The Justice Department filed an antitrust suit against the real estate software company, accusing it of creating an illegal pricing scheme to charge tenants more.The New York Times reports that the Justice Department has filed an antitrust lawsuit against RealPage, a real estate software company, for allegedly creating an illegal pricing scheme that resulted in higher rents for tenants. The suit, joined by several states, accuses RealPage of facilitating a price-fixing conspiracy through its software, YieldStar, which gathers confidential real estate information from landlords and uses an algorithm to suggest higher rent prices. This is the first major civil antitrust lawsuit where the role of an algorithm in pricing manipulation is central to the case, according to Justice Department officials. Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that Americans should not have to pay more in rent because of a company’s illegal actions. RealPage has stated that it will vigorously defend itself against the suit and that its software is legally compliant. This lawsuit is part of the government’s efforts to regulate the misuse of technology, following similar actions against Google, Amazon, Meta, and Apple for monopolistic behaviors. 

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