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new Trump-approved, Musk-backed employee at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has sent an email to workers asking for information on all contracts, particularly those involving diversity, equity, and inclusion. The request was made by Scott Langmack, COO of Kukun, a proptech firm that provides real estate investors with data-driven insights to grow their wealth.

    Langmack's background is in marketing, not tech or housing policy. He previously worked at Pepsi and Microsoft before starting his own recruiting company and later becoming involved in unregulated peer-to-peer lending networks. His wife is a Compass broker, and it's unclear whether he has left his position at Kukun, which could benefit from his current role at HUD.

    Langmack is one of two new appointees from the real estate world assigned to cut costs at HUD, giving them access to sensitive data on American housing, including homelessness rates, environmental hazards, and federally insured mortgages. This includes information that a proptech executive shouldn't have unfettered access to, such as medical and immigration records of Section 8 voucher recipients and addresses of domestic-violence shelters.

    The other appointee is Michael Mirski, who was on leave from TCC Management, a company that operates mobile-home parks nationally. His new role at HUD presents a conflict of interest, given his company's business model relies on access to data and may involve predatory practices like raising rent on land under homes occupied by low-income individuals.

    Neither Langmack nor Mirski appears to have gone through the required protocol for this level of access. Their appointments raise concerns about the potential misuse of sensitive information, including $100 billion in funding approved by Congress for HUD.