Government Data Buys

Government Data Buys
The government is still buying location and other advertising data from big tech companies mostly populated by the apps we use. Some officials are attempting to ban this attempt, but the government still buys the data.

Surge Pricing, Revisited
Today we talk about the question of surge and personalized pricing models with the knowledge that Walmart just filed two related patents about dynamic pricing.

Walmart Accounts for a Television?
Less than two years after Walmart buys Vizio, now they require an account to access the features on the television so they can collect more data for ad sales.

Government Data Buys
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/mar/19/fbi-buying-location-data-use

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/03/targeted-advertising-gives-your-location-government-just-ask-cbp

https://cyberguy.com/privacy/allstate-sued-secretly-tracking-selling-45m-americans-location-data/

https://nypost.com/2024/06/10/business/car-insurers-secretly-collecting-driver-data-through-apps-report/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/iran-built-a-vast-camera-network-to-control-dissent-israel-used-it-to-track-targets-ap-sources-say

Surge Pricing, Revisited
https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2026/03/could-your-face-change-what-you-pay-nyc-wants-limits-on-biometric-tracking

https://www.techspot.com/news/111752-walmart-secures-two-ai-pricing-patents-raising-dynamic.html

https://dailydot.com/walmart-knows-when-pay-using-cash

Quicklines
https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/24/new-mexico-just-handed-meta-its-first-courtroom-defeat-over-child-safety-and-the-rest-of-the-country-is-watching/

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/newly-purchased-vizio-tvs-now-require-walmart-accounts-to-use-smart-features/

https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/privacy/2026/03/your-tax-forms-sell-for-20-on-the-dark-web

https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2026/03/scam-compounds-hiring-ai-models-to-seal-deal-in-deepfake-video-calls