Consumer Watchdog Privacy In The News

By Maya C. Miller, CAL MATTERS https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/08/california-surveillance-pricing-ban/ It's late at night, and you badly need a ride. Your cellphone's battery is dangerously low.  Should a ridehailing company such as Uber or Lyft be able to charge you more because its artificial...

https://youtu.be/KEIhs0goZ8c

By Staff Reporters, KPCC – Los Angeles, CA Click below to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.

By Irina Ivanova, FORTUNE https://fortune.com/2025/07/16/delta-moves-toward-eliminating-set-prices-in-favor-of-ai-that-determines-how-much-you-personally-will-pay-for-a-ticket Delta has a long-term strategy to boost its profitability by moving away from set fares and toward individualized pricing using AI. The pilot program, which uses AI for 3% of fares, has so far been “amazingly...

By Justin Kloczko, SAN FRANCISCO STANDARD https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2025/05/27/were-not-watching-prices-prices-are-watching-us You’re at home, scrolling online to find a nearby store to buy a TV. You find one, drive to the store and park, then pull up the same TV on your phone.  The price jumps...

By Queenie Wong, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-05-12/dystopian-aesthetic-in-california-sam-altmans-eye-scanning-orbs-spark-curiosity-and-resistance Earlier this month, a mysterious store selling a vision of the future opened its doors in downtown San Francisco's Union Square district.  A cryptic message appeared on the storefront window: "World is the real...

By Justin Klozcko, CALMATTERS https://calmatters.org/commentary/2025/04/california-data-privacy-protections-crossroads/ Let’s say you work in the food service industry for a large company, whose scheduling software assigns shifts to workers. For you, which shifts you receive mean everything because much of your salary depends on...

On today’s show, California’s autonomy over its utilities is under threat according to a new report by Consumer Watchdog entitled, “Dirty Deal:  How A Corporate Utility Fixer Is Poised To Turn Over CA Climate Law To Trump”.  I’ll speak...

By Scott Nover, FAST COMPANY https://www.fastcompany.com/91304742/california-lawmakers-take-on-surveillance-pricing-as-ftc-retreats You pay $75 more for your hotel room than the guest in an identical room next to yours. A friend is charged an extra $10 while online shopping for the same item. The difference...

Companies will use data like where you live, how often you shop online, and how much you spend while doing so.