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Imagine you and your neighbour buy the same groceries, from the same supermarket, on the same day, but you pay more. The prices were adjusted based on what you could afford and what you are willing to pay, based on your data.

This is surveillance pricing: a system where prices are determined based on the individual and their willingness to pay. This is not surge pricing, where supply and demand influence prices. This is price discrimination on an individual level. We have seen versions of this play out in physical supermarkets in the US and in online stores like Zepto in India.

How the ‘nothing to hide’ argument fails

Debates on privacy are often brushed off with the statement: “I don’t have anything to hide.” This implies that if one is not doing anything questionable as per societal norms, they need not worry. But privacy is not about “having something to hide.” It is about recognising that our lives contain aspects that we may not want others to know.

You may not want your children to see your search history. You may not want your employer to know about your menstrual data. You may not want your parents to know about your financial commitments.

When pricing is individualised through data, users are participating in a system that may extract greater value from them than from others. In such a setting, consent becomes difficult to meaningfully exercise. Users may click through permissions without understanding that their information can be used to determine prices, targeting and........

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