«ALGORITHMS»
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For years, even decades, you have been giving everything away for free and now you will have to pay the price of that. You have freely given away your private data and personal information. Your tastes, your habits, your preferences, your desires, your dreams, your aspirations, your needs. What you have, what you don't have and what you would like to have. And the time has come when you will now have to pay whatever price they set, however they set it, whenever they set it and however and whenever they wish to set it. And now is not time for lamenting, it's time to defend yourself and act intelligently.
Surveillance pricing is a data-driven pricing strategy where retailers use personal data such as location, browsing history, and purchasing habits to set individualized prices and charging consumers the maximum they are likely willing to pay. It differs from dynamic pricing by targeting specific users rather than adjusting for general market demand.
Key Aspects of Surveillance Pricing:
Data Utilization: Algorithms analyze data points like device type, income level and even location (e.g., charging more if you are already in a store's parking lot)
Individualized Pricing: Two people may see different prices for the exact same item at the same time.
Profit Maximization: The goal is to identify and exploit the peak price point a customer will accept, often leading to higher costs for consumers, particularly on essentials.
Risks and Concerns:
Privacy & Discrimination: It raises significant privacy concerns and can lead to algorithmic discrimination or digital redlining.
Hidden Costs: The practice is often invisible, making it difficult for consumers to compare prices or realize they are being overcharged.
Financial Impact: Research shows this can increase annual expenses for some consumers by over $1,200.
Regulatory Response:
Legal Scrutiny: As of early 2026, bans and regulations are being introduced, with New York state leading by requiring disclosure: "THIS PRICE WAS SET BY AN ALGORITHM USING YOUR PERSONAL DATA"
Active Investigations: Policymakers, such as in New York and Maryland, are focusing on restricting this practice in retail, particularly at grocery stores.
Yeah, once upon a time when today's biggest corporations and moguls of the internet like Google, Meta, Apple, Amazon and many others, together with the largest telco operators on the planet, even considered giving away cell phones to everyone for free in exchange for you subscribing to their services for as long as possible.
The cost of producing the hardware for them was truly negligible, and therefore they were willing to give it away to everyone for free if it meant they could trap you and every other being on earth in their greedy clutches to snoop around your life, extract all the personal and private information they could obtain and exploit that extremely valuable asset for their exclusive benefit. What was always a wet dream for the advertising industry.
Yeah, the Mercenary Advertising Industry that actually prostituted the internet.
Many critics, researchers, and users argue that the advertising industry has severely degraded—or "prostituted"—the internet, transforming it from a tool for information sharing into a space dominated by surveillance, manipulation, and intrusive commercialism. The core of this issue lies in the shift toward behavioral targeting, which has led to a model that prioritizes profit over user experience, privacy and wellbeing.
And it's not that it's already too late to react, defend yourself and protect yourself. Nope. But you certainly need to learn to be more aware of what you do with your cell phone, smartphone, or computer when you're online. Or for that matter, anywhere else.
They already know they have you under surveillance and scrutiny without you even knowing it and they are sure they have you by the balls with every move you make. The difference is gonna be that you currently actually should know what to do, every time you enter into a supermarket or store as soon as you see one of those curious little illuminated screens with digital numbers under the products you are planning or were planning to buy. Because definitely, nowadays, not everything is what it seems.
¡Take care of your finances!
Yeah, to better take care of your finances today, perhaps you'll have to opt out of the Digital World a bit and relearn how to operate in the analog world of real life much more. But hey! at least you now will know who you're dealing with and you'll be able to confront them face-to-face when they are trying to scam you and then, with some luck, save a few buck$.
Leave a comment. Share your experiences and feedback. ¡Be part of the conversation!