Property Technology in the Age of Algorithmic Discrimination

Abstract

In this paper I investigate the emergence of PropTech in the U.S. PropTech, short for property technology, is an umbrella term for all the technologies and/or algorithms utilized by the real-estate industry to manage their properties. In this thesis, I explain the social environment in which PropTech is developed to see for whom the technology is designed and implemented. Then, I explore ways PropTech is redesigned and repurposed with tenants' rights in mind. By analyzing conversations about PropTech on Twitter and in Housing Justice Advocacy spheres, I study the implications of design processes and find that the emergence of PropTech is in many ways emblematic of a new form of housing injustice: algorithmic housing discrimination.