Applications. We may also gather information when you communicate with or engage our real estate brokers and employees in the course of using our Services.
Additionally, during your use of our Applications, other users, service providers, partners, brokers, or third parties may request and collect physical and/or electronic documents containing your personal information.
Why We Use Your Information
We may use the information we collect from you for the following purposes:
- Service Delivery – To facilitate the provision of services you request through our Applications, employees, and agents.
- Transaction Support – To assist with transactions processed via our Applications and/or Services.
- Newsletter Subscription – To register you for and distribute our newsletters.
- Research & Surveys – To conduct surveys or other forms of market research.
- Marketing Communications – To send you promotional materials.
- Personalized Experience – To tailor your user experience by providing content and product offerings relevant to your interests.
- Product & Property Information – To inform you about real estate listings or products that may interest you.
- User Support – To contact you if you have questions or issues regarding our Applications and/or Services.
- Audits & Investigations – To perform audits or investigate complaints or security threats.
- Enforcement of Agreements – To ensure compliance with our Terms and Conditions and other agreements.
- Platform Improvement – To refine and enhance our Applications for better user experiences.
- Legal Claims – To establish, exercise, or defend legal rights or claims.
- Related Purposes – To fulfill any other objectives directly connected to those listed above.
Information Sharing and Disclosure
We may disclose your personal information to third parties for reasons such as:
- Legal & Regulatory Compliance – To respond to inquiries from law enforcement or government agencies.
- Safety & Risk Management – To prevent physical harm or financial loss.
- Audits & Security – To conduct operational, risk, compliance, financial, anti-fraud, and anti-corruption audits, or to investigate complaints or security threats.
- Organizational Functioning – To comply with management duties and policies necessary for our internal operations.
- Statutory Obligations – To meet legal requirements.
- Service Facilitation – To enable service delivery through our Applications and Services.
- Data Requests – To respond to valid requests for information.
- Complaint & Dispute Resolution – To investigate and address fraud, chargeback claims, or disputes.
- Threat Detection – To identify and manage potential internal or external threats.
- Mitigation & Prevention – To implement measures that respond to identified threats.
- Legal Compliance – To meet legal obligations, including contractual commitments allowing us to provide services to you.
Additionally, we may share or transfer your personal information to third parties as required by contract, law, or legal processes to protect our rights or assets, to facilitate the sale or purchase of our business, or in emergencies where someone’s health or safety is at risk.
We will not sell, rent, share, trade, or otherwise disclose your personal data to any third party without your prior recorded consent, except when engaging a third-party service provider whose services require processing your personal information.
The following third parties may receive your personal information:
- Government Agencies & Regulatory Bodies
- Banks
- Payment Gateways & Facilities (including their affiliates and subsidiaries)
- Other Payment Applications (e.g., MasterCard, Visa, JCB)
- Law Enforcement Agencies (where necessary)
- Other Users (in the event of disputes or fraud incidents)
- Real Estate Professionals (e.g., brokers, salespersons)
- Potential Buyers & Sellers of real estate properties
Data Retention
We keep your personal information only as long as it’s needed for the purposes outlined during its collection. We also retain and use this data to meet legal obligations, settle disputes, and enforce agreements. Physical copies of forms and documents containing your personal details may be stored at our premises, secured by features such as biometric entry systems, CCTV, 24-hour security, and traditional locks accessible solely by authorized staff.
Digital copies of your personal information may be kept on our systems, hosted either on-site or by an authorized third-party provider. We take contractual and other reasonable measures to ensure that any third-party provider maintains adequate safeguards to uphold confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your personal data, prevent unauthorized use, and comply with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its related regulations, as well as other applicable privacy laws.
Use of Cookies
Yes. Cookies are small files placed on your computer’s hard drive via your web browser (with your permission), enabling a website or service provider to recognize your browser and remember certain details. We use cookies to:
- Remember and process items you’ve saved;
- Understand your preferences based on past or current activity, allowing us to enhance our services;
- Gather aggregate data on site traffic and interactions, helping us improve user experiences and tools; and
- Recall user preferences for your future visits.
We may also employ trusted third-party services to analyze this information on our behalf. You can configure your browser to warn you each time a cookie is sent or to disable cookies altogether. Disabling cookies might turn off some features, which could affect the functionality of certain services, although your overall experience won’t necessarily be compromised.
Third-Party Links
Occasionally, we may feature or promote products or services from third parties on our website. Each external site operates under its own privacy policy. We are not responsible for the content or activities of these linked sites. However, we aim to preserve our site’s integrity and welcome any feedback regarding these external websites.
Data Protection Measures
We employ physical, electronic, and managerial safeguards to help prevent unauthorized access, maintain data security, and ensure the correct use of information collected online. The level of protection depends on the sensitivity of the data we collect and store.
Rights of the Data Subject
Under the Data Privacy Act (DPA), you have several rights regarding your personal information. You may exercise these rights at your discretion:
- Right to Access Personal Information
You may request access to any personal data we hold about you, subject to certain legal limitations. Such a request is referred to as a “subject access request.” Please direct any requests of this nature to our Data Protection Officer. - Right to Rectify Personal Information
We must take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal data we process is accurate and up to date. You are responsible for notifying us of any changes to your personal information during your engagement with us. - Right to Object to the Processing of Personal Information
You may object to the processing of your personal data, including use for direct marketing, automated processing, or profiling. You will also be notified and given the opportunity to withhold consent if there are any amendments to the information declared in this Privacy Policy. Please note that certain personal data is required for us to meet legal or regulatory obligations and to follow our internal policies. Withholding consent for the processing of this data may prevent you from accessing certain services or benefits. - Right to Erasure or Blocking of Personal Information
You have the right to suspend, withdraw, or request the blocking, deletion, or destruction of your personal information in our records. - Right to Be Informed About the Existence of Data Processing
You have the right to know if your personal information is to be, is being, or has been processed, including any automated decision-making and profiling that may be involved. - Right to Damages
Upon presentation of a valid decision, you may be entitled to compensation for any harm suffered due to inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, false, unlawfully obtained, or unauthorized use of your personal information, taking into account any breach of your rights and freedoms as a data subject. - Right to Lodge a Complaint Before the NPC
You have the right to file a complaint with the National Privacy Commission (NPC) if you believe your data privacy rights have been violated.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. We encourage you to review it regularly to stay informed of any modifications that may affect your rights.
Complaints, Concerns, Access, and Questions
If you have any complaints, concerns, or inquiries regarding the processing of your personal data, please contact:
Data Protection Officer
Arak International Properties
Phone: +63 954 492 7250
Email: info@arakip.com