Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – How much does this cost? Well, that may depend on who you are. That’s a problem for State Rep Maura Hirschauer (D-Batavia).
“Companies collect enormous amounts of information about us,” said Hirschauer, “about where we go, what we search for, what we buy, how long we stay on a web site, and even what devices we use. Increasingly this information is being fed into algorithms that can decide how much each of us pays for the exact same product or service.”
Hirschauer is running a bill to ban algorithmic pricing. “This bill does not ban ordinary sales, discounts, loyalty programs, coupons, or legitimate market-based pricing that Illinoisans have come to rely on. Businesses can still respond to supply and demand, transportation costs, promotions, and competition.
“What this bill does is stop the use of personal surveillance data to manipulate prices for consumers.”
She and other lawmakers held a news conference Thursday to discuss AI legislation.
