Seattle City Council votes to ban surveillance pricing in sale of groceries
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
Seattle City Council passes first US city ban on personalized grocery pricing using personal data.
The Seattle City Council passed the Fair Pricing and Transparency Act, which would prohibit grocery retailers from using consumers' personal data-such as web browsing history, real-time location, income, and health conditions-to set different prices for essential items. The bill, supported by Consumer Reports, now heads to Mayor Wilson for signature. Similar laws have been passed in Maryland, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Consumer Reports investigations found Kroger collecting extensive shopper profiles and Instacart's algorithmic pricing causing up to 23% price differences on identical orders.
What commenters are saying
Commenters questioned the bill's scope, noting it specifically targets grocery stores rather than all online retail, with some arguing for broader application to prevent unintended consequences. Others discussed how loyalty and rewards programs are explicitly exempted, allowing continued discounting. Several commenters debated the normalization of online grocery shopping, noting pickup services through grocers' own apps avoid surcharges. A minority advocated for a constitutional right to privacy, citing concerns about data aggregation by tech companies, though others argued existing laws like GDPR are sufficient.