The FTC ordered Uber, Delta, Walmart and six others to reveal if personal data sets prices and pay.

The Federal Trade Commission ordered nine airlines, gig apps and retailers on Oct. 28, 2026, to explain whether they use personal data to set what customers pay and what gig workers earn.

The companies are Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue, Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart, Target and Walmart. Each has 45 days after receiving its order to respond.

What the FTC wants to know

The orders ask each company to describe any system that uses personal information to set or adjust prices, including the tools, the data it draws on and each step it takes. Companies must also say when employees step in and override those systems.

The FTC defines personal information as:


  • Income level

  • ZIP codes and location

  • Browsing and purchase history

  • Phones, computers and other devices

  • A person’s estimated willingness to pay

  • Anything a company infers from that data

The companies must turn over internal documents dating to January 2023 and describe any studies or A/B tests on pricing and pay dating to January 2021. They must also lay out the costs and benefits of their practices for customers and workers, and share the exact wording of any disclosures telling people their data affects prices.

Questions about gig worker pay

For gig apps, the orders ask how personal data shapes the pay the companies offered for each job and which workers receive which job offers. Each company must also show how much of what a customer pays goes to the worker and how much the company keeps.

The FTC's definition of workers includes gig workers and independent contractors but excludes employees paid a fixed salary or hourly wage on a set schedule.

What the inquiry means for consumers and workers

FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson said consumers and workers deserve to know whether companies use their personal data to set what they pay or earn. In August 2026, the agency also proposed a policy statement explaining how using personal data to set a person-specific price without telling customers could violate federal law.

The orders rely on the FTC's power to gather information for a study, and they do not accuse any of the nine companies of wrongdoing. The agency can go to federal court if a company fails to respond, and it plans to report its findings only in aggregate or anonymous form.

Consumers and workers do not need to take any action. The inquiry is a study, not a lawsuit, so it offers no way to file a claim or collect money.