We also have a short sidebar on World Cup pricing, where some tickets have topped $80,000, everything's priced dynamically, and FIFA is taking a cut of all resales.
From @lindsayowens.bsky.social and Nia Law.
prospect.org/2026/02/03/f...
E-commerce is already a privacy wild west. This protocol turns it into a lab for personalized pricing—looping ads, AI chats, retailer history, and broker data into nonstop surveillance. Is AI finding deals, or your pain point? Policymakers should stop this now--before it empties your wallet. End.
Step 6: Bring in reinforcements. Google’s ad targeting could power retail-branded AI chatbots that see your conversations and access your data. These “business agents” won’t just sell—they'll extract insights about your doubts and motivations, feeding retailers even more data. (7/8)
Step 5: Desensitize you to price. Google’s “Direct Offers” would letretailers target custom deals via Ads and AI chats. Early perks reward “high-value” shoppers, but the goal is persuasion—nudging you to prioritize “value” over price and spend more. (6/8)
Step 4: Personalize—and raise prices. Google’s UCP aims to evolve from payments into personalization. Through account linking and user context, AI agents won’t just place orders—they’ll upsell, nudge, and optimize to maximize your spending over time. (5/8)
Step 3: Trade privacy for discounts. The protocol embeds consent for data sale into checkout. AI agents can flip marketing consents mid-purchase to unlock deals, without clearly telling you your data is the price. This bakes data sales into AI commerce. (4/8)
Step 2: Obscure consent. Google says permission scope should be “hidden” on consent screens. Instead of clear details, users see a vague “Allow [platform] to manage checkout,” with no real insight into what data—or money details—are being shared. (3/8)
Step 1: Profile you. Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol lets AI agents access retailer accounts, with specs allowing “additional permissions beyond those requested.” Agreeing to checkout could expose purchase history, loyalty data, and broker-enriched profiles. (2/8)
Google’s building an NSA for capitalism. By merging search history, AI chats, and retailer data, its “Universal Commerce Protocol” could enable mass surveillance pricing—optimized not for security, but for extracting your maximum lifetime value. Here’s how it is likely to work (1/8).
They’ll be working with some of the biggest names in retail to swap data & train their algorithm into a price gouging behemoth. Companies like Lowe’s, Michael’s, and Reebok have already signed on to the pilot. Fasten your seatbelts for the next phase of surveillance pricing. 2/2
Big/bad news for consumers. Google is out today with an announcement of how they plan to integrate shopping into their AI offerings including search and Gemini. The plan includes “personalized upselling.” I.e. Analyzing your chat data and using it to overcharge you. 1/2
Our @lindsayowens.bsky.social joined the Rossen Reports to discuss how Instacart is running experiments on us to figure out how much they can charge us for groceries.
“This ain’t about discounts.”
A new report by @katiejwells.bsky.social, @lindsayowens.bsky.social, Angel Han, and Alan Smith examines how Instacart is using AI algorithms to charge shoppers different prices for the same items.
“This isn’t about managing scarcity or efficient markets...it’s about pushing to figure out the maximum amount you are willing to pay and squeeze it out of you," says @lindsayowens.bsky.social
This is a pretty big deal. It’s really great to see his professional association taking this very strong step of a lifetime ban.
I hope the think tank community follows suit and folks do not use summers for advising in the next campaign season either/stop taking his many, many calls.
trump invuted a bunch of CEOs to dinner to figure out how to solve the afforability crisis nypost.com/2025/11/13/b...
I get that this guy clearly has 9 lives. But come on…can we just call this now? We don’t need him. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
The optics of this presser are horrible. Even if you went in believing they tried their best, you would change your mind after seeing this.
Looks like a presser for a team that just got trounced because the coach refused to sub in fresh legs.
Time to go back to the draft.
Polling showing Dem position on health care subsidies is favored by Dems and Independents by large margins.
Exhibit #2625 on Dems winning the politics of the shutdown fight. Check out this polling from @groundwork.bsky.social:
This deal is a surrender. Two parties who say they care about high costs but none who will fight to deliver on it. Democrats fighting for affordable health care this past month was a huge boon to the brand and paid off in elections. If they reverse course now it will vanish—and they’ll deserve it.
"Mamdani’s proposals would make the city more livable for working people while improving public goods — from transit to child care — that benefit everyone, including those footing a slightly higher tax bill."
A helpful guide for consumers. Who to boycott.
What challenges face sociologists today? Where do we find unity/dissent? What’s the future for our field? Join the conversation at the ASA 2025 Annual Meeting. W/ David Takeuchi, @lindsayowens.bsky.social, @alondra.bsky.social, @daniellaurison.bsky.social, & Catherine Moran. bit.ly/RegisterASA25
Lot of talk today upon Musk’s departure about how little money he saved us. True but irrelevant.
This was a land grab. Musk is leaving because he got what he came for. This Palantir story is just the beginning. We’ll watch the long tail of this destruction unfold over years to come.
When we started working on Musk in November after Trump won a lot of people asked me if resisting Musk was a risk because he could bow out of politics and then he would no longer be a good villain for the party.
My answer was always the same. What a wonderful problem to have.
"The Wisconsin race may have been a turning point: Mr. Musk appears aware that his public presence in the race backfired, according to a person who has spoken with him."
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/u...
On The Daily Blast, @gregsargent.bsky.social talks to @lindsayowens.bsky.social. She explains how Trump undermined his case for tariffs and why this is so damaging given Walmart’s massive presence in MAGA America. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
In the budget reconciliation bill, House Republicans are trying to cut SNAP by $295 billion. This would cut it in third in what would be by far the largest SNAP cut in history.
This would rip food assistance away from millions of people, including households with children as young as 7 years old.
I had a great time talking with @gregsargent.bsky.social about Trump’s spat with Walmart—and why he’s almost certainly going to lose.
We also touched on how Trump’s chaotic approach to trade policy makes it more likely that companies will take advantage of consumers. This is a total own goal.
