Privacy Policy

Who we are and what this policy covers

Sol Levinson & Bros., Inc. ("Sol Levinson," "we," "us" or "our") owns and operates this website. We use it to provide funeral and memorial information, communicate with families and visitors, and offer planning and community resources. This policy explains how we handle personal information through the website and related website communications.

This policy does not replace separate notices that may apply to funeral arrangements, employment or services provided through another organization. An outside provider's own privacy notice also applies when you use its website or services.

Information we receive

Inquiries and planning. When you contact us, we receive the name, email address, telephone number, subject, message and other details you provide. Planning forms and appointment scheduling may collect additional information you enter through the providers identified below.

Memorial information and contributions. We receive obituary details, service information, photographs, memorial messages, media links and related contact information from families, contributors, our staff and our funeral management systems. Contributions may identify people other than the submitter, including relatives and the person being remembered.

Email subscriptions. We collect your email address, preferred email format and subscription status. We maintain unsubscribe and delivery-suppression records and related dates, as well as confirmation records from earlier signups.

Community events. We collect your name and email address when you register for an event and maintain registration and related email-delivery records.

Family access and staff access. We maintain information needed to provide family access links, review contributions and operate staff accounts, including access permissions, submission history and administrative activity.

Memorial calendars. We process the memorial details you enter to create a yahrzeit calendar. A saved calendar feed contains the calendar information associated with its link.

Technical and usage information. Our website infrastructure and embedded services may receive IP addresses, browser and device information, requested pages, referring pages, dates and times, and information about use of website features. Cookies or similar technologies may support sessions, analytics and embedded services.

Please provide information only when you are authorized to do so. Do not enter Social Security numbers, payment-card information or other unnecessary sensitive information into ordinary contact forms or memorial messages. Memorial and planning information can reveal sensitive details, including religious beliefs or health information about living people; share only what is appropriate for the particular service and intended audience.

How we use information

We use website information to respond to inquiries; assist with planning; prepare, review and publish memorial content; provide family access; manage subscriptions, event registrations and requested calendars; and deliver related communications. We also use technical information to operate the website, troubleshoot problems, understand use of public pages and help prevent abuse or unauthorized access.

Memorial-message review includes automated assistance. The contributor's name, message and name of the person being remembered are sent to an OpenAI service through our configured AI integration for moderation. Messages may be approved automatically or held for staff review. Contact us if you have a concern about a moderation decision.

What is public and what is not

Published obituaries, service information, approved memorial messages and approved public media are available to website visitors. Public memorial messages display the contributor's name, message and posting date. Public content may be copied, printed, shared or indexed by search services outside our control. Removing material from our website does not necessarily remove copies others have already made.

An email address supplied with a memorial-book message is not displayed in the public memorial book. It is available to authorized staff and family users in the private memorial book. Putting an email address or other contact details inside the message itself makes those details part of the submitted content.

Family access links allow their holders to use designated family features. Keep those links private. A saved calendar feed can be accessed by anyone with its link, including a calendar provider to which you add it. Do not post a private access link publicly.

Services and people that receive information

Information needed to operate the website is handled by authorized staff and the providers supporting hosting, record and file storage, authentication, email delivery and other requested features. Resend supports website email delivery; Microsoft supports staff work-account authentication; and our AI integration supports the moderation described above. Family users receive access to information within their authorized memorial features.

Other services may receive information directly when their features load or when you enter information:

• Google Maps supports map features, and Elfsight displays reviews.
• Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics code support public-site measurement.
• Cognito Forms provides embedded planning forms, and Acuity Scheduling provides appointment scheduling.
• BambooHR handles job applications on its own service.
• Constant Contact manages newsletter content separately from the obituary email list.
• Video, tour and webcast providers, including YouTube and Vimeo where used, receive information associated with loading or using their players.

Following a charity, partner-business or other external link takes you to another service. Review its privacy notice before providing information there. Owning and developing this website does not mean that all hosting, processing or embedded features are operated solely by Sol Levinson.

We may also disclose information when required by applicable law or a valid legal process, or when lawfully necessary to address fraud, security threats or claims concerning the website.

Cookies, analytics and your browser

Cookies and similar technologies may be used by our website and embedded providers. Google Tag Manager can load tags configured outside the website's source code. Embedded content can communicate with its provider even if you do not submit a form.

You can use browser settings to manage cookies and local storage. Blocking them may affect sign-in or other features and does not necessarily stop all information sent through a page request or an embedded service. Google's Analytics opt-out browser add-on is available at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout; it does not control every tag, advertising service or embedded feature.

Email choices

Eligible addresses join the obituary notification list when the signup form is submitted. No confirmation email is required. The daily email contains newly published obituaries since the previous email, or a brief notice on quiet days. It is not a schedule of today's funerals and may also include information or links about our services.

Use the unsubscribe link in an obituary notification email to stop those emails. Previously unsubscribed addresses, and addresses blocked because of bounces or complaints, are not reactivated by submitting the public form. Contact us if you need help. We retain suppression information to help prevent unwanted future delivery.

Newsletter preferences are separate. Event confirmations, event reminders, responses to inquiries and other requested service communications are also separate from obituary email subscriptions.

Retention and security

Different records serve different purposes. Public memorial content may remain available as a continuing remembrance, while contact records, access records, subscription history and event records support their respective services. Retention decisions take account of the purpose of the record, ongoing family requests, applicable recordkeeping requirements, dispute resolution, security needs and the need to maintain unsubscribe protections.

Contact us to ask about a particular record or request its removal. A request may require review of legal obligations, other people's rights, backups or service-provider copies; deleting a public page is not the same as erasing all associated records.

The website uses access controls for staff and family features and separates public memorial content from restricted information. No website, transmission or storage method can be guaranteed completely secure. Contact us promptly if you believe private access information has been exposed.

Privacy questions and rights requests

You may contact us to ask about your information or request access, correction or deletion. Depending on your residence, the law's applicability and available exceptions, you may have rights to confirm whether we process your information, obtain a copy, correct inaccuracies, request deletion, and opt out of specified uses such as sale, targeted advertising or certain consequential profiling. Describing these rights does not mean we engage in every activity listed.

For Maryland residents, where the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act applies, these rights include confirmation and access, correction, deletion, a portable copy where applicable, and opt-outs of sale, targeted advertising and profiling in furtherance of decisions producing legal or similarly significant effects. You have a right not to receive unlawful discriminatory treatment for exercising your rights and to appeal a denial of your request.

To make a request or appeal, call 410-653-8900 or write to the address below. Identify the information or page involved and the action you are requesting. For an appeal, identify the earlier request and explain why you believe the decision should be reconsidered. We may ask for information reasonably needed to verify identity or authority, subject to applicable law; do not send unnecessary sensitive documents. Requests, appeals, response periods and exceptions are governed by applicable law. You may also contact your state's privacy regulator; Maryland residents can contact the Office of the Attorney General at https://oag.maryland.gov/.

Children's information

The website's submission, subscription and planning features are intended for adults, not for children under 13 to provide information on their own. A memorial may contain information about a child supplied by an authorized adult. If you believe a child has submitted personal information without appropriate permission, contact us so that we can review the concern and take any action required by applicable law.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as website features or practices change. The updated policy will identify its effective date. Where applicable law requires additional notice or consent, an update to this page does not replace that requirement.

Contact us

Sol Levinson & Bros., Inc.

Attention: Website Privacy

8900 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville, MD 21208

Telephone: 410-653-8900