CAP urges FTC to curb AI-driven surveillance pricing
A Center for American Progress brief introduces "surveillance pricing": AI letting firms cheaply mine personal data, behavior and circumstances to gauge willingness and ability to pay, and price accordingly. It urges the FTC to pair disclosure rules with substantive safeguards and a genuine right to opt out. The brief cites an investigation in which Instacart's Eversight AI pricing software tested different prices on shoppers without their knowledge, with some paying up to 23% more for identical groceries at the same store and moment; Instacart stopped the tests and the FTC opened an investigation. The FTC issued a proposed policy statement on personalized pricing in August 2026, and several states, including Maryland, Connecticut and New Jersey, have passed laws, with New York's Uniform Fair Pricing Act awaiting the governor's signature.
As AI makes individualized pricing cheaper and more precise, regulators may need to draw the line on using personal data to set prices before the practice spreads.
导语近日，华盛顿自由派智库“美国进步中心”（CAP）发文提出“监控定价”概念——AI正让企业更低成本地利用消费者个人信息、行为记录和现实处境，判断个人意愿和支付能力，并据此实行差异化定价。文章重点不是传统意义上的“大数据杀熟”，而是更深层的监管问题：当企业能够通过AI分析消费者行为时，个人数据可能成为企业攫取......
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导语
近日，华盛顿自由派智库“美国进步中心”（CAP）发文提出“监控定价”概念——AI正让企业更低成本地利用消费者个人信息、行为记录和现实处境，判断个人意愿和支付能力，并据此实行差异化定价。文章重点不是传统意义上的“大数据杀熟”，而是更深层的监管问题：当企业能够通过AI分析消费者行为时，个人数据可能成为企业攫取消费者剩余、扩大自身利润的工具。作者建议美国联邦贸易委员会（FTC）不能仅仅要求企业披露这种做法，还应限制不公平的数据使用，并赋予消费者真正的拒绝权。
#FTC#Center for American Progress#Instacart#Eversight#ZipRecruiter