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  3. /California Passes Broad Limits on Collusion via "Common Pricing Algorithms"
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  3. /California Passes Broad Limits on Collusion via "Common Pricing Algorithms"
Last activity about 1 month agoPosted Oct 16, 2025 at 6:18 PM EDT

California Passes Broad Limits on Collusion via "common Pricing Algorithms"

walterbell
11 points
3 comments

Mood

calm

Sentiment

neutral

Category

other

Key topics

Antitrust
Regulation
Pricing Algorithms
Debate intensity20/100

California has passed legislation limiting the use of common pricing algorithms that can facilitate collusion, sparking discussion around the implications for businesses and the tech industry.

Snapshot generated from the HN discussion

Discussion Activity

Light discussion

First comment

4h

Peak period

2

Day 1

Avg / period

1.5

Key moments

  1. 01Story posted

    Oct 16, 2025 at 6:18 PM EDT

    about 1 month ago

    Step 01
  2. 02First comment

    Oct 16, 2025 at 10:14 PM EDT

    4h after posting

    Step 02
  3. 03Peak activity

    2 comments in Day 1

    Hottest window of the conversation

    Step 03
  4. 04Latest activity

    Oct 17, 2025 at 11:35 PM EDT

    about 1 month ago

    Step 04

Generating AI Summary...

Analyzing up to 500 comments to identify key contributors and discussion patterns

Discussion (3 comments)
Showing 3 comments
autoexec
about 1 month ago
1 reply
The wet dream for companies is to set your prices based on your personal data. They don't need to collude with competitors when every company can just can use facial recognition or pull data from your cell phone to query your income, purchase history, personal demographics, etc. in real time from data brokers and jack up the prices you're being charged accordingly.

Companies have been trying to get discriminatory pricing off the ground for a very long time but one of the major hurdles besides the costs involved in the initial technology installation has been the fact that the public tends to react strongly against it. Stay vigilant and push back against the idea that different people should be charged different prices for the same items based on their personal data.

Companies like Wendy's and Kroger have been forced to walk back their surge pricing plans and Walmart insists they won't do it even as they install the digital price tags and facial recognition technology necessary to put it in place. This is an area where people's actions really can make a difference, as long as companies don't get away with slowly conditioning us to accept it.

altairprime
about 1 month ago
> They don't need to collude with competitors

It’s more profitable to collude — at least if you’re a believer of modern economic theory, as most CFOs are. Any corporation whose articles of incorporation give priority to shareholder returns is theoretically obligated to collude they’ll make more in profits than they’ll pay in fines or shutdown. Thus the importance of prohibiting collusion: no matter how much profit one can make alone from data, there’s always more to be made by a pack.

more_corn
about 1 month ago
This is specifically targeting the rent fixing scheme from the infamous landlord management platform. I’m for it. Price fixing is already illegal. This makes it clear.
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ID: 45611361Type: storyLast synced: 11/20/2025, 4:38:28 PM

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