FTC Eyes Limits on Personalized Pricing, Critics Warn of Higher Costs

The Federal Trade Commission has announced a proposal to impose limits on personalized pricing—a practice where businesses use customer data to set the highest price a consumer might pay. While the FTC cannot ban the practice outright, it plans to require companies to disclose when customers may be charged more based on data and could impose penalties for non‑compliance. FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson noted that emerging industries increasingly track shoppers to set individualized prices, surprising consumers who expect a single listed price in retail markets. Some Americans fear that these new limits could eliminate discounts they rely on or, paradoxically, raise overall prices. The agency has opened a public comment period to refine the policy.