Time to open source some adversarial AI! De-wealth your data footprint for better prices, leave digital traces that say “I’m dirt poor, but willing to buy if the price is right”.
I think the OSS community might be able to fight this fight.
I think the OSS community might be able to fight this fight.
Even Delta's own information on your past purchases (recall tickets are nominative) could be enough to size you up.
I don't know who's responsible, but there's clear information sharing related to using a credit card in the US. E-mail address and whether you have Amazon Prime are two examples I've seen (I was never asked for permission to share this information).
Then there's smartphone-based payment methods, by Google and Apple no less. I'm sure that results in no data at all being disseminated.
I don't think it'd be too complicated for a few major retailers, Amazon and airlines to get together and have a good estimate of your income (or at least of your expenses). What are you going to do against that? Pay by cash everywhere?
Use packages like selenium, VPN providers could offer more turn-key w/ advances features as a value add SaaS.
The idea is, you're not blocking the pricing models, you're feeding them a perfectly consistent bottom-tier consumer profile. They don't love you as a customer, but they'll take you, they know you're a reliable buyer for the right price. You just never buy unless it's at the absolute floor. There's be the need for regular cat & mouse tactice, like with VPN & IP blocking those trying to get around geo blackouts.
a) Use headless Selenium automation to simulate a stable consumer footprint: flight searches, cart abandonment, loyalty program logins, price comparisons.
b) Enrichment networks (LiveRamp, Oracle, etc.) pick up your cookies, browsing behavior, email patterns, so give them exactly what they want: budget travel habits, low-income signals, and no upsell interest.
c) Keep a consistent synthetic persona: same email, same billing ZIP, same bargain behavior, every time. Never act like a deal hunter, just a reluctant flyer with no flexibility.
d) Optional: pair it with a residential-looking PO box address ++ curated device fingerprint (e.g., Firefox on Win10, 1366x768). Avoid exit nodes from sketchy VPNs or known scraper IP pools. Prepaid credit cards.
e) You're not avoiding targeting, you're training the model. Over time, it learns: this user only converts at the floor. That's what it shows you.
Too much effort? Bundle it: Again, imagine a VPN-style service that quietly builds your fake profile over weeks using open-source tools. Privacy meets price manipulation.