Samuel A.A. Levine
Former director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission and senior fellow at the Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice, UC Berkeley Law School, with expertise in consumer protection and surveillance pricing.
Best podcasts with Samuel A.A. Levine
Ranked by the Snipd community
Dec 17, 2025 • 55min
How Loyalty Programs Manipulate Consumers and Steal Personal Data
Sam A.A. Levine, a former FTC director and consumer protection expert, joins Stephanie Nguyen, former chief technologist at the FTC, to unveil the deceptive nature of loyalty programs. They discuss how these programs act as data-harvesting machines, manipulating consumers through enticing offers and personalized pricing. Insightful revelations include the negative impact of point devaluation and the difficulty in unsubscribing. With tips on navigating these pitfalls, they highlight the need for greater consumer awareness and legal protections against exploitative practices.
Dec 2, 2025 • 46min
How rewards programs trick their most loyal costumers
Samuel A.A. Levine, a senior fellow at UC Berkeley focusing on consumer law, joins the discussion to reveal the hidden costs of loyalty programs. He explains how these programs prioritize new members, often at the expense of long-time customers. Levine discusses the extensive data companies collect, the risks of privacy invasion, and the subtle tactics used to keep consumers hooked, such as gamification and coercive upselling. He also highlights the potential for point devaluation and the need for better consumer protections in an evolving digital landscape.
