Maryland bns "surveillance pricing" by retailers

Newsweek -    Maryland could become the first U.S. state to ban "surveillance pricing" as a new law—the Protection From Predatory Pricing Act—could affect how retailers charge millions of residents for their groceries.

Surveillance pricing—sometimes called dynamic or personalized pricing—is a practice that allows retailers to charge different customers different prices for the same item, based on their personal data. 

Retailers use information they've collected about individual shoppers—such as their purchase history, location or online behavior—to determine how much someone is willing to pay for an item. 

After Maryland lawmakers passed the Protection From Predatory Pricing Act, Democratic Governor Wes Moore confirmed that he would sign the bill into law, arguing that surveillance pricing could unfairly raise the cost of everyday essentials.

In January, when the bill was first introduced, Moore said in a news release, "At a time when Marylanders are already stretched by the rising cost of groceries, housing, and everyday necessities, we must ensure that new technologies are not used to drive up the bill for working families."