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The Privacy Commissioner has put the RentTech industry on notice over 'unfair and excessive personal information collection'.
If you've rented a home recently, you've probably used one of the online platforms that promise to make applying easier. Submit all your personal details in one place, and they'll share it with the relevant real estate agents.
But somewhere along the way, the intention changed. It became less about proof you have a job, can pay the rent, and won't trash the house, and more about your 'risk profile'. These platforms are collecting up to 50 points of personal data, which some agencies are using AI to sort through. 
So, do these tools - used this way - serve renters, or exacerbate an existing power imbalance? And how might we use them better?
GUESTS:
Samantha Floreani, PhD candidate at Monash University with the ADM+S Centre. Her research — The Machine-Readable Renter — examines the role of digital technologies in Australia’s private rental sector, and its impact on renters and housing justice.
Lina Pržhedetsky, research fellow at the University of Melbourne Law School, and ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society. She specialises in emerging technology policy.
Kylie Davis, founder and president of The Proptech Association Australia.
John Gilmovich, founder and director of Real Property Manager, and President of the Property Owners Association of NSW. He's also a licensed real estate agent.
Jordan van den Lamb, housing activist and creator of Shit Rentals. You can find the subreddit here. AKA @purplepingers.
A big thanks to our guests for this episode. And a special thanks to Leo Patterson Ross, from the Tenant's Union of NSW for helping with fact checking in this episode.
References:
The report Sam mentioned: Essential Homes: Why renting is an essential service.
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This episode was produced on Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, Wurundjeri, Woi Wurrung, and Cobowra country.
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Get in touch:
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au
Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Anthropic's Claude Cowork and an OpenAI model have reportedly "gone rogue", but is that really what happened? And what does it mean to escape a 'sandbox'?
Plus, this week, Apple, Meta and a growing list of secretly filmed strangers all had something to say about smart-glasses and their ability to record people without consent.
More than half of employers now say they regret cutting jobs for AI. What will this mean for staff morale, and the future of businesses?
GUESTS: 
Charles Gretton, Director of Attention and Innovation at the Integrated AI Network, and an associate professor at the ANU School of Computing.
Jocelyn Brewer, psychologist and founder of Digital Nutrition.
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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.
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Get in touch:
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au
Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Quantum computing sounds like science fiction, but all of a sudden the biggest names in tech are treating it like the next industrial arms race. Google, Microsoft, IBM are all chasing breakthroughs that could transform everything from medicine to finance.
However! It does pose a serious security threat. Cybersecurity experts are warning those same machines could one day unravel the encryption protecting our bank accounts, private messages and government secrets. 
So, are we finally on the verge of the quantum future we've been promised, and are we actually ready for what comes next? 
GUESTS:
Jacinta Bowler, ABC science reporter and host of the new ABC Science Friction series Dead or Alive.
Justin Hendry, Editor at InnovationAus.com.
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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.
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Get in touch:
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au
Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Anthropic has just released the Spotify Wrapped equivalent of Claude. Claude Reflect claims it can help you optimise your AI use. But will a tool built by an AI company ever genuinely encourage you to use it less? 
Also on the program, the humans hired to train AI are secretly getting AI to do it. How does this "AI inbreeding" degrade quality?
Meta launched a tool that would allow someone to generate pictures based on individual Instagram accounts. They've since gone back on this decision, but will this idea become a problem?
And in case you missed it, we also cover the Prime Minister's announcement of the Office of AI in our headlines section.
Fergus mentioned the book Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams.
GUESTS:
Fergus Halliday, journalist at Whistleout.
David Braue, tech journalist at Information Age.
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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.
------------
Get in touch:
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au
Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Microsoft and Xbox have laid off thousands of staff. Sony, Xbox and publishers like Rockstar all seem to be moving away from physical discs. And the UN Secretary General has called for a ban on AI powered ‘killer robots’. What does it all mean? 
GUESTS:
Kai Riemer, professor at the University of Sydney Business School and Director of Sydney Executive Plus.
Gianfranco Di Giovanni, games reporter at ABC Arts and 102.5 ABC Perth Content Director. The articles Gianni mentioned are here and here.
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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.
------------
Get in touch:
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au
Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.