164
submitted 1 day ago by davel@lemmy.ml to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

Most of the things you interact with online are tracking your location, your device type, and your digital footprint to predict exactly how desperate you are to buy something. If the algorithm thinks you have money, or simply lack options, it alters the price in real-time.

To prove how widespread "surveillance pricing" has become, I decided to see if I could outsmart it. This involved exploiting corporate registry loopholes to create a fake corporate entity, hiring an improv actor off Craigslist to establish a completely separate digital identity, and strapping a burner phone to a drone to make purchases from the airspace above the wealthiest gated community in Minnesota.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] Lumelore@lemmy.blahaj.zone 22 points 1 day ago

I live in Minnesota and use GrapheneOS with IronFox and uBlock, NoScript, and Privacy Badger. My desktop is Debian with librewolf and the same extensions.

I decided to check Spam prices at various Targets on both my phone and desktop. I don't typically shop at Target, though I do have an account with them but I haven't logged in in years. I was also not logged in for the testing.

I tried at my local Target and a few around the cities and got the same prices regardless of being on mobile or desktop. Only difference was between stores with prices ranging between $4.69 and $5.59.

I did not physically go anywhere different during this test, nor did I use a VPN, so that may have been why I was getting the same prices on both devices. I also really don't know how much Target actually knows about me other than my IP and that I block stuff.

[-] 0_o7@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 20 hours ago

Did you try checking while using data on your phone?

Using different network might give varying results.

[-] Lumelore@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago)

I did but I didn't think about it until later so I didn't check as many stores. I tried it in a new incognito instance to avoid tracking cookies and etc, but I still got the same prices as with wifi. Although at that point they could have already identified me in some way, perhaps looking up only spam and blocking JS* makes me unique enough to identify.

* I did have to unblock the bare minimum needed to see the spam prices, so it's possible that could have allowed them to track me better as well.

[-] SourDrink@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago
[-] trilobite@lemmy.ml 4 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago)

Interesting. I passed 2 out of 3. I have a unique headers problem. Using vanadium on GOS. Is this the place to download ironfox from ? https://gitlab.com/ironfox-oss/IronFox/-/releases

[-] Lumelore@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 15 hours ago

I downloaded from f-droid but that works also

[-] Lumelore@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 1 day ago

Yeah that's why I use what I use. I've checked that before and as long as I have JS disabled I'm at 1/1134 which is a pretty good score. Although sometimes you have to unblock sites to get them to work, so ¯\(ツ)/¯. Although at least webgl can be blocked separately.

[-] NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml 2 points 6 hours ago

I disabled javascript for that test and like so many other security feature today, it just prevented the page from fully loading.

[-] Lumelore@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 3 hours ago

Weird. It works for me without JS, although it's a little bit jank.

[-] _Nemo_@lemmy.ml 5 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

It's a mixed bag really. Disabling JavaScript thwarts a lot of tracking efforts. But at the same time it puts you into a very small niche of users that, combined with other data points (user agent, IP location) makes you pretty fingerprintable.

Coming from a fellow JS Disabler, mind you.

[-] SaintNyx@lemmy.world 3 points 21 hours ago

Same, I'm also in a bunch of deals and sales channels.. Sometimes you can find great things. Most differences in pricing comes from franchise/corporate pricing and slight price variations.. The price of milk, eggs and soda, etc will be slightly different in NC and CA because of cost of living, taxes, and competition.

Now would I be surprised if mega corporations started a system where they varied price based on what they think they can get out of each person? No I wouldn't. Do I think they're looking at all that big data while twirling their mustaches and rubbing their hands together? Yeah I do, greedy little pricks. I just don't think we're there yet.

this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2026
164 points (91.4% liked)

Privacy

49867 readers
264 users here now

A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.

Some Rules

Related communities

much thanks to @gary_host_laptop for the logo design :)

founded 6 years ago
MODERATORS