Can't touch this

Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today: JetBlue is sued for using surveillance pricing; It’s official, cameras are rolling for Scooby Doo movie; and get ready for a new track from the Purple One!  

Let’s get into it!

At least one plaintiff thinks JetBlue may have accidentally admitted to surveilling its customers and collecting data to drive prices higher.

A lawsuit was filed in the Eastern District of New York by a man named Andrew Phillips, alleging JetBlue “uses an algorithm to set pricing in real time based on ‘buyer behavior.’

“Had Plaintiff Phillips known about the surreptitious collection and tracking of his [personally identifiable information], he would have used a different airline or booked travel [through] a third party travel website.”

The suit was filed after a post on X by the airline went viral, which seemed to imply the price of airfare was increased for a passenger based on his personal browser data.

The passenger’s post indicated their price rose $230 over the course of a day, and that they were trying to go to a funeral.

“Try clearing your cache and cookies or booking with an incognito window. We’re sorry for your loss,” the airline’s since-deleted post read.

While the post went viral due to its seemingly implied admission that browser data drives prices up, the steps suggested by the account administrator are often suggested by low-level customer support representatives with minimal technical training or familiarity with pricing models.

JetBlue’s official statement echoed that, while maintaining prices change based on the availability of flights and demand. It’s not fully clear to what extent JetBlue’s tracking of demand includes data collected from customers’ personal web browsers.

Oil prices are skyrocketing and the United States is engaged in a conflict in the Gulf. It may as well be 1991 again, so maybe it’s unsurprising that a song recorded by Prince that year was just released the other day.

The icon and beloved artist passed away 10 years ago last week, and his estate—in partnership with NPG Records and Legacy Recordings—released the vaulted track, entitled With This Tear.

It was recorded at Paisley Park in ‘91 but Prince ultimately offered it up to Celine Dion, who was exploding into an international megastar at the time after she began releasing English-language albums.

With This Tear was the penultimate track on her eponymous second English album, which sold over five million copies worldwide. While Prince was credited for writing the music, the first actual recording of him playing it was only just released.

It’s unconfirmed at this point but it’s widely believed the Prince estate is planning a big opening of the vault this year, which could include ten new recordings of existing songs or completely unreleased songs from the Purple One’s incredible career.

A deluxe rerelease of 1986’s Parade is also believed to be in the works.

Netflix’s long-awaited live action original Scooby-Doo series has officially begun production in Atlanta. Called Scooby-Doo: Origins, it appears the series will be something of a prequel to the beloved cartoon that debuted on CBS in 1969.

According to the release in Deadline, “Scooby-Doo: Origins is a modern reimagining of the iconic mystery-solving group of teens and their very special dog. During their final summer at camp, old friends Shaggy (Tanner Hagen) and Daphne (Mckenna Grace) get embroiled in a haunting mystery surrounding a lonely, lost Great Dane puppy that may have been a witness to a supernatural murder.

“Together with the pragmatic and scientific townie, Velma (Abby Ryder Fortson), and the strange, but ever so handsome new kid, Freddy (Maxwell Jenkins), they set out to solve the case that is pulling each of them into a creepy nightmare that threatens to expose all of their secrets.”

Scooby ran on CBS until 1976 before moving to ABC, where it had on-and-off runs until 1986. The last truly successful iteration of the series was its film adaptation in 2002, which hit number one and debuted with the second-highest-grossing June opening weekend that year, behind only Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.

A new generation will get to join Scooby and the gang on Netflix in September for what’s expected to be eight episodes.

Flashing back

We’re taking a look back to this week in 1987. Play today’s trivia and find out how much you remember!