As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, we are reminded of the importance of freedom and equality.
In a society of equals, it seems obvious that charging different people different prices for the same goods and services is wrong and shouldn’t happen, but it can and it does. Surveillance pricing uses computer algorithms to crunch all the personal data available about individual customers and determine how much they will be charged for whatever they’re wanting to buy. Many of us may have already experienced such predatory pricing tactics without knowing.
On June 5, the New York legislature passed a bill to prohibit the use of surveillance pricing, along with the collection, use, retention, or sharing of data to enable it. I’m sure most readers of this newspaper will agree that’s a good thing for consumers and I hope the governor signs it. (Insurance and “bona fide” discounts are excepted from the bill.)
Surprisingly, one of our representatives in Albany, Joe Angelino, voted against the bill. I wonder why he doesn’t agree that New Yorkers should be protected from predatory pricing.
Karen Kantor
Unadilla
