Anon. 2003. “Is Price Discrimination The Next Big Trend In Commerce?” San Jose Mercury News (7 August). “The Internet also gives sellers more information about consumers than ever before -- how many products they buy and when, perhaps even how many each can afford. Eventually, two people might get the same pop-up ad for the same Zippo lighter, but one ad pitches them for $15 while another says they're $10.” “This vision of the Internet is the basis of a new analysis from Andrew Odlyzko, a former Bell Labs mathematician now at the University of Minnesota's Digital Technology Center. Odlyzko expects price discrimination to become more pervasive not only because so much personal data is being collected in online commerce but also as technology, in the name of protecting copyrights, limits what people can do with online content.” “a few years ago, Coca-Cola Co. experimented with a vending machine that automatically raised prices in hot weather.” “the economy could suffer if technology helps suppliers engage in price discrimination against producers of important goods and services.” http://www.dtc.umn.edu/7/8odlyzko/doc/privacy.economics.pdf
-- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901
