UX Murder Mystery Podcast

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The Loyalty Trap: How Surveillance Pricing Turns Your Rewards App Into a Weapon with Stephanie Nguyen

THE CASE: Surveillance Pricing -- Who's Setting the Price, Who's Being Watched, and Who's Really Paying

You scan your loyalty card. You earn your points. You think you're getting rewarded. But what if the more loyal you become, the higher prices you're paying?

In this episode, hosts Brian Crowley and Eve Eden investigate surveillance pricing with Stephanie T. Nguyen, former Chief Technologist at the Federal Trade Commission and Senior Fellow at Columbia Law School. Stephanie led the FTC's first Office of Technology, spearheaded the agency's surveillance pricing study, and co-authored "The Loyalty Trap" -- exposing how loyalty programs exploit consumers through three stages: the Hook, the Hack, and the Hike.