Current Events in November 2025

• Attorney General warns companies to disclose data-driven pricing practices

• New Yorkers urged to report violations as consumer protection law begins Nov. 10

• Businesses face fines for failing to notify shoppers when algorithms set prices

New York Attorney General Letitia James is warning businesses across the state that they must disclose when algorithms are setting prices based on consumers’ personal data—or face penalties under a new law taking effect November 10.

The Algorithmic Pricing Disclosure Act requires most companies using automated systems to adjust prices—often called algorithmic or surveillance pricing—to clearly display a notice stating:

“THIS PRICE WAS SET BY AN ALGORITHM USING YOUR PERSONAL DATA.”

James said the new law is designed to give consumers transparency and prevent companies from secretly charging higher prices based on individual factors like income, ZIP code, or shopping history.

“The law is clear: if businesses use algorithmic pricing, they must notify consumers,” James said in announcing the alert. “New Yorkers deserve to know whether their personal information is being used to set the prices they pay. I will not hesitate to take action against those who try to mislead New Yorkers and use their personal information to manipulate prices without their knowledge.”

Personalized pricing under scrutiny

Algorithmic pricing tools allow businesses to tailor prices in real time, often through apps or loyalty programs that track user behavior. Consumers might see one price while others are shown another for the same product or service.

The Attorney General’s office cited recent examples of consumers being charged:

• higher hotel rates when booking from high-income ZIP codes

• or variable prices inside Target stores when shoppers used the retailer’s mobile app.

Such practices, James said, blur the line between marketing and exploitation, and are now subject to stricter transparency rules.

How to spot algorithmic pricing

The Attorney General’s alert included several tips for identifying when algorithms might be affecting prices:

• Compare prices across devices or accounts. If one person sees a higher or lower price for the same product, it could indicate personalized pricing.

• Check discount patterns. If you receive “exclusive” digital offers others can’t see, those prices may be based on your data.

• Note price changes after online activity. Searching for similar items elsewhere or shopping from a new location may trigger algorithmic adjustments.

Enforcement and consumer action

Businesses that fail to include the required disclosure face penalties of $1,000 per violation. James urged anyone who suspects undisclosed algorithmic pricing to file a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG).

“Transparency is the first step toward fairness,” James said. “Companies that hide how they use your data to set prices will be held accountable.”

What Consumers Can Do

Think you’re being charged an algorithmic price by a business in New York? Here’s how to check and report it.

1. Compare prices.
Search for the same item using a different browser, device, or account—or ask a friend to check. If prices differ, data-driven pricing could be at play.

2. Look for the disclosure.
By law, New York businesses using algorithmic pricing must display:

“THIS PRICE WAS SET BY AN ALGORITHM USING YOUR PERSONAL DATA.”
If you don’t see it near the price, the business may be violating the new law.

3. Track sudden price shifts.
If a price changes after you log in, shop from a new location, or search for similar items online, it might be linked to your personal data.

4. Save evidence.
Take screenshots showing the differing prices or missing disclosure text. Note the date, time, and device used.

5. Report it.
File a complaint with the New York Office of the Attorney General online at ag.ny.gov or by calling 1-800-771-7755.

States that have passed laws

• New York: As reported above, New York’s new law requires most companies using algorithmic pricing based on consumers’ personal data to clearly disclose that fact.

• California: California has passed bills (for example, AB 325 & SB 763) that regulate use of “common pricing algorithms,” especially in an antitrust/competition context (i.e., algorithmic price-fixing) rather than purely consumer-surveillance-pricing.

• Connecticut: In the housing/rental context, Connecticut passed a law banning certain automatic “revenue-management” tools that rely on non-public data for setting rents. 

A large number of state bills are under consideration in various states. For example, one tracker shows at least 26 bills in 14 states addressing predictive or algorithmic pricing. 

• Some laws target very narrow contexts (like rental pricing), others are broader. Many haven’t become law yet. Legal Blogs+1

• 39% of shoppers already started buying to spread out costs and beat possible tariff-related price jumps

• Most are tightening up: 61% say higher prices mean fewer gifts, more sale items, and more practical stuff

• Gift cards and big online/big-box retailers are winning because they make spending predictable and price-comparison easy

A new holiday survey from InMarket says 39% of Americans have already started shopping because tariffs and higher prices are making them nervous about what things will cost later.

At the same time, 61% say higher prices are already changing their plans, and most of those shoppers say the fix is simple: buy fewer gifts and buy what’s on sale. Here’s what that means if you’re still building your list.

What shoppers are doing differently

Buying earlier. Four in 10 shoppers are getting a head start to spread out costs and grab deals before prices creep up.

Buying fewer gifts. 59% say they’ll trim the number of presents to stay on budget.

Shifting to “useful” gifts. Only 27% are buying the same types of gifts they usually do. Everyone else is moving to practical stuff, discounted items, or cheaper brands.

Buying gift cards. Gift cards are at the top of the list this year (58%), even ahead of clothing at 52%. That’s a big tell that people want predictable spending.

Shopping the biggest sites and stores. Online-only retailers (62%) and big-box stores (58%) are where shoppers plan to go first. This makes sense as shoppers can compare prices quickly and often find the lowest price.

Why it’s happening

Shoppers are getting squeezed by both inflation (toys, home items, furniture), and continued tariffs. This has made many believe that some things will cost more later in the season.

That uncertainty pushes people into the “buy it now if the price is right” mindset.

Price is the main factor this year as 32% said it matters the most. But other factors like quality, what friends and family ask for, and overall value still show up right behind it. The retailers that can effectively show “this is on sale and it’s good quality” will win those early dollars.

What consumers should do right now

1. Make gift cards work harder

If gift cards are your default, buy them at a retailer that offers bonus cards or store rewards during the holidays. That turns a “safe” gift into an even better-value gift. Or better yet, buy them at Costco or Sam’s Club at a discounted price. At Costco for example, you can typically get four $25 gift cards for only $79.99.

2. Lock in sale-priced “practical” gifts now

Because so many shoppers are switching to on-sale and useful items, those categories can potentially sellout first. So, if you see a price you like on small appliances, winter clothing, beauty gift sets, or toys, buy it now rather than waiting for mid-December.

3. Compare across big-box and online on the same day

Since most shoppers are heading to the same places (Amazon and big-box stores) you should too. When shopping online, open two tabs and compare prices, especially on toys, electronics, and décor. Holiday pricing is moving around a lot right now.

4. Set a hard gift count

Because 59% of people said they’ll buy fewer gifts, copy that strategy. Decide on a number of people or a dollar limit per person and don’t let late-season price bumps push you over it.

• USDA issues its first-ever inspection grant for a large-scale cultivated meat factory.

• Believer Meats becomes the fifth startup — and first non-U.S. company — cleared to sell cell-cultured meat in the U.S.

• North Carolina facility set to produce 12,000 tonnes of cultivated chicken annually.

Believer Meats, an Israeli startup pioneering cell-cultured meat, has secured the final regulatory greenlight it needs to begin commercial production and sales in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has completed its first and only inspection grant for a large-scale cultivated meat factory — Believer’s new 200,000-square-foot facility in Wilson County, North Carolina.

The USDA also approved the company’s product labeling, officially authorizing Believer Meats to market its cultivated chicken to American consumers. The milestone follows a “no questions” letter issued in July by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), signaling regulatory confidence in the safety of the company’s product, according to Food Safety News.

Founded in 2018 by Yaakov Nahmias, a biomedical engineering professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Believer Meats is now the world’s largest cultivated meat facility. The site includes an innovation center, tasting kitchen, and production lines capable of yielding 12,000 tons of cultivated chicken each year — roughly 26 million pounds.

Cell media rejuvenation

Company CEO Gustavo Burger called the USDA’s sign-off “a major milestone that authorizes us to begin commercial production and sales of our cultivated chicken products in the U.S. and export to international markets.” Believer’s process uses centrifuge-based perfusion and a cell media rejuvenation system to grow meat from spontaneously immortalized fibroblast cells derived from fertilized chicken eggs.

Believer Meats, formerly known as Future Meat Technologies, has raised $123 million in venture funding to date. It joins a short list of cultivated meat startups cleared by both U.S. regulators — and stands out as the first non-American firm to do so.

While several states have moved to ban the sale of cell-cultured meat, North Carolina has taken a more welcoming stance. The North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBiotech) has publicly backed Believer Meats’ arrival as part of the state’s growing bioindustrial ecosystem.

“This is the first and only large-scale cultivated meat facility to have earned this approval,” Burger said, calling it the final word from U.S. regulators before the company brings its alternative chicken to market.