Personalised pricing, sometimes called surveillance pricing, uses information about individuals or audience segments to influence the prices or offers they see. Signals can include browsing behaviour, location, account history or data supplied by intermediaries. The US Federal Trade Commission's work on surveillance pricing examines these practices. In France and the EU, personal data processing is subject to the GDPR and relevant consumer rules.
Two people seeing different prices does not, by itself, prove personal profiling: timing, availability, sales channels and other factors can also affect prices. Reducing your digital footprint limits some information available for reuse without guaranteeing a lower price.
At a glance
- Surveillance pricing uses consumer information to influence prices or offers, beyond changes based solely on supply and demand.
- Potential inputs include cookies, browsing behaviour, location, account history and third-party data.
- Useful measures include advertising opt-outs, reducing unnecessary public information and exercising applicable privacy rights.
- Start by reviewing your digital footprint.
How businesses estimate willingness to pay
Possible inputs include:
- Browsing and cookies: visited pages, abandoned baskets and device information.
- Location: a postcode or estimated region.
- Purchased profiles: marketing segments from data brokers, such as interests or inferred income bands.
- Signed-in accounts: purchase history, loyalty status and previous interactions.
Not every use is unlawful. Relevant questions include transparency, the legal basis for processing, consumer protection obligations and prohibited discrimination. Insurance and credit may also be subject to specific rules.
The link with your digital footprint
When your name, address, phone number and activity appear across directories, people search sites and data resale networks, information can be easier to combine into profiles. That possibility does not prove that a particular retailer uses it or that leaked information determines your prices.
Reducing public exposure does not remove every cookie, but it addresses some sources:
- request GDPR removal from relevant brokers;
- reduce public online traces;
- understand how your digital footprint is formed.
What you can do
- Browser settings: limit trackers and compare offers in a fresh private session. Where available, review Global Privacy Control (GPC). Its effect depends on the website and applicable law. See advertising opt-outs.
- Accounts: compare signed-in and signed-out offers where practical. Private browsing does not make you anonymous or guarantee a different price.
- Personal data: request access under Article 15 or object to qualifying processing under Article 21, and address unnecessary broker records.
- Exposure review: run a free scan to identify information outside the websites you regularly use.
Remember: fewer accessible signals can reduce profiling opportunities. It does not guarantee that everyone will receive the same price.
GDPR and transparency
Organisations must explain relevant personal data processing and rely on an applicable legal basis. Read their privacy notices and use the rights described in our data rights overview. For a specific insurance, credit or consumer dispute, seek advice suited to the facts.
See also: Personal data resale · What data brokers do · Advertising opt-outs · Digital footprint guide · VPN or data removal
