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3/10/2026
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Rep. Marszalkowski introduces bill to protect consumers’ wallets and personal data
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STATE HOUSE – Rep. Alex D. Marszalkowski has introduced the Surveillance Pricing and Online Retailing Act to protect consumers’ personal digital data and wallets when shopping online.
“We all know that our personal online data is tracked, catalogued, and too often, sold to marketers, advertisers and producers. While this fact is an unfortunate byproduct of our digital age, there has been a recent push to use this sensitive data to elevate prices for consumers. This bill is a response to this growing concern, and it strikes the right balance between protecting the wallets and personal digital data of consumers while also still allowing businesses to utilize new and emerging technologies,” said Rep. Alex D. Marszalkowski (D-Dist. 52, Cumberland).
The legislation (2026-H 7849) would prohibit algorithmic price increases for online purchases. “Algorithmic price increase” means any act of charging a price for a good or service that is higher than the seller’s baseline price when the seller uses an automated algorithm, artificial intelligence, or other data processing system, and the price is determined by, or materially influenced by, personal data tied to an individual consumer, such as geolocation, device identifiers, browsing or purchase history, or demographics.
The bill has been referred to the House Corporations Committee.
For more information, contact:
Andrew Caruolo, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-6124
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