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U.S. FTC Surveillance Pricing Study Indicates Wide Range of Personal Data Used to Set Individualized Consumer Prices (www.ftc.gov)

submitted 2 weeks ago by thelucky8@beehaw.org to c/technology@beehaw.org

3 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s initial findings from its surveillance pricing market study revealed that details like a person’s precise location or browser history can be frequently used to target individual consumers with different prices for the same goods and services.

[...]

[The investigation has found that] consumer behaviors ranging from mouse movements on a webpage to the type of products that consumers leave unpurchased in an online shopping cart can be tracked and used by retailers to tailor consumer pricing.

“Initial staff findings show that retailers frequently use people’s personal information to set targeted, tailored prices for goods and services—from a person's location and demographics, down to their mouse movements on a webpage,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “The FTC should continue to investigate surveillance pricing practices because Americans deserve to know how their private data is being used to set the prices they pay and whether firms are charging different people different prices for the same good or service.”

[...]

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[–] t3rmit3@beehaw.org 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

We'll see how long it takes for the government to put a stop to US companies actively data-mining, profiling, and discriminating against our citizenry. I'd say we need a Chinese company to come in and do it, but clearly they'd just ban that one company instead of the actual problematic actions, and allow US companies to continue exploiting us.

[–] Powderhorn@beehaw.org 3 points 2 weeks ago

We’ll see how long it takes for the government to put a stop to US companies actively data-mining, profiling, and discriminating against our citizenry.

Narrator: It never happened.

[–] TehPers@beehaw.org 2 points 2 weeks ago

FTC learns that the grass is green.

I'd have confidence in them doing something if Lina Khan weren't on her way out. Even if she somehow stuck around, there's no way that random court in Texas is going to let her do her job.