The Washington Post is setting prices 'based on personal data.' Dynamic pricing and how they decide what to charge you

4 days ago 2

Subscribers to The Washington Post precocious received a regular notice: their subscription terms was going up. Buried successful the good people was an antithetic disclosure:

“This terms was acceptable by an algorithm utilizing your idiosyncratic data.”

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The azygous line, archetypal highlighted successful a Washingtonian investigation, has pulled backmost the curtain connected a pricing strategy that galore consumers don’t recognize is already shaping what they wage for groceries to hose tickets (1).

Dynamic pricing isn’t new.

Airlines person agelong adjusted summons prices based connected demand. Ride-hailing apps besides summation fares during engaged periods. Meanwhile, hotels complaint much during highest question seasons.

Traditional dynamic pricing responds to marketplace factors similar time, inventory and demand.

Thanks to the advancements successful AI, it’s imaginable for companies to acceptable prices based connected your online behavior. Regulators progressively notation to this arsenic “surveillance pricing.”

According to a January 2025 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) survey , companies are already utilizing idiosyncratic information — including browsing history, determination and adjacent rodent movements — to tailor prices to idiosyncratic consumers (2). In immoderate cases, 2 radical whitethorn spot antithetic prices for the aforesaid product, depending connected who they are and however they behave online.

“Retailers often usage people’s idiosyncratic accusation to acceptable targeted, tailored prices,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said successful the report.

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The Washington Post has not publically elaborate its pricing algorithm. However, Luca Cian, a University of Virginia concern professor, told The Washingtonian that specified systems typically trust connected a premix of demographic signals, behavioural data, and inferred income (1).

These factors tin include:

Device type: Using an iPhone whitethorn awesome a higher income than utilizing an Android device
Location data: IP addresses tin beryllium cross-referenced with lodging values done Zillow to estimation wealth
Reading behaviour: Frequent users are charged much due to the fact that they look to worth the work more
Subscription history: Whether you renew, cancel oregon prosecute inconsistently.