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Assembly committee advances bill to ban 'surveillance pricing' after lengthy debate
Summary
The Assembly Judiciary Committee advanced AB 446, the Surveillance Pricing Protection Act, after a lengthy hearing that split consumer and labor advocates, who called the measure necessary, from businesses and trade groups, who warned it is overly broad and could trigger litigation.
The Assembly Judiciary Committee on a voice vote advanced AB 446, the Surveillance Pricing Protection Act, which would prohibit businesses from using individualized surveillance-derived personal data to charge different prices for the same product or service.
The bill’s author, Assemblymember Jesse Ward, said the measure addresses “predatory” uses of technology that allow retailers and other businesses to raise prices for specific customers: “This is about ensuring fairness in pricing. It’s not just about economic justice. It’s about preventing a new form of digital exploitation,” Ward said during his presentation (remarks at 2929.8–3095.16 in transcript).
Consumer and labor witnesses framed the bill as a response to public reporting and company pilots that use geolocation, facial recognition and other profiling to customize pricing. Kim Stone of Consumer Watchdog, a cosponsor, told the panel, “If we don’t stop this, we’re not going to…
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