It’s a fine line for many tech companies: Customer data is as valuable as gold when it comes to better serving consumers, and making a judgment about what products in which they may be interested, but collecting too much information is inarguably a violation of consumer privacy. On the front lines of the controversy is Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerburg, who has become embroiled in scandals from surveilling consumers to geopolitical manipulation as the ubiquitous social media platform continues to expand the information it collects – and, consumers are beginning to realize, share. For innovators like SetSchedule CEO Roy Dekel, responsibility to clients comes down to applying a decades-old philosophy to a modern problem. “My philosophy is, ‘don’t do things to others that you wouldn’t want others to do to yourself,’” Mr. Dekel said. “When we’re collecting information, the boundary is that it has to pass the test of what I would like done for myself.” The conundrum is perfectly encapsulated by a moment in Mark Zuckerberg’s Congressional testimony in which Sen. Dick Durbin pointedly asked Mr. Zuckerburg whether he would be willing to share the hotel he stayed at the night before, or the messages he had recently sent over Facebook messenger. Put on the spot, Mr. Zuckerburg paused for a long moment before responding, “No. I would probably not choose to do that publicly, here.” To Mr. Dekel, that exchange exemplified the measure of propriety when it comes to data collection. “I don’t want my tech to track where I’m going – if I want directions or information, I’ll ask for it. I don’t want it to make assumptions about my movement,” Mr. Dekel said. “That starts getting into stalking material.” SetSchedule’s business model is based on information. Home shoppers are matched with real estate agents based on their location, timeline, and what they are looking for. By analyzing information from agents and shoppers alike, SetSchedule builds profiles that can match individuals with the best real estate pro to help them meet their needs, and increase the odds of a successful transaction. Roy Dekel said that in the case of SetSchedule, he avoids any violations of privacy by sticking to opt-in data and public records only. “Our approach is, if you don’t tell us, we don’t know it, and we don’t want to know it,” Mr. Dekel said. “It’s not buried in small print within a 10-page user agreement that we’re going to mine for information through your private social media pages. We just don’t gather any information you aren’t giving us directly.” For larger companies, Mr. Dekel said, the amount of information available and the lack of regulation within the industry creates too many opportunities for data to be misused – whether intentionally or unintentionally. With most companies, the problem is less that they are maliciously abusing customer data, but rather that they are too cavalier with it. Complicating the situation is the growing public dependency on tech, which is nurtured by tech companies and results in a greater sharing of information with less consumer consciousness. “At the end of the day, the users who don’t pay a fee become a product, and that is used to get dollars from advertising companies. That’s where businesses need to be very careful.” The other part of a tech company’s responsibility regarding client data is security. With data breaches in the news headlines on a weekly basis, many people are concerned that their information may be hacked and used inappropriately. It’s a concern that SetSchedule takes seriously, Mr. Dekel said, explaining that the company uses layers of security to protect against hackers, and that all team members with access to client information are thoroughly vetted to ensure that they are trustworthy. “It’s one of our top priorities to protect customer data, and we incorporate data security as a fundamental part of our platform. Although the recent Facebook controversies have shined a greater amount of scrutiny, Mr. Dekel said that he expects many of the issues related to the sharing and usage of data are likely to get worse before they get better. Companies that are relying more on AI-generated services need data in order to best deliver those services, which means the consumption of more information. On the other hand, consumers continue to share more information even as they complain about the violation of privacy by companies. “I don’t say this often, but at some point, I think we will need a higher level of regulation at the government level, especially over the very big companies,” Mr. Dekel said. Until that happens, Mr. Dekel said he will continue to focus on ensuring that users of SetSchedule can feel comfortable using the platform without compromising their privacy. “With us, we work on opt-in, surveys, and human communication,” Mr. Dekel said. “You control the information you share, and the information that we use.” ---------- SetSchedule has changed the way real estate marketing is viewed, by changing the way REALTORS® access clients and listing appointments. SetSchedule is a “first of its’ kind” exclusive membership based model that provides verified appointments, marketing tools, and elite invite-only networking events for its members. By blending new technologies, and thought processes with proven success methods SetSchedule had incurred record producing results unseen in the industry.
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