WASHINGTON, March 5 - The chair of the U.S. House Oversight Committee on Thursday requested detailed information from the heads of five major travel and delivery businesses about their pricing practices. In letters sent to corporate leaders, Representative James Comer, the Republican chair of the committee, asked the companies to disclose whether they employ surveillance pricing methods that leverage extensive consumer data to increase charges.
Comer expressed unease about what he described as the expansion of surveillance pricing algorithms and the use of highly personalized consumer information. In the correspondence, he warned such practices might present opportunities "for companies to weaponize personal data and pad their profit margins at the expense of providing transparency to consumers."
The committee's letters were addressed to the chief executives of five companies identified by Comer as central to the inquiry. Those firms include ride-hailing and delivery platforms as well as online travel booking services. Specifically named in the letters were Uber, Lyft, Expedia, Booking.com and Instacart.
As of the time of the request for comment, representatives of those companies had not immediately replied to inquiries about the oversight letters or the substance of the committee's questions.
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The committee's inquiry highlights a growing regulatory focus on how algorithmic pricing and granular consumer data are used in commercial settings. The letters seek to establish whether the named companies' pricing systems rely on surveillance-style inputs to set or adjust prices and whether such practices are disclosed transparently to consumers.
At present, no additional details about the responses from the companies or any follow-up actions by the committee have been provided.