Maryland Becomes First US State to Ban Surveillance Pricing for Groceries | Common Dreams
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A new law will ban retailers from using shoppers' personal data to hike grocery prices. But consumer advocates argue that it contains far too many loopholes that companies could exploit.​

A new law will ban retailers from using shoppers’ personal data to hike grocery prices—but consumer advocates warn it contains loopholes that companies could exploit.

  • fonix232@fedia.io
    4·
    5 months ago

    A lot of stores here in the UK already employ facial recognition if you walk in.

    It stops known shoplifters throughout stores (so if you shoplifted in a Nottingham Tesco’s, be prepared to be banned from Sainsbury’s in Swansea), but it also tracks your shopping so it’s being sold as a convenience feature - you walk up to a till and it already knows what’s in your basket and how much you need to pay.

    Oh and while you walk through the stores, you get targeted advettisements that’s already connected to your online identity. You looked up symptoms of PCOS? Have fun being blasted with hair removal product ads throughout your shopping.

    It’s pretty fucking dystopian, yes. My local corner shop doesn’t need to know my shopping habits. It won’t sell me more milk or bread. And I won’t be buying that new type of chicken nuggies no matter how hard they try to sell it. I’m perfectly happy with what I want to buy, I don’t need or want optimised ads.

    • fpslem@lemmy.worldEnglish
      5·
      5 months ago

      so if you shoplifted in a Nottingham Tesco’s, be prepared to be banned from Sainsbury’s in Swansea

      This got a genuine chuckle from me, I love a bit of good writing in the wild!

        • fpslem@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          5 months ago

          I was in a small town in Maine that did that informally, there were a handful of shops and a ban at one store was applied everywhere. They all had signs warning about the policy. It was apparently very effective.