Federal and state enforcement actions involving surveillance pricing violations, tracked from official government sources.
23
Total Actions
$40.3M
Total Fines
9
Jurisdictions
The FTC announced a seven-day extension of the public comment period on its proposed enforcement policy statement regarding personalized pricing, pushing the deadline from Sept. 18, 2026 to Sept. 25, 2026. Personalized pricing refers to using personal data to set prices based on what the company believes an individual consumer is willing to spend. This is a procedural announcement about draft agency guidance, not an enforcement action against any company, and no entity was named, no violation found, and no penalty imposed.
On August 31, 2026, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and the Division of Consumer Affairs joined the FTC and a bipartisan coalition of 21 other states in suing Amazon, alleging that for over seven years the company secretly rigged its advertising auctions—converting advertised 'second price' auctions into first-price auctions with hidden 'soft reserve price' surcharges—overcharging more than 500,000 small- and medium-sized businesses and extracting tens of billions of dollars. The complaint alleges Amazon actively concealed the surcharges, gave false and misleading answers to advertisers who asked directly about the auction format, and applied inflated upcharges on high-volume shopping days like Prime Day and Black Friday. The lawsuit was just filed; no penalties or remedies have been imposed yet.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser joined the FTC and 22 state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against Amazon for manipulating the auctions used to set advertising prices, replacing actual auction results with higher prices since 2019 and overcharging nearly 1.2 million U.S. advertising customers. The FTC estimates total improper surcharges from 2018 to 2026 exceed $20 billion, with costs ultimately passed to shoppers through higher prices. The states seek a permanent injunction and monetary relief; no penalty has been imposed yet as this is a newly filed complaint.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, joined by 21 other states and the FTC, sued Amazon for secretly overcharging its advertising customers more than $20 billion by submitting fake second-place bids to inflate ad auction prices since 2018. More than 1.2 million advertisers, including hundreds of thousands of small businesses, were allegedly overcharged. The coalition seeks a court order stopping the scheme plus penalties, restitution, and damages.
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a multistate settlement with Cal-Maine Foods, Versova/Centrum, and Hickman's Egg Ranch for illegally coordinating to influence a daily price index for eggs, artificially inflating prices for retailers and consumers nationwide. The companies will deliver 53 million eggs to food banks across 17 participating states, pay a combined $3.3 million, and adopt compliance measures to prevent future violations.
$3.3M
The FTC announced it is seeking public comment on a proposed enforcement policy statement regarding personalized pricing, which is the use of personal data to set prices based on what a company believes an individual consumer is willing to spend. The statement warns that undisclosed collection or use of personal data for personalized pricing could violate the FTC Act's prohibition on unfair or deceptive practices. The Commission voted 2-0 to authorize the Federal Register notice.
New York Attorney General James announced a multistate settlement with three major egg producers for illegally coordinating to influence a daily egg price index, artificially inflating prices for consumers. The companies will deliver 53 million eggs to food banks and pay $3.3 million, along with adopting compliance measures.
$3.3M
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joined a 48-state coalition in a $29.6 million settlement with generic-drug manufacturer Glenmark to resolve allegations of a widespread conspiracy to artificially inflate and manipulate prices, reduce competition, and restrain trade for numerous generic prescription drugs. The settlement requires Glenmark to cooperate in ongoing multistate lawsuits and implement internal reforms to ensure compliance with antitrust laws.
$29.6M
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport joined a coalition of 48 states and territories in a $29.6 million settlement with Glenmark, a generic drug manufacturer, for allegedly conspiring to artificially inflate and manipulate prices, reduce competition, and restrain trade for numerous generic prescription drugs. The settlement includes cooperation in ongoing litigations and internal reforms to ensure fair competition.
$29.6M
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and a bipartisan coalition of states reached a $29.6 million settlement with Glenmark, a generic drug manufacturer accused of conspiring with other pharmaceutical companies to inflate prices and limit competition for numerous generic prescription drugs. The settlement requires Glenmark to cooperate in ongoing multistate litigations and implement internal reforms to ensure fair competition and antitrust compliance.
$29.6M
Attorney General William Tong led a coalition of 48 states and territories in a $29.6 million settlement with Glenmark, a generic drug manufacturer, to resolve allegations of a widespread conspiracy to artificially inflate prices, reduce competition, and unreasonably restrain trade for numerous generic prescription drugs. The settlement includes cooperation from Glenmark in ongoing multistate litigations and internal reforms to ensure fair competition and compliance with antitrust laws.
$29.6M
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and a coalition of 12 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit challenging the $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance Corporation. The lawsuit alleges the merger violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act by substantially lessening competition in theatrical film distribution and basic cable television licensing, which could lead to higher prices and reduced choice for consumers.
Attorney General Ellison secured a settlement with Cal-Maine Foods, Versova/Centrum, and Hickman's Egg Ranch for illegally coordinating to manipulate egg prices. The companies secretly communicated to influence a daily price index, artificially raising costs for consumers. The settlement includes 53 million donated eggs, $3.3 million in payments, and compliance measures.
$3.3M
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, along with a bipartisan multistate coalition and the U.S. Department of Justice, settled with Cal-Maine Foods, Versova/Centrum, and Hickman's Egg Ranch for colluding to manipulate egg prices. The companies secretly coordinated bidding activity to influence the Urner Barry price index, artificially inflating egg prices for consumers and retailers nationwide. The settlement requires the companies to pay $3.3 million, donate 53 million eggs to food banks, and implement compliance measures.
$3.3M
Attorney General Ellison, as part of a bipartisan coalition of nine attorneys general, announced a $7 million settlement with property management company LivCor, LLC. The settlement resolves allegations that LivCor used RealPage's revenue management system to illegally share and gather confidential pricing information with competing landlords, enabling them to keep rental prices artificially high. LivCor must cease using such software, refrain from sharing competitively sensitive information, establish an antitrust compliance program, and cooperate in ongoing litigation against RealPage.
$7.0M
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, as part of a bipartisan coalition of nine attorneys general, announced a $7 million settlement with LivCor, LLC for its role in an algorithmic rent-fixing scheme. LivCor allegedly used RealPage's revenue management software to share and gather confidential pricing information with competing landlords, artificially inflating rental prices. The settlement requires LivCor to cease using such software, pay $7 million in penalties, and cooperate in ongoing litigation against RealPage.
$7.0M
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced an investigative sweep targeting businesses that use surveillance pricing, which involves setting individualized prices based on consumer data. The Department of Justice is sending information request letters to companies in the retail, grocery, and hotel sectors to assess compliance with the CCPA's purpose limitation principle. This action seeks to ensure that consumers are not charged different prices without proper disclosure and that businesses adhere to privacy laws.
New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a letter to Instacart demanding information about its use of algorithmic pricing, after a study found users were charged up to 23% more for identical products. The AG warned that Instacart’s pricing disclosures are non-compliant with New York’s Algorithmic Pricing Disclosure Act, which requires prominent notices near product prices when personal data is used to set prices. Instacart must provide details on its pricing experiments, automated tools, and compliance efforts with the state’s disclosure requirements.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta co-led a coalition of 18 attorneys general in submitting a comment letter opposing the Department of Homeland Security's expansion of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to include U.S.-born citizens. The coalition argues the expansion violates the Privacy Act of 1974, creates a massive surveillance database, increases data breach risks, and will lead to inaccurate verifications and denial of benefits.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the City of El Cajon for unlawfully sharing Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) data with over 100 out-of-state law enforcement agencies, violating state law that restricts such data to California public agencies. The AG is seeking a court order to halt the sharing and compel compliance with state privacy protections.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened an investigation into Superior Insurance for allegedly using private investigators to spy on lawmakers, journalists, and private citizens with pending insurance claims. The company's CEO admitted to these actions at a legislative hearing, citing concerns about blackmail and leveraging information to secure state contracts and avoid paying legitimate claims, particularly for medical bills.
The U.S. Department of Justice and ten states filed an amended complaint against six major landlords for using algorithmic pricing and sharing competitively sensitive information to suppress competition and raise rents. Cortland Management LLC agreed to a consent decree requiring it to cease these practices, cooperate with the investigation, and submit to court-monitored oversight. The landlords collectively manage over 1.3 million rental units across the United States.
Dataium settled allegations that it used history sniffing to track consumers' online browsing without consent and sold personal data of 400,000 consumers to a data broker without notice. The settlement imposes a $400,000 monetary penalty, requires a privacy program, and mandates transparency and opt-out mechanisms.
$400K