What happened in this Tech story?

Lindsay Owens, former Elizabeth Warren adviser and Groundwork Collaborative CEO, argues algorithmic and AI-driven pricing is squeezing consumers harder, as states like Connecticut, New Jersey, and Maryland move to ban the practice.

What is a key fact in this story? (1)

**Lindsay Owens**, CEO of Groundwork Collaborative and former economic policy adviser to Senator Elizabeth Warren, published the book "Gouged: The End of a Fair Price and What That Means for Your Wallet" and testified on surveillance pricing for Senator Josh Hawley.

What is a key fact in this story? (2)

**Owens** requested all data McDonald's keeps on her app interactions and received a 515-page dossier estimating a zero percent chance she'd ever stop being a customer.

How to Beat Surveillance Pricing Before It Bleeds You Dry — SkimNews

By Wired · Summarized & edited by Kapil Samant · 2026-09-29

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Lindsay Owens, CEO of Groundwork Collaborative and former economic policy adviser to Senator Elizabeth Warren, published the book "Gouged: The End of a Fair Price and What That Means for Your Wallet" and testified on surveillance pricing for Senator Josh Hawley.
Owens requested all data McDonald's keeps on her app interactions and received a 515-page dossier estimating a zero percent chance she'd ever stop being a customer.
The fixed-price norm dates to the late 1800s when John Wanamaker tagged items at his Philadelphia department store, Owens said.
Walmart's Sparky AI-driven shopping cart totals run 35 percent higher than non-Sparky carts, according to Owens.
Groundwork Collaborative previously exposed Instacart's A/B tests treating millions of Americans as guinea pigs without their knowledge.
Legislation cracking down on surveillance and algorithmic pricing has been signed into law in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Maryland, with Owens calling it a nonpartisan issue.

Why it matters: Three states — Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland — have already enacted surveillance-pricing laws, with Owens having testified for both Senator Warren and Senator Hawley, framing this as bipartisan. Her concrete ammunition: a 515-page McDonald's data dossier on her own shopping and Walmart Sparky carts running 35% higher than non-Sparky totals.