Legal algorithm
Who Has the Final Say? Technology Alone Is Not Enough to Clean Up the Land Registry
The recent “Optimization Plan” introduced by the Real Estate Jurisdiction has brought a vital issue to the forefront: the prevention of fraud. In several public statements, judges and registry authorities have urged investors to avoid so-called “backyard advisors.”
While the recommendation to seek qualified professional advice is certainly sound, the analysis cannot stop there. As participants in the system, we must ask whether the problem lies solely in the competence of the advisor, or whether the real “virus” exists within the information infrastructure itself.
The Stigma of the “Backyard Advisor”
The term is pejorative and, to some extent, ambiguous. It appears aimed at real estate agents who market themselves as sales experts. Although greater professionalization is indeed necessary to reduce fraud, we must not overlook a more uncomfortable reality: many of the disputes that ultimately reach the land courts originate within the jurisdiction itself.
Was the Manual Past More Reliable Than the Digital Present?
There is an undeniable irony here. In the days when technology was still a distant promise, legal certainty seemed to rest on firmer foundations. Consulting directly with specialists within the jurisdictions, relying on official surveyors, and carrying out physical searches through the Title Registry books and judicial activity records provided a degree of traceability that today, paradoxically, often feels less certain.
- The technological paradox: How is it that modern digital tools can sometimes appear less reliable than the old manual procedures?
- The volatility of data: The real issue is not the existence of mechanisms such as priority reservations—which have always had legal equivalents—but rather the stability of the information itself. In a digital environment, data can be altered or shift from one moment to the next if internal controls fail.
The Algorithm Is Not the Cure
Legal certainty in real estate matters will not be achieved simply through sophisticated algorithms or cosmetic modernization processes. Technology is a tool, not a solution in and of itself.
“The first ones who must ‘clean up’ the information control system are the very actors within the Real Estate Jurisdiction.”
Conclusion
If investors are to have confidence in the system, it is not enough to warn them about whom not to hire. The system itself must guarantee that the information it provides is complete, unalterable, and faithful to the true legal status of the property. Modernization must begin, above all, with the ethical and technical cleansing of those who control the data behind the screen.
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