Here's a shout-out to all of you who said, "If I've got nothing to hide, I've got nothing to fear" after the Snowden revelations. And this little gem deals only with publicly available information about you. Imagine what it's like when it gets into the good stuff you think is private.
An Orwellian startup called Tenant Assured will analyze your social media, including chats and check-ins, and count the number of times you've posted words like "pregnant, wasted, busted, no money, broke, moving back in with the parents, weed, or loan," and deliver a "personality score" to potential landlords and employers.
While many people already Google folks they might rent to or hire, this new service aggregates a mountain of information and then evaluates it. At the end, someone gets some numbers that describe you (see sample reports, below,) with little idea how those numbers came to be determined.
How many times did you check in at a bar? Are you a drunk who'll screw up at work? How often does your relationship status change? Same-sex relationships? Evidence of drug use? Political affiliation?
The report will also assess your "financial stress level" as a breakdown of five personality traits: extraversion, neuroticism, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness.
The company says it is aware that some of the information it gathers cannot legally be used to decline a loan, lease or job, but nicely covers itself. "All we do is give them the information," a spokesperson said. "It's up to landlords to do the right thing."
The company states its goal as "you won't hire a dog sitter or book an Airbnb without first viewing a social media dossier," as compiled by the company.
Welcome to your future. We'll soon be looking back on the Snowden revelations as quaint.
A sample report:
© 2023 Peter Van Buren
Here's a shout-out to all of you who said, "If I've got nothing to hide, I've got nothing to fear" after the Snowden revelations. And this little gem deals only with publicly available information about you. Imagine what it's like when it gets into the good stuff you think is private.
An Orwellian startup called Tenant Assured will analyze your social media, including chats and check-ins, and count the number of times you've posted words like "pregnant, wasted, busted, no money, broke, moving back in with the parents, weed, or loan," and deliver a "personality score" to potential landlords and employers.
While many people already Google folks they might rent to or hire, this new service aggregates a mountain of information and then evaluates it. At the end, someone gets some numbers that describe you (see sample reports, below,) with little idea how those numbers came to be determined.
How many times did you check in at a bar? Are you a drunk who'll screw up at work? How often does your relationship status change? Same-sex relationships? Evidence of drug use? Political affiliation?
The report will also assess your "financial stress level" as a breakdown of five personality traits: extraversion, neuroticism, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness.
The company says it is aware that some of the information it gathers cannot legally be used to decline a loan, lease or job, but nicely covers itself. "All we do is give them the information," a spokesperson said. "It's up to landlords to do the right thing."
The company states its goal as "you won't hire a dog sitter or book an Airbnb without first viewing a social media dossier," as compiled by the company.
Welcome to your future. We'll soon be looking back on the Snowden revelations as quaint.
A sample report:
Here's a shout-out to all of you who said, "If I've got nothing to hide, I've got nothing to fear" after the Snowden revelations. And this little gem deals only with publicly available information about you. Imagine what it's like when it gets into the good stuff you think is private.
An Orwellian startup called Tenant Assured will analyze your social media, including chats and check-ins, and count the number of times you've posted words like "pregnant, wasted, busted, no money, broke, moving back in with the parents, weed, or loan," and deliver a "personality score" to potential landlords and employers.
While many people already Google folks they might rent to or hire, this new service aggregates a mountain of information and then evaluates it. At the end, someone gets some numbers that describe you (see sample reports, below,) with little idea how those numbers came to be determined.
How many times did you check in at a bar? Are you a drunk who'll screw up at work? How often does your relationship status change? Same-sex relationships? Evidence of drug use? Political affiliation?
The report will also assess your "financial stress level" as a breakdown of five personality traits: extraversion, neuroticism, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness.
The company says it is aware that some of the information it gathers cannot legally be used to decline a loan, lease or job, but nicely covers itself. "All we do is give them the information," a spokesperson said. "It's up to landlords to do the right thing."
The company states its goal as "you won't hire a dog sitter or book an Airbnb without first viewing a social media dossier," as compiled by the company.
Welcome to your future. We'll soon be looking back on the Snowden revelations as quaint.
A sample report: