Here's an interesting one. New Jersey is the third state to ban surveillance pricing, which allows a store to use personal online data and an algorithm to charge different people different prices for the same product.
Could a grocery store charge you more for the same gallon of milk because of data collected about your shopping habits?
New Jersey shoppers will be protected from that practice, known as “surveillance pricing,” under a new law signed Thursday afternoon by Gov. Mikie Sherrill. Sherrill signed the Fair Price Protection Act, which prohibits grocery stores and third-party grocery delivery platforms from using a consumer’s personal data to determine or vary the prices of food products.
The first-year Democratic governor said the law is intended to stop businesses from using information such as online activity, location data and purchasing history to charge different prices for identical products based on what an algorithm predicts a shopper is willing to pay.
Supporters of the measure say the practice could result in different shoppers seeing different prices for the same products.
Of course, business groups oppose the measure.
I wonder if local gas stations are on to this algorithm. Why is gas a dollar cheaper in Escondido, a mere twenty minutes away? Let's pillage those rich folks up in Fallbrook.
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