{"id":116166,"date":"2026-04-26T18:53:46","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T21:53:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/maryland-is-moving-to-ban-companies-like-walmart-and-kroger-from-surveillance-pricing-what-it-is-and-how-to-avoid-it\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T18:53:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T21:53:48","slug":"maryland-is-moving-to-ban-companies-like-walmart-and-kroger-from-surveillance-pricing-what-it-is-and-how-to-avoid-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/maryland-is-moving-to-ban-companies-like-walmart-and-kroger-from-surveillance-pricing-what-it-is-and-how-to-avoid-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland is moving to ban companies like Walmart and Kroger from \u2018surveillance pricing\u2019 \u2014 what it is and how to avoid it"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Whether it’s a digital price tag on a store shelf that can be altered at the press of a button (1) or an online price point that fluctuates based on an algorithmic analysis of a consumer’s digital footprint, the strategy of amending product costs in real-time is on the rise (2).<\/p>\n

Retailers are taking advantage of AI<\/a> and their access to consumer data to customize prices based not just on supply and demand (which is considered “dynamic pricing” (3)), but also on a shopper’s location, search history, personal details, past buying habits and more (the more nefarious “surveillance pricing” or “price discrimination” (4), which is itself is a type of dynamic pricing).<\/p>\n

In response to these trends, Maryland is about to become the first state to ban the practice in the grocery sector.<\/p>\n

The Protection From Predatory Pricing Act (5), which passed in the state legislature earlier in April, takes aim at companies that Governor Wes Moore says (6) are using “new technologies to drive up the bill for working families.” It’s a practice his leadership \u2014 and authorities like the Federal Trade Commission \u2014 believe to be invasive, exploitative and anti-competitive (7).<\/p>\n

“The cost of basic household goods could surge based on the time of day, the weather, or granular consumer data, allowing stores to calibrate price increases to extract maximum profits on the backs of consumers,” explained a release announcing the legislation back in January (6). It denounced “using shoppers’ personal data to charge different prices to individuals for the same bag of groceries.”<\/p>\n

Under the Act, supermarkets would be prohibited from engaging in what could be considered dynamic pricing, including using consumer surveillance data (shopping habits, etc.) and\/or protected class data (ethnicity, religion, geolocation, etc.) to either set a price for goods or services, or to shape special offers or advertisements under certain circumstances.<\/p>\n

The bill expands on the state’s existing Online Data Privacy Act (8) established in 2024 and would charge violators with unfair or deceptive trade practices under the Maryland Consumer Protection Act, resulting in civil fines starting at $10,000.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n