Consumer Watchdog Privacy In The News

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.

Some online companies even boost the price if a customer is using an apple product.

Companies can take your data from online shopping and then price different products based on the demand, the distance to the product and the device you're using.

Companies are using information they collect on us online to raise prices more or less based on how much we want a product or how close we are to a product.

Surveillance pricing is when companies use personal locations and data to set individualized prices, aiming to charge consumers the highest price they are likely to pay.