Competition regulator cracking down on companies that abuse big data

Business Secretary Greg Clark said he had asked Andrew Tyrie, the head of the Competition and Markets Authority, to advise him on regulatory changes to tackle the problem. He said that there were already signs that companies had used personal data to exploit customers by, for example, targeting the elderly or those who fail to shop around. Energy groups were signalled out as one group that effectively applied a "loyalty penalty" to faithful customers. Other examples include splitting up families on flights if they fail to pay extra to book seating next to one another or loyal energy consumers who are charged more if they do not switch supplier regularly. Citizens Advice estimated that the tactics may generate around £4bn a year.