FTC Surveillance Pricing Study Shows Retailers Track Private Consumer Data to Set Individualized Prices

Retailers use personal information—from a person’s location and demographics to mouse movements on a webpage—to set tailored prices: FTC chair

Shoppers look for bargains on Black Friday at a mall in Hanover, Md., on Nov. 29, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Retailers are using private consumer behaviors—such as items left in online shopping carts or patterns of mouse movement on webpages—to customize prices for individual shoppers, according to preliminary findings from the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) study into “surveillance pricing.”

Preliminary findings from the study, released on Jan. 17, reveal that retailers rely on a wide range of personal data, including location, browsing history, and demographics, to tailor prices. The FTC said these practices raise concerns about transparency and fairness in the marketplace.