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New Jersey governor signs law banning surveillance pricing to protect shoppers
The Guardian • • business
Key Points:
- New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill signed the Fair Price Protection Act, banning businesses from using shoppers’ personal data to charge different prices for identical products, making New Jersey the third US state to prohibit surveillance pricing.
- The law aims to protect consumers from price discrimination based on online activity, location, and purchasing history, focusing on essential items like groceries, while excluding loyalty programs and discounts.
- The legislation also imposes a one-year pause on the rollout of new electronic shelf labels, allowing the New Jersey Innovation Authority to study their impact, though existing labels can still be used and maintained.
- Labor union leaders praised the moratorium on electronic shelf labels, emphasizing the need to protect shoppers and workers from potential harm caused by AI-driven predatory pricing and to safeguard union grocery jobs.
- Similar laws exist in Maryland and Connecticut, with New York considering comparable legislation to ban personalized price manipulation.
