Denver, CO: Today, the Judiciary Committee of the Colorado House of Representatives heard testimony about HB25-1264, a bill that would prohibit billion-dollar mega-corporations from relying on private information about individuals to charge certain consumers more and pay certain workers less. The hearing sparked an urgent conversation on how AI-driven pricing tools actively enable wage suppression and price discrimination – practices that threaten consumers, workers, and the broader Colorado economy. The bill was held over for further consideration. Today’s debate laid the foundation for future legislative action, sending a clear signal that Colorado is at the forefront of ensuring that workers and consumers aren’t subject to intimate personal surveillance that pinches their pocketbooks.
Across the country, lawmakers are recognizing the risks of unchecked algorithmic power, and Colorado is firmly part of that movement, thanks to Reps. Mabrey and Garcia’s leadership on HB25-1264. Towards Justice and American Economic Liberties Project, along with other organizations across the country, co-authored a report calling on states to prohibit surveillance wages and prices.
“Over the next several years, it’s going to be essential to reign in corporate power and BigTech. This isn’t only about how they price gouge us and pay us less for our work. It’s about privacy. With the richest man in the world seizing control of our federal government and getting unprecedented access to our private and sensitive data, it’s going to be up to states like Colorado to take the lead,” said Rep. Javier Mabrey, one of the bill sponsors.
“We live in a world where BigTech companies and billionaires can use private information about each of us to charge us as much as possible and pay us as little as possible. A worker shouldn’t be paid less because they took out a payday loan; a parent shouldn’t be charged more because they searched for divorce attorneys online. That’s what this bill prohibits,” said David Seligman, Executive Director of Towards Justice.
“We see drivers sit by each other at the airport, and can see each driver receiving the same offer but for different amounts,” said Kareem Sawadogo, a rideshare driver in Denver and member of Colorado Independent Drivers United. “Sometimes a driver who is white seems to get better offers, sometimes newer drivers seem to, or sometimes we just can’t guess why the fares are so different. This is just unfair when we are trying to make a living.”
“This bill does not stop innovation. It draws a line between personalization and exploitation,” said Charles Brennan, Director of Income and Housing Policy for the Colorado Center on Law and Policy. “Whether it’s me or someone very different from me, this bill ensures we’re not silently sorted and charged prices or paid wages based on who an algorithm assumes we are.”
“Corporations are using mass surveillance and hidden algorithms to manipulate prices and wages in ways that distort fair competition,” said Lee Hepner, Senior Legal Counsel at the American Economic Liberties Project, who testified at today’s hearing. “Without intervention, these predatory tactics will become entrenched, making fair markets impossible to maintain.”
Lawmakers in several states so far in 2025 have introduced bills prohibiting the use of surveillance data to set prices and wages, including in California, Illinois, Georgia, and Massachusetts.
Today’s hearing makes one thing clear: the fight for fair markets and to protect our privacy isn’t just coming—it’s already here.
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