On Thursday, 44 council members voted for and five against a New York City bill aimed at surveillance pricing, The Record reported. The term means using shoppers' personal data to set different prices for the same item. Fines can reach $1,000 per violation, the council said in a press release. Real, openly stated discounts, such as loyalty deals and student offers, are exempt. Seattle signed a similar ban last month.
The report does not give the bill's text, its definition of surveillance pricing, a start date, or how violations would be proven. It says public evidence of the practice is limited. Data brokers sell firms detailed shopper profiles, and algorithms are suspected of turning them into prices. Kroger confirmed it uses digital price tags that change prices quickly, but says changes do not rely on personal data.
This part is analysis, not reporting. When a broker profile feeds an algorithm and a digital tag reprices fast, it is hard to say which input set a price. As a practical matter, firms would likely need to show a price came from an open discount, not personal data. Buyers and owners of pricing software should ask which data feeds each price, who can prove it, and what happens if other places copy the rule.