Have you ever heard of surveillance pricing? Because once I started looking into it, I was like, hold on, you mean a company can use what I search, what I buy, and where I live to decide I should pay more than somebody else for the exact same thing? That is exactly why this hit me so hard. We are already out here trying to afford groceries, household basics, and rent, and now regular people are supposed to just accept hidden price differences based on our data.

This does not just affect one app or one bad shopping trip. It affects anyone trying to stretch a paycheck, feed a family, or make smart choices in an economy where prices are already too high. When companies can quietly personalize prices on everyday essentials, people with the least room in their budgets get hit the hardest. And when nobody can clearly see how those prices are being set, there is no real fairness and no real accountability.

I am calling on federal consumer protection regulators and lawmakers to ban surveillance pricing on groceries, household goods, and other basic necessities. Companies should not be allowed to charge different people different prices for the same item because of personal data like search history, location, or buying behavior. At a minimum, they must be required to fully disclose when prices are personalized, what data is being used, and give people a real way to opt out.

If you are tired of feeling like the system is squeezing us from every angle, please sign this petition. We should not have to wonder whether the person standing right next to us got a better price just because a company decided our data made us easier to charge more. Let’s demand transparent, fair pricing for everyone.