Democrat congressman Greg Casar introduces bill to ban AI-driven price; slams ‘surveillance pricing'; seeks Republican support
US congressman Greg Casar has introduced a new bill to stop what he calls 'AI-driven price gouging'. The bill, called the Stop AI Price Gouging and Wage Fixing Act of 2025, targets companies that use personal data to charge customers different prices for the same product, a growing trend known as surveillance pricing.
Casar, a Democrat from Texas, says tech companies are going too far by spying on people's habits and financial history. 'Prices should be based on supply and demand and based on how much it costs to make and sell a thing, not based on spying on you and using your private data," he told NBC News.
The move follows a recent federal trade commission (
FTC
) report that found companies were using users' browser history, GPS location and shopping behaviour to silently adjust prices.
The practice is common in e-commerce, and often powered by artificial intelligence.
The FTC study, released in January just before president
Biden
left office, revealed that big firms like Mastercard, JPMorgan Chase, Accenture and McKinsey were among those feeding AI systems with consumer data. FTC chair Lina Khan called the system a 'black box' where users don't even realise they're being charged more based on hidden profiling.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Chic, Calming, Kid-Friendly—All on a Budget
squarerooms
Read More
Undo
Casar's bill would also prohibit companies from using AI to determine wages based on personal financial data rather than job performance.
Several US states are also cracking down. New York passed a law requiring businesses to inform customers when prices are set using algorithms. California may soon follow. But Casar's bill is the first push for a national ban.
The House is about to go into recess, so the bill won't move before September. But Casar hopes both parties can get behind it. 'You don't have to be a progressive Democrat to say these gigantic corporations in the tech world should not be spying on us and then using what they learn to put it into AI and make our life more expensive,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
NY attorney general Letitia James subpoenaed in $454 million Trump case: Faces federal inquiry on NRA probe; mortgage claims
New York attorney general Letitia James (Image credits: AP) New York attorney general Letitia James is facing federal scrutiny, with subpoenas issued in a grand jury probe examining her $454 million civil fraud lawsuit against Trump over alleged inflated property valuations. The probe also includes her office's investigation into the NRA, and separate allegations of mortgage fraud involving properties in Brooklyn and Virginia. James, a Democrat, has been one of Trump's most persistent legal adversaries, suing him and his administration dozens of times over both public policies and his private business practices. In 2022, she secured a multimillion-dollar judgment against Trump, alleging he defrauded banks and lenders by overstating the value of assets including golf courses and his Trump Tower penthouse. That ruling is currently under appeal. Trump has denied any wrongdoing, insisting his financial statements actually understated his wealth and that any errors were harmless. He and his legal team have repeatedly accused James of engaging in politically motivated 'lawfare,' a charge she rejects. A spokesperson for the attorney general's office, Geoff Burgan, would not confirm the subpoenas but said, as quoted by AP, 'Any weaponisation of the justice system should disturb every American. We stand strongly behind our successful litigation against the Trump Organization and the National Rifle Association, and we will continue to stand up for New Yorkers' rights.' James' personal attorney, Abbe D Lowell, called the subpoenas an act of political retribution. 'Investigating the fraud case Attorney General James won against President Trump and his businesses has to be the most blatant and desperate example of this administration carrying out the president's political retribution campaign,' he said. The Justice Department's spokesperson, Natalie Baldassarre, declined to comment. News of the subpoenas comes as the DOJ presses forward with its review of the Trump-Russia investigation and amid a broader purge of law enforcement officials linked to past probes into Trump and his allies.
Time of India
36 minutes ago
- Time of India
Govt aims to accelerate pace of highway construction to 100 km/day: Gadkari
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said the government's aim is to accelerate the pace of highway construction to 100 km a day from 38 km/day at present. Speaking at the Business Today India@100 event, Gadkari said so far this year, the road ministry has awarded highways projects worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore, and by March next year, it will award highways projects worth Rs 10 lakh crore. Productivity Tool Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide By Metla Sudha Sekhar View Program Finance Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By Dinesh Nagpal View Program Finance Financial Literacy i e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By CA Rahul Gupta View Program Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By Neil Patel View Program Finance Technical Analysis Demystified- A Complete Guide to Trading By Kunal Patel View Program Productivity Tool Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By Study at home View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program "Currently, the pace of National Highways construction in India is 38 km/day. We aim to accelerate the pace of highway construction to 100 km a day. This is our target, whether it will happen next year, I can not say," he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo The ministry constructed 10,660 km of national highways in 2024-25, 12,349 km in 2023-24 and 10,331 km in 2022-23. Responding to the growing concern over social media about E20, rolled out by the government, is damaging the vehicle and there is no reduction in fuel cost, Gadkari rejected the claim, saying that the petroleum sector is lobbying against this move. Live Events "I challenge, if anyone has faced difficulty in his vehicle on account of mixing of ethanol in petrol," Gadkari, who is known for his frank views, said. The minister further said that Pune-based Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) conducts trials and comes up with reports before the government takes a call on ethanol blending. Currently, Indian vehicles can run on E20 petrol with minor changes to the engine to prevent corrosion and other issues. In 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched petrol blended with 20 per cent ethanol. The Indian government will introduce guidelines for 27 per cent ethanol blending in petrol by the end of August. Ethanol, which can be produced from sugarcane, broken rice and other agricultural products, is expected to help reduce India's dependence on foreign oil. India is currently the world's third-largest oil consumer and imports about 88 per cent of its crude oil requirements, making it vulnerable to geopolitical vagaries that can impact crude prices. Gadkari reiterated that his aim is to make India's automobile industry number one in the world. The size of the Indian automobile industry is now Rs 22 lakh crore. Presently, the size of the US automobile industry is Rs 78 lakh crore, followed by China (Rs 47 lakh crore) and India (Rs 22 lakh crore). According to the minister, the automobile industry has created 4.5 crore jobs till now -- the highest in the country. Gadkari also said the days are not far away when prices of electric vehicles (EVs) will be less than those of petrol vehicles in the country within six months. The minister also said India's logistics cost will come down to 9 per cent by December this year. In China, the logistics cost is 8 per cent, and in the US and European countries, it is 12 per cent, the minister said. Gadkari also emphasised the need to increase the productivity of the agriculture sector.
Time of India
37 minutes ago
- Time of India
Delhi Assembly renames 'Phansi Ghar' as 'Tiffin Room'
The Delhi Assembly on Friday renamed the so-called ' Phansi Ghar ' as ' Tiffin Room ', a day after Speaker Vijender Gupta asserted that there was no such thing as claimed by the previous AAP government, officials said. Gupta had on Thursday said the matter will be referred to the Privileges Committee for an in-depth investigation that will summon former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal , along with others. Productivity Tool Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide By Metla Sudha Sekhar View Program Finance Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By Dinesh Nagpal View Program Finance Financial Literacy i e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By CA Rahul Gupta View Program Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By Neil Patel View Program Finance Technical Analysis Demystified- A Complete Guide to Trading By Kunal Patel View Program Productivity Tool Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By Study at home View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program Gupta also said it was decided that the foundation plaque bearing the names of Kejriwal and others be removed. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Paul Gascoigne's Actual House Left Us With No Words - Take A Look Ohi Blog Undo On Friday, the 'Phansi Ghar' was renamed as 'Tiffin Room', said an official. The plaque bearing Kejriwal's name will also be removed in due course of time, he added. The Speaker had earlier told the House that the structure, which was renovated and inaugurated in 2022 by then chief minister Kejriwal as a 'Phansi Ghar' ( execution room ), was actually a 'tiffin room' as per records. There are two such rooms. Live Events Displaying a 1912 map of the Assembly complex, he had said on Wednesday that there was no documentation or evidence indicating that the space was used for executions.
