By Joe Schneider
New security feature comes standard with SourceRE’s distribution platform, turning every active listing into a traceable asset and exposing grey-market data violations in real time.
NORTHGLENN, CO — March 18, 2026 — Data Dye™ by SourceRE is a first-of-its-kind proprietary tracking system that gives MLSs and data providers continuous visibility into the distribution and use of their data.
As SourceRE continues to grow and more organizations license and distribute their data through the platform, Data Dye™ serves as the security backbone that makes that distribution accountable. Every dataset moving through the SourceRE ecosystem, whether from an MLS or a non-MLS data provider, is dyed from the moment a vendor feed goes live, creating a permanently traceable connection between the data and the vendors accessing it.
The process is precise. Data Dye™ virtually “dyes” listing data distributed through each active vendor feed with invisible, vendor-specific identifiers, without altering information in the process. If dyed data surfaces outside its authorized distribution, the system identifies the exact feed it originated from, verifies whether the location has a valid licensing agreement, and logs the incident automatically. Each violation record includes the source URL, listing identifiers, and a full detection history, all of which are accessible through SourceRE.
MLS staff can review incidents by vendor or location, track how long a violation has been active, and access all the evidence needed to take action in real time within their dashboard. What makes Data Dye™ unlike anything else available to MLSs today is that the protection travels with the data itself. It does not sit at the system level, where it can be bypassed or rendered irrelevant once data leaves an authorized environment. It does not need to be manually added to the listing through a third party. Once data is dyed, it is traceable wherever it goes, making grey-market activity visible in ways that were not possible before.
“For too long, MLSs have had to take it on faith that their data was being used the right way, even as many suspected it was quietly leaking into gray-market channels,” said Joe Schneider, President of SourceRE. “Until now, there has been no practical way to verify or enforce against that misuse. Data Dye™ replaces that faith with facts. Because the dye travels with the data, the MLS always has a verifiable trail. That is something no other infrastructure in this industry can offer.”
Data Dye™ is a standard feature in the SourceRE ecosystem and requires no additional setup or ongoing management from MLS staff. It is active from the point of integration and scales automatically across vendors, feeds, and datasets as the organization grows.
About SourceRE
SourceRE is redefining how the real estate industry accesses, manages, and monetizes data. Guided by RESO standards and protected with best-in-class security, SourceRE for the MLS provides future-ready database infrastructure for MLS organizations. The SourceRE Data Marketplace delivers governed data distribution and licensing for MLSs and data providers, helping organizations maximize the value of their data with secure, standards-based access. SourceRE is a subsidiary of Modern.tech, headquartered in Northglenn, Colorado.
Media Contact: Arianna Marino | Head of Marketing | arianna.marino@modern.tech
