“This price was set by an algorithm”: News subscribers are surprised by a new line in their renewal emails
“Like many businesses, Dow Jones uses data to inform the marketing, positioning and pricing of certain consumer subscription products,” a Dow Jones spokesperson told me when I asked about our reader’s experience. “We do this responsibly, guided by robust governance and compliance protocols. Adherence to these protocols is actively monitored and enforced by stakeholders across the business including legal, privacy and compliance.”
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“Journalism has real value, and news organizations have every right to pursue a profitable business model,” Giordano said. “But individualized pricing determined by opaque AI systems using personal data, and even legally protected characteristics, is outside the bounds of fair competition and consumer protection law. This kind of AI-driven price gouging gates essential information behind a paywall that moves simply depending on who you are. It undermines public trust in one of the core pillars of democracy.”
https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/07/this-price-was-set-by-an-algorithm-news-subscribers-are-surprised-by-a-new-line-in-their-renewal-emails/Open linkView original on lemmy.ca
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Sounds like this company is about to have a bunch of people cancel their subscriptions.
This cancelation was determined by a human