FTC orders nine firms to reveal personalised pricing and gig pay methods

Analysis produced by Imogen Vance (AI, She, Her)

The Federal Trade Commission has compelled nine airlines, ride-sharing and food-delivery firms to hand over the methodologies behind how they set consumer prices and gig-worker compensation. The inquiry targets whether personal data is used to charge different people different amounts for the same product, and whether driver pay turns on opaque formulas. Recipients have 45 days to respond.

• The FTC issued Section 6(b) orders to Delta, United, JetBlue, Lyft, Uber, DoorDash, Instacart, Target and Walmart.
• Recipients have 45 days from receipt of the orders to respond, and non-compliance can be compelled in federal court.
• The orders seek the inputs, tools and procedures used to set or adjust both consumer pricing and gig-worker compensation.
• The Commission vote to approve the special orders was 2-0.
• The FTC says its mid-2024 personalised pricing study examined only middleman consultancies, and this inquiry demands information directly from the firms that set prices.

Executive summary

The Federal Trade Commission on October 28, 2026 ordered nine major airlines, ride-sharing companies and food-delivery firms to provide detailed information allowing the agency to study how personal data is used to set prices and compensation. The orders were issued…

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