Colorado Gov. Jared Polis vetoes surveillance pricing bill

Colorado lawmakers passed a bill during the recent legislative session that would have banned companies from using surveillance pricing. Some state lawmakers claim companies are using browsing and buying history to set individualized prices on everything from groceries to plane tickets based on what they think a person can afford or is willing to pay.  

He says all that information is analyzed by a price-setting algorithm that generates a price tailored to each individual.

"All of us are playing against a supercomputer when we go into the grocery store," Bacon said.

Democratic state Reps. Javier Mabry and Jennifer Bacon sponsored a bill meant to level the playing field. It makes the use of surveillance data and algorithms to set individual prices a deceptive trade practice with fines of up to $10,000.

On Wednesday, Gov. Jared Polis vetoed the bill, claiming it could also punish companies that used the technology to lower prices. In his veto letter, Polis said that he supported the idea but believed the wording in the legislation was too broad. 

This is the second year lawmakers have tried to pass such a bill into law.