Transparency in Technology

What does transparency in technology look like? What should be hidden, what should not, and what are the expectations? 

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Today's guest is Josh Tatum, the Co-Founder of Carputty (auto financing, reinvented). Josh has been a driving force in the consumer finance and technology industry for the better part of two decades and brings a wealth of educated opinion and insight to the topic of transparency.

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Did you know that supermarkets are using the Bluetooth on your phones to track your in-store movements and then target you with coupons accordingly? Are you aware of what credit reporting agencies are doing with your data when you get into debt with your student loan, or to buy a car? 

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How do we know that the information we provide tech companies with isn't being sold or used to discriminate against us? And what can we do about the "hyper-targeting" of customers in specific areas and demographic groups?

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Josh is giving us plenty to think about as he elucidates on the triangle of Technology, Transparency, and Trust. In his opinion, all people should know what information they are giving away - AND what it is being used for. 

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As companies are being forced to slow down and consider the consumer's interests more, now is a great time to protect our engineers by being transparent about what we are creating, while still protecting the 'secret sauce' that is our Intellectual Property. 

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There's an important balance that is worth striving for. Details inside!

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‍"Do consumers really know where credit reporting agencies are gathering their data? Is that transparent enough? You can get your report for free, you can get some things for free, but knowing what they actually do with it would actually scare a lot of consumers." ~ Josh Tatum

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In This Episode:

• What does transparency in technology even mean?
• How do we give consumers debt? 
• Can we trust Credit Reporting Agencies?
• Who owns your profile, and who is trusted with your financial information?
• How the auto industry finances your car deal
• What Intellectual Property should be protected from the public?
• How supermarkets use your Bluetooth to track your in-store shopping behavior
• Learning to always ask 'the why?' and to trust your engineers!

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