The Center for Data Innovation has filed comments with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding competition issues in the residential real estate brokerage industry. Traditional real estate brokers unfairly limit third-parties from using listing data, and these practices are hurting innovators and consumers. The FTC and DOJ should insist that listing data be made available to improve competition, innovation, and the consumer experience. Without intervention, real estate brokers will continue to restrict access to this data, even if this comes at the expense of consumers, because they want to avoid competition enabled by emerging digital services while preserving their higher commissions.
Comments to the FTC and DOJ on Competition in the Residential Real Estate Brokerage Industry
Daniel Castro
Daniel Castro is the director of the Center for Data Innovation and vice president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. Mr. Castro writes and speaks on a variety of issues related to information technology and internet policy, including data, privacy, security, intellectual property, internet governance, e-government, and accessibility for people with disabilities. His work has been quoted and cited in numerous media outlets, including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, USA Today, Bloomberg News, and Businessweek. In 2013, Mr. Castro was named to FedScoop’s list of “Top 25 most influential people under 40 in government and tech.” In 2015, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker appointed Mr. Castro to the Commerce Data Advisory Council. Mr. Castro previously worked as an IT analyst at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) where he audited IT security and management controls at various government agencies. He contributed to GAO reports on the state of information security at a variety of federal agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). In addition, Mr. Castro was a Visiting Scientist at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he developed virtual training simulations to provide clients with hands-on training of the latest information security tools. He has a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and an M.S. in Information Security Technology and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.
