Assembly committee advances bill to clarify price‑fixing law for algorithmic tools

AB 3 25 by Assemblymember Aguiar‑Curry advanced out of the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee on a party‑line vote after more than two hours of testimony and debate. The bill would update California antitrust law to make clearer when the use of the same pricing tool by competing firms can be treated as evidence of collusion.

Supporters said AB 3 25 is a targeted response to recent investigations that uncovered suspected algorithmic coordination in industries from food to housing. "The competition between rivals benefits us all," said Terry Oley, director of Economic Security California Action, testifying as a cosponsor. He and other proponents argued that existing law is struggling to keep pace with software that can coordinate price decisions across…