The facts
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has ordered nine major companies, including Delta, United, JetBlue, Lyft, Uber, DoorDash, Instacart, Target, and Walmart, to provide data on their use of algorithms and loyalty programs. The FTC aims to understand how these companies determine prices for consumers and wages for workers, which may vary based on personal data or program participation. FTC chair Andrew Ferguson stated the agency will scrutinize these methods. Previous investigations and lawsuits have alleged that consumer prices and driver fares have varied based on personal histories, though the FTC's current inquiry does not establish that the named companies engaged in such conduct. The FTC's authority to impose fines or regulations is limited for airlines. The probe follows a July 2024 inquiry into surveillance pricing and comes amid state-level legislative efforts to ban such practices.
Our take
Well, look at this. The Federal Trade Commission, after years of watching airlines, gig apps, and mega-retailers treat the American public like a herd of cash cows to be milked with personalized precision, has finally mustered the courage to ask them a question. It's not a tough question, mind you. It's basically 'Hey, you absolute cunts, can you maybe, possibly, show us the secret fucking recipe you use to decide how much to charge this guy versus that guy, and how little you can pay that driver before they piss in your food?' They've sent letters to nine companies - Delta, United, JetBlue, Lyft, Uber, DoorDash, Instacart, Target, and Walmart - demanding they cough up data on their algorithms and loyalty programs. This is the regulatory equivalent of a teacher asking the class bully to please write 'I will not steal lunch money' one hundred times on the chalkboard. It's a performative gesture from an agency that chair Andrew Ferguson admits has limited power to actually do anything to airlines. So they can scrutinize all they want; the airlines can basically tell them to go fuck themselves with a complimentary bag of peanuts.
The whole inquiry is a breathtaking monument to bureaucratic cowardice. The FTC says it wants to understand how these companies set prices and wages, which 'may vary' based on personal data. May vary? Get the fuck out of here. We all know the score. You search for a flight once and the price magically doubles. You order a burrito at 2 a.m. and suddenly the delivery fee is higher than the fucking entree. These companies have built digital panopticons to figure out exactly how much pain your wallet can endure before you cry uncle, and the best the FTC can do is send a strongly worded letter asking for an explanation. It's like investigating a bank robbery by asking the thieves for a copy of their getaway route. The probe follows a previous inquiry from July and some state-level efforts to ban this bullshit, which tells you everything: the feds are so far behind the curve they're just now noticing the tire tracks on their faces.
Let's be clear about what's happening here. These aren't complicated algorithms. They're greed engines. They're little digital dickheads programmed with one command: extract maximum value. The 'loyalty program' is just the shiny collar they put on the leash. They track your every move, learn your habits, and then use that information to ensure you never, ever get a fair deal. And for workers, it's even worse. The algorithm decides your worth down to the penny, ensuring you're always racing against an invisible clock for scraps. The FTC framing this as an 'investigation' is a joke. It's a public admission that they have no real authority and are hoping the companies will be shamed into transparency. They won't be. They'll send over a mountain of indecipherable data, the FTC will spend years 'analyzing' it, and in the meantime, you'll still be paying forty bucks for a bag of chips on a delayed flight because the computer knows you're desperate. This isn't oversight; it's a spectator sport where the regulator is just another fan in the stands, watching the corporations run up the score.
