Interesting post by Mert but the following questions should be thought of when responding:

What was the original intention of the Associations that eventually led to the creation of MLS systems to begin with? (Long before anybody even heard of the internet and for some reason this is never thought of which is an obvious failure of the association in educating their members.)

Is the manipulation of the information (from the MLS) really intended to benefit the consumer, client, or the company providing the manipulated data? (Really now, are companies spending significant amounts of money manipulating the MLS for the benefit of the consumer or for their pocketbooks? Last time I checked, I could not find any brokerages created as a non-profit organization.)

Where does it end if there are no rules in place concerning the manipulation of the MLS because in reality that is what is really going on. Why don't we just charge users for our MLS login passwords? There's an idea!

Interestingly, are brokerages required to educate/inform their clients of their non participation in the IDX? (We all know that brokerages subscribing to an MLS have to have written authorization from the sellers requesting their home be withheld from the MLS for obvious reasons.)

Where does it really end concerning the manipulation of the IDX? Without rules in place, Larger brokerages obviously would have the means to provide an unfair advantage which in the long run drives up prices when there is lack of competition and that is the whole orginal intention of the formation of Associations and the MLS to begin with: To promote consumers choice.

A better question is why don't associations mandate and provide the use of a standard IDX that is not allowed to be manipulated? Is that not what the whole intention of the creation of associations and the MLS was originally intended for? (Which really did benefit the consumer by allowing choices in service.)

Think back before the internet. A small independent brokerage could provide everything that a large brokerage could. Now think about today -- can the large brokerage provide a better IDX if they have the money and means to do so? Of course they can and the ironic part is that the information to feed that system is coming from a system originally designed to level the playing field.

Without rules and regulations concerning the manipulation of the MLS, we all just might as well affiliate with one company and in the long run that will harm the consumer.

Really now, is the manipulation of the MLS by a company in their IDX feed really for the benefit of the consumer or to gain an advantage of other members in their association?