Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and Coalition Urge Support for California AB 446 to End Surveillance Pricing

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, alongside civil rights, consumer advocates, and privacy organizations, urges support for California Assembly Bill 446 (AB 446), legislation designed to ban the unfair practice of "surveillance pricing." Surveillance pricing occurs when businesses use personal consumer data, such as browsing history, location, or past purchases, to set individualized prices, resulting in unfair price discrimination.

The practice of surveillance pricing undermines consumer trust and fairness, allowing companies to exploit personal information to maximize profits at consumers' expense. Examples include charging different prices based on geographic location or device usage, and even penalizing certain demographic groups who are identified as willing or able to pay more.

AB 446 would prohibit businesses from using personal data like demographics, financial circumstances, web history, or consumer behaviors for pricing decisions, establishing California as a leader in consumer privacy and protection against exploitation. To learn more, download the full coalition letter using the Download PDF button to the right.