The goal was to get a better understanding of the \u201cshadowy market\u201d that third-party intermediaries use to set individualized prices for products and services based on consumers\u2019 characteristics and behaviors, like location, demographics, browsing patterns, and shopping history.<\/p>\n
Speaking to staff at these firms, the FTC found that behaviors ranging from mouse movements on a webpage to the type of products that consumers leave in an online shopping cart without clicking Buy can be tracked and used by retailers to tailor consumer pricing.<\/p>\n
The intermediaries claimed they used advanced algorithms, artificial intelligence, and other technologies, along with personal information about consumers to determine targeted prices.<\/p>\n FTC chair Lina M. Khan said:<\/p>\n \u201cAmericans deserve to know whether businesses are using detailed consumer data to deploy surveillance pricing, and the FTC\u2019s inquiry will shed light on this shadowy ecosystem of pricing middlemen.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The first priorities to investigate are:<\/p>\n This is nothing new, we’ve seen numerous times that insurance companies are very interested in our lifestyle<\/a> and will happily charge more or even refuse to take us in as customers if they think we\u2019re too much of a risk.<\/p>\n But, needless to say, surveillance pricing can have serious consequences, not only for our privacy, but also for fair competition and for consumer protection.<\/p>\n Probably the most shocking thing is the type of information that could be involved. The FTC notes that some of these companies even created lists of people suffering from diseases for the purpose of targeting them with offers for ineffective or worthless cures. This makes the introduction of a bill saying data brokers should stop trading health and location data<\/a> perfectly understandable.<\/p>\n When it comes to sharing data online, we’ve all heard someone say, “What’s the big deal when I have nothing to hide?”<\/p>\n Well, this is exactly the deal: By exposing their private data online, they might well end up with companies charging them more. It’s a no brainer that we should all be sharing as little as possible. Here’s how:<\/p>\n We don’t just report on threats – we help safeguard your entire digital identity<\/strong><\/p>\n Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Protect your\u2014and your family’s\u2014personal information by using identity protection<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.malwarebytes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/01\/surveillance-proicing.jpg\")
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