The Coalition Speaks: 16 State Attorneys General Submit Hard-Line Demands to the FTC
The highest law enforcement officials in 16 states have officially drawn a line in the sand against the deceptive \"shadow math\" of corporate delivery platforms.
As the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reviews public evidence under Project No. P267101, a powerful coalition of State Attorneys General has stepped forward to ensure the upcoming federal rules are built with teeth. In a comprehensive, newly released joint brief, these state prosecutors declared third-party food delivery platforms to be some of the absolute worst offenders of consumer deception and anti-competitive pricing in the country today.
Exposing the Squeeze: What the State Prosecutors Are Mandating
The 16 Attorneys General are not asking for minor adjustments; they are demanding a fundamental, legally mandated overhaul of how delivery applications display costs to the public. In their formal submission to the FTC, they are pushing for federal rules that require:
- Upfront "All-In" Price Updates: Platforms must display the absolute total cost of an entire order, including all hidden fees, at every single stage of the selection process not just at the final checkout screen.
- Strict Fee Tracking and Disclosures: Apps must explicitly break down the exact purpose of every single fee, legally disclosing whether the money collected is being pocketed by the tech platform, handed to the restaurant, or given to the frontline delivery worker.
- Mandatory Menu Markup Alerts: Platforms must clearly itemize and flag any price differential or markup where an app menu price exceeds the restaurant's physical, true in-store menu price.
The State AGs Target "Personalized Profiling"
Crucially, the coalition's brief explicitly took aim at algorithmic manipulation, pushing the FTC to craft strict, sector-specific federal definitions against personalized pricing (surveillance pricing). The prosecutors stated that allowing apps to quietly alter costs behind a screen based on inferred user profiles destroys basic market competition and directly harms everyday consumers.
The United Drivers & Restaurants Perspective
At United Drivers & Restaurants, we see this multi-state offensive as absolute validation of what independent operators and frontline workers have been saying for years. The highest legal minds in the country are formally stating that the third-party app model relies on hiding the math from the consumer and stripping control from the local merchant.
While tech lobbies spend millions trying to stall these regulations, the momentum is undeniably shifting. The front is cracked, the state prosecutors are united, and the era of unchecked digital exploitation is reaching its expiration date. We will continue to back these enforcement measures until local kitchens and drivers reclaim absolute authority over their numbers.
The law is catching up to Big Tech. Stand with us, track the timeline, and let's win back our marketplace.
Drivers and Restaurant Alliance