OFFS! New Jersey Becomes Latest State to Pass Law Against Surveillance Pricing By Matt Novak

[justaprogressive]

They’re falling like dominoes now. New Jersey became the latest state to pass a bipartisan law banning surveillance pricing in grocery stores on Tuesday, following the lead of Maryland and Connecticut. New Jersey’s bill, which also places a moratorium on electronic shelf labels, won’t become law until it’s signed by Governor Mikie Sherrill, who’s previously indicated she supports legislation banning surveillance pricing, which she called “outrageous.”

The legislation, known as the Fair Price Protection Act, bans the use of AI or algorithms to adjust the price of goods at grocery stores, both online and in person, to charge people different prices for the same goods. The law also bans so-called surveillance pricing, which involves using a customer’s personal data to set the price of goods individually.

Surveillance pricing has become a hot-button issue in recent years as retailers are now able to set different prices for consumers based on their characteristics or shopping patterns. In just one recent example, Instacart was caught charging almost 25% more for identical items in an experiment the company says it stopped doing. At least a dozen states are considering legislation to regulate surveillance pricing, with New Jersey becoming the latest to actually pass a law.

George Slover, Senior Counsel for Competition Policy at the Center for Democracy & Technology, told Gizmodo that New Jersey’s bill only applies to grocery stores and his organization would like to see the surveillance pricing ban expanded to other types of retailers. But Slover says the bill is a good piece of legislation that carves out exemptions for loyalty programs and things like military or senior discounts, one of the concerns that people often raise whenever this kind of law is considered.

https://gizmodo.com/new-jersey-becomes-latest-state-to-pass-law-against-surveillance-pricing-2000780265