Business & MarketsDevelopingUpdated 4 hr ago

FTC orders nine companies, including Walmart and Uber, to report how they set prices

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly left-leaning (67%).

3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Image via Business InsiderHow images are chosen Report this image

The Federal Trade Commission has ordered nine companies, including Walmart, Target, Uber, Delta and Lyft, to say whether and how they use personal data such as location, browsing history and income to set individual prices and wages. A senior FTC official announced the orders on Wednesday, according to Reuters, Business Insider and The Guardian. According to Reuters, the agency will use the responses to publish a study for regulators and lawmakers on personalized pricing, a practice that is hard to observe from outside. FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said consumers deserve to know whether companies use their web browsing habits to estimate the highest price they can charge.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

New to Mantle? It shows who is covering each story across the political spectrum, and highlights loaded words. How to read a storyHide the guide

The coverage spectrum counts the outlets covering a story at each of five points. A short or missing segment means that part of the spectrum is mostly quiet.

Governor Loaded verb“slams”It adds drama to what was said. The governor criticized the lawmakers; “slams” makes it sound like a fight.More neutral: criticizes lawmakers over budget delay

Highlights mark words that carry a judgement. Tap one to see why, and what a neutral writer would say. Here it is “criticizes”.

The 5-point spectrum

Far Left
Voices that strongly advocate for progressive policies and systemic change.
Left
Mainstream liberal perspectives focusing on social equality and regulation.
Center
Sources that prioritize neutral reporting and balanced viewpoints.
Right
Mainstream conservative perspectives focusing on market freedom and tradition.
Far Right
Voices that strongly advocate for conservative values and limited government.

How we measure bias

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

The FTC has ordered nine companies, including Walmart, Target, Uber, Delta and Lyft, to disclose how they use personal data to set individual prices and wages.
Reported byLeft2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
Business Insider, The Guardian
Right
New York Post
The FTC announced the orders on Wednesday.
Reported byLeft1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
Business Insider
Right
New York Post
The FTC says it will use the responses to publish a study informing regulators and lawmakers about personalized pricing and wage setting.
One outletNew York Post· Right
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said consumers deserve to know whether companies use their browsing habits to estimate the highest price they can charge.
One outletBusiness Insider· Left
Ferguson said the FTC will scrutinize the opaque methods companies may use to set prices for consumers and pay for gig work.
One outletThe Guardian· Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports the FTC has demanded data from nine companies, including Walmart, Uber and Delta, on how personal data sets prices and wages. The right’s sole source, a Reuters report, ties the orders to the coming elections; the left stresses algorithmic pricing and effects on workers.

the left
2 outlets
Left-side headlines say the FTC orders or asks companies to hand over data, centered on algorithmic and personalized pricing; Business Insider’s puts the prices you pay in the reader’s own terms.
FTC orders Delta, Uber and others to hand over data on algorithmic pricing
The GuardianLeftAll left-leaning headlines
the center
No coverage yet
No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
the right
1 outlet
This side’s only coverage is a Reuters report carried by the New York Post, headlined as a demand for data on personalized pricing from named retailers and airlines.
FTC demands Walmart, Target Uber and others hand over data on personalized pricing
New York PostRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

Left0
No loaded words in its own voice.
Center
Has not covered this story.
Right1
flexing

In the outlets’ own words

Loaded verb
flexingMore neutral: using
The verb implies a show of strength for political effect, which the excerpt does not establish.
The FTC is flexing its consumer protection powers ahead of the congressional elections next week, as…
Used byNew York Post (Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

2 outlets

Leads with

algorithmic and personalized pricing
how companies set prices for consumers and gig workers
Ferguson’s concerns about opaque methods

Leaves out

link to the congressional elections next week

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

The GuardianLeft
FTC orders Delta, Uber and others to hand over data on algorithmic pricing
Regulator demands companies explain how and why they charge different prices for the same product or service The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is demanding some of the US’s biggest airlines, ride-share companies and retailers divulge how they are using algorithms and loyalty …
4 hr agoRead at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)
Business InsiderLeft
The FTC asks companies from Uber to Walmart about how they personalize the prices you pay
FTC looks into Uber, DoorDash, Walmart on personalized pricing, seeking data use details from airlines to retailers.
18 hr agoRead at Business Insider (opens in a new tab)

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

personal data such as location and browsing history
timing ahead of the congressional elections
cost of living as voters’ top concern

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines

New York PostRightReuters report
FTC demands Walmart, Target Uber and others hand over data on personalized pricing
The FTC will use the information to eventually publish a study to help inform regulators and lawmakers about personalized pricing and wage setting practices.
19 hr agoRead at New York Post (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

Left
1 hr later
Its first report, Oct 28, 4:19 PM EDT
Center
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Right
First to report
New York Post, Oct 28, 3:19 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order

New York PostRightOct 28, 3:19 PM EDT
Business InsiderLeftOct 28, 4:19 PM EDT
The GuardianLeftOct 29, 6:00 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

FTC orders nine companies, including Walmart and Uber, to report how they set prices

Coverage spectrum

Key points

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

In the outlets’ own words

Side by side

From the left

FTC orders Delta, Uber and others to hand over data on algorithmic pricing

The FTC asks companies from Uber to Walmart about how they personalize the prices you pay

From the center

From the right

FTC demands Walmart, Target Uber and others hand over data on personalized pricing

How the coverage built up

Read next

Villa Vie Residences halts round-the-world cruise in Cambodia, citing fuel costs

DoorDash agrees to buy Instacart for about $17 billion

Alaska governor orders probe into Peltola campaign over alleged same-name candidate

Judge denies Justice Department request to set aside about 20,000 California ballots

DHS disputes 60 Minutes segment on Texas father Moussa Diawara after his deportation