Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention — which statement is correct?

• A. Use or disclosure personal information only for the reason it was collected, except with consent or as required by law.
• B. Use information for any purpose.
• C. Disclosure is allowed without consent if within organization.
• D. Retention duration is unlimited.

Answer: (A)

Limiting use, disclosure, and retention focuses on handling personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected, and only sharing or keeping it as long as needed. The correct statement reflects that idea: you may use or disclose personal information solely for the purpose for which it was collected, and you may do so only with the person’s consent or when law requires. This is the heart of responsible privacy practice in real estate: information gathered for a specific purpose (like processing a sale, listing, or client communications) should not be repurposed for unrelated activities, and disclosures should be made only if there’s a legitimate need related to that purpose or if there is consent or a legal obligation.

Understanding why the other options aren’t correct helps reinforce the limit. Using information for any purpose would violate the purpose for which it was collected. Disclosing within the organization without consent isn’t automatically allowed simply because parties are within the same organization; disclosures should still align with the original purpose or be authorized by consent or law. Retention being unlimited clashes with the principle that information should be kept only as long as necessary to fulfill the original purpose and comply with legal or regulatory requirements.