The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) has called for a national federal data privacy standard in response to the Federal Trade Commission's first steps toward a data collection and security rule.

"This preliminary step toward possible regulation on data collection and security reflects an increased focus by the Administration on the impact of automated systems and data security on consumers," NMHC had previously noted. "The FTC's Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking puts forward 95 theoretical questions on consumer privacy including harm to consumers children and the impact of algorithmic decision-making."

Multifamily is an area that could feel effects from such regulation. Owners and operators already have access to sensitive personal data about their consumer tenants. In a push for expanded offerings and greater relevance, many proptech companies are expanding into functions that can use existing data and gather even more.