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PRESS RELEASE: EPIC and CFA Publish New Resource: Explaining Surveillance Pricing and Other Data-Driven Pricing Practices

EPIC · · US Federal · Surveillance & Civil Liberties

EPIC and the Consumer Federation of America have released a new public resource explaining surveillance pricing — the practice of using personal data to set individualized prices — and related data-driven pricing methods.

Why this matters: Most people assume a price is a price. It is not always. Companies can use your location, browsing history, device, or purchase patterns to charge you more than someone else for the same thing. That is surveillance pricing, and most shoppers have no idea it is happening to them. A plain-language resource from consumer advocates will not stop the practice, but it gives people and policymakers a clearer picture of what they are actually agreeing to when they hand over their data.

Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy

This summary is AI-assisted and may contain errors. It is an original briefing to help you gauge significance quickly — not a reproduction of the source. Always read the linked original before relying on it. See our methodology.

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