Maryland and Connecticut Become First States to Ban Surveillance Pricing at Food Retailers

Maryland became the first state to bar food retailers and delivery services from using consumers’ personal data to set prices when it passed the measure in April 2025. Connecticut enacted an identical prohibition in June 2025, becoming the second state to do so. No state had approved such a ban during the preceding months of 2025 despite multiple proposals.

California and New York are considering comparable legislation. The Federal Trade Commission published a 2025 study showing how algorithms that draw on personal data can detect when consumers face fewer alternatives, greater urgency, or higher willingness to pay and then adjust prices or offers accordingly.

Commerce by 2030. Researchers at Yale’s Program on Stakeholder Innovation and Management reached more than 200 CEOs and concluded that the most effective route to long-term shareholder value is to expand the business while expanding stakeholder trust.