Cookies and dynamic pricing

[RogerS]

LOML alerted me to this. There has been a bit about it in the media but not a great deal. Suggestions are starting to surface that online companies are using cookies etc to carry out dynamic pricing. One report suggests that one particular site, on detecting that you were using a Mac (and making the assumption that you were therefore loaded) would up the prices they quoted you. Others that they use cookies to determine if you have been to the site already and will then hike the price up. One report into Ryanair allegedly carrying out this practice is here http://www.bitterwallet.com/save-money- ... kies/42133

Some suggestions to combat this involve deleting cookies on exiting the browser. Trouble is that some cookies are benign...like the one used to automatically log you into this site. One approach that I am playing with is to use a dedicated browser for sites that you think might be carrying out this sort of activity. That way you simply delete cookies on exit while leaving other browsers alone.

 

[DrPhill]

I have cookies turned off. When I want to allow a site to set a cookie, I specifically allow that site. When I allow cookies, I do so by domain name, and never allow third-party cookies.

Some sites refuse to deal with me because of thiis policy. I refuse to deal with them.

I am using firefox, but I would assume that other browsers provide the same facility.

 

[Chems]

I don't think this is something done by cookies. But its certainly something done. Recently a friend and I were checking car hire prices on the same website for a trip we are going on in the new year. As we both changed models and times etc the price kept rising. Both being computer nerds we concluded it was a self adjusting algorithm in the pricing software to adjust for unusual demand.

By way of our repeated request for instant quotes the system was assuming some event had happened or was happening on that date and location that would increase demand. So in response increased price!

Very crafty!

 

[RogerS]

Chems..the Ryanair link was definitely down to cookies.

 

[o0dunk0o]

I use a little program called C cleaner, it's a disk clean-up utility that removes temporary files, empties the recycle bin and clears out cookies amongst other things.

With C cleaner you can select which cookies you want to keep (log-ins for favourite sites ect) and delete the rest.

 

[CHJ]

Usually if you add a site to "favourites" or enter it into a trusted listing you have an option to leave any cookies for that site alone when you do a blanket browsing and cookie clearout upon leaving the session.

The increasing of the offer price is something I have observed if you don't fall for the first offering, it happens with several hotel/motel chains as well.
I usually shut down and refuse to play their game, rooms/seats can disappear as you type for options but they are offered again next day.

 

[James C]

If you use the private or incognito mode in your browser it turns off cookies for the sites that you access.

 

[Chems]

Chems..the Ryanair link was definitely down to cookies.

Don't believe everything you read online Roger. I'm not saying its not true but recently I keep hearing people spouting things they've heard as creed when those in the know look on with derision. I wouldn't want my friends here to suffer the same derision from on-lookers!

From a CS point of view that sort of client side authentication or identification is very un-reliable - because anybody can turn off or delete the cookies or use an incognito mode. Its easy to identify the same user again and again by collecting data from your browser and logging the unique key along with other unique factors. Its a really interesting area and one being studied currently to see if its legal.

This site is aiming to make people aware here:

https://panopticlick.eff.org/index.php? ... log&js=yes

You may not want to allow it to run its code but its all safe. But if you don't my setup was rated unique:

Your browser fingerprint appears to be unique among the 2,523,201 tested so far.

Currently, we estimate that your browser has a fingerprint that conveys at least 21.27 bits of identifying information.

So I'm not saying Ryan air don't use cookies, but cookies isn't the answer to evading this sort of identification. Overall a really interesting issue though and it is certainly happening in the e-market.

 

[mseries]

cookies don't identify the type of browser, the user-agent in the http header does that. Deleting cookies will not change the user-agent that is sent with your request. Cookies can be used to see if you've been to a site before, if you are worried about this - delete them or don't accept them in the first place.

 

[RogerS]

Chems..the Ryanair link was definitely down to cookies.

Don't believe everything you read online Roger. I'm not saying its not true but recently I keep hearing people spouting things they've heard as creed when those in the know look on with derision. I wouldn't want my friends here to suffer the same derision from on-lookers!

From a CS point of view that sort of client side authentication or identification is very un-reliable - because anybody can turn off or delete the cookies or use an incognito mode. Its easy to identify the same user again and again by collecting data from your browser and logging the unique key along with other unique factors. Its a really interesting area and one being studied currently to see if its legal.

This site is aiming to make people aware here:

https://panopticlick.buzz.org/index.php ... log&js=yes

You may not want to allow it to run its code but its all safe. But if you don't my setup was rated unique:

Your browser fingerprint appears to be unique among the 2,523,201 tested so far.

Currently, we estimate that your browser has a fingerprint that conveys at least 21.27 bits of identifying information.

So I'm not saying Ryan air don't use cookies, but cookies isn't the answer to evading this sort of identification. Overall a really interesting issue though and it is certainly happening in the e-market.

oops...you're right Chems ...well probably 95% ! http://blog.getinvisiblehand.com/2011/0 ... rban-myth/

Impossible to get into your link at the moment...everyone on the forum busily checking their systems !

 

[Chems]

cookies don't identify the type of browser,

No one said they did.

http://blog.getinvisiblehand.com/2011/0 ... rban-myth/

Lol, well there you go! But the overall message is true, companies do have server side ways of monitoring demand for certain routes and time and adjust the price based on demand. Its under hand but that's buisness for you! Like those petrol station owners in the fuel crisis a few years ago raising their prices.

 

[newt]

I have cookies turned off. When I want to allow a site to set a cookie, I specifically allow that site. When I allow cookies, I do so by domain name, and never allow third-party cookies.

Some sites refuse to deal with me because of thiis policy. I refuse to deal with them.

I am using firefox, but I would assume that other browsers provide the same facility.

+1

 

[RogerP]

There's a Firefox add-on called "Remove Cookies for Site".

When installed it adds a small icon on the top bar which when clicked kills all cookies from the site you are on.

Dunno if that helps.

 

[Chems]

Dunno if that helps.

I think you've missed part of the discussion, its a myth, it doesn't happen via cookies, to repost RogerS' link again:

Mod Edit:-Urban Myth link

 

[Robbo3]

@ Chems
I can't get your link to open.

Is this the one you need?
- http://panopticlick.eff.org/

Edit:
This is ridiculous.
The forum won't print the correct link. It keeps changing it

Suggest you use a search engine to look for panopticlick

Regards
Robbo

 

[RogerP]

Dunno if that helps.

I think you've missed part of the discussion, its a myth, it doesn't happen via cookies, to repost RogerS' link again:

http://blog.getinvisiblehand.com/2011/0 ... rban-myth/

It seems they're not to blame then - there's a bit here on the subject http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20353321

 

[bugbear]

One report suggests that one particular site, on detecting that you were using a Mac (and making the assumption that you were therefore loaded) would up the prices they quoted you.

Jacob won't like that!

BugBear

 

[RogerS]

One report suggests that one particular site, on detecting that you were using a Mac (and making the assumption that you were therefore loaded) would up the prices they quoted you.

Jacob won't like that!

BugBear

Ah...but you're forgetting that these smart programs have OFO.

Old Fart Override :lol: