The Case for Making Some Data Private
In which a magazine article changes my mind
A reader recently sent me an article from Wired magazine. I had kinda forgotten that publication existed, especially in this wireless age of ours. But it was a super interesting article, ostensibly about Gen Z financial habits, with an angle that made me sit up and think.
And think. And think some more.
The article is titled, “Thanks to Zillow, Your Friends Know How Much Your House Costs—or if You’re Secretly Rich.” The subtitle reads, “A quick search of your friends’ addresses can yield one of the most private details of their financial lives. Some people say their wealthy acquaintances aren't happy about it.”
Read the whole thing.
After thinking about what this article said, I came to change my mind on something that is seemingly trivial, but has enormous implications for the Battle Du Jour in real estate: private listings.
We should consider making Days On Market and Price Change History private, along with some other data.
Before you automatically put this into one of your “Us vs. Them” matrices, read on. My reasoning has little to do with whether Compass or Zillow should win, and everything to do with what is good for the consumer.