Summary:
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Data Retrieval: Forewarn, an app costing about $20 a month, allows real estate agents to instantly access detailed data on prospective clients, including criminal records, address history, phone, vehicle, property records, bankruptcies, liens, and judgements, with just a phone number.
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Real Estate Use: The app is marketed primarily to the real estate industry as a safety tool and to help agents find financially qualified clients, eliminating the need to manually search public records.
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Privacy Concerns: Despite its rapid adoption in real estate, Forewarn is largely unknown outside the industry. Clients are not notified when their information is accessed, raising privacy concerns among fair housing and civil rights advocates.
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