ABSTRACT
Proptech is undermining the human right to housing. Proptech is a term of art for the digital transformation of the real estate industry. It includes a range of real estate businesses engaged in development, financing, construction, management, and more. Proptech’s boosters promise frictionless and efficient housing markets. However, Proptech appears to be reinforcing existing power imbalances in real estate markets that are masked by the supposed objectivity and opacity of computer-generated processes. Meanwhile, countries across the globe are facing a profound housing crisis, with a lack of affordable and safe housing, high rates of homelessness, and rampant housing discrimination and segregation. Proptech’s impact can violate the human right to housing, which recognizes housing as the basis of stability and security for individuals and families.
This article examines five forms of Proptech through a human rights lens: (1) tenant screening algorithms; (2) digital mortgage financing; (3) online, platform-based advertising for real estate; (4) home surveillance technology, including facial recognition technology; and (5) short-term rental platforms. For each form of Proptech, the article describes how the human right to housing is violated and explains the legal framework in the United States governing these technologies. The article also highlights how human rights advocates are pushing to hold Proptech accountable, including the potential of big data analytics to expand housing opportunities and to serve as a counterweight against the dynamics of data capitalism and housing financialization.
Gilman, Michele E, The Impact of Proptech and The Datafication of Real Estate on The Human Right To Housing (May 1, 2024), Georgetown Law and Technology Review (forthcoming 2025).
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