Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow is calling for a crackdown on what she describes as “surveillance pricing,” a practice where companies use personal data and behavioral signals to adjust prices in real time.
“The cost of your flight went up because you searched for it twice. Your rideshare costs more because your phone battery is dying,” McMorrow said in a video shared on March 27. “This is surveillance pricing – corporations using your own data and behaviors against you.”
In the video, McMorrow outlined how companies are increasingly relying on algorithmic pricing systems that analyze user data—such as search patterns, device information, and urgency signals—to determine how much an individual is willing to pay.
The cost of your flight went up because you searched for it twice. Your rideshare costs more because your phone battery is dying.
— Mallory McMorrow (@MalloryMcMorrow) March 27, 2026
This is surveillance pricing – corporations using your own data and behaviors against you.
In the US Senate, I’ve got a plan to ban it. pic.twitter.com/xCRDZmmpIX
“Companies are using algorithmic pricing tools to study your personal data and charge you exactly what they think you’ll pay,” she said, warning that identical products or services can be priced differently depending on the user.
McMorrow also pointed to growing concerns beyond consumer pricing, arguing that similar systems are being used in the workplace to track employees and influence wages, schedules, and working conditions.
“Some companies are now using similar algorithms to track workers and decide their wages, hours, and schedules, even their locations,” she said, adding that nurses have reported these systems leading to lower pay and worse outcomes for patients.
As part of her campaign for the U.S. Senate, McMorrow said she plans to introduce legislation aimed at banning personalized pricing based on user data and limiting the use of algorithmic systems in wage-setting and other economic decisions.
“My plan bans companies from setting personalized prices based on your data,” she said. “It protects all workers, including gig workers and contractors, from algorithmic wage discrimination, and it cracks down on companies using these systems to coordinate things like higher rents and insurance premiums.”
She framed the issue as part of a broader concern about fairness in the digital economy. “The economy shouldn’t be a rigged game,” McMorrow said.
The proposal has already drawn support from allies, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, who wrote in a post on X that “giant corporations are using your data to spy on you and increase prices,” adding that McMorrow “has a plan to stop that.”
McMorrow’s push comes as her campaign gains momentum in Michigan’s Senate race. She recently secured a high-profile endorsement from Warren, according to Politico, and has announced surpassing the required number of ballot signatures statewide.
As artificial intelligence and data-driven systems continue to expand across industries, debates over practices like surveillance pricing are expected to intensify, raising questions about transparency, competition, and how consumer data should be used.
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