Hunton Retail Law Resource

Maryland’s Protection From Predatory Pricing Act, signed on April 28, 2026 and effective October 1, 2026, is the first state law to directly prohibit certain personalized grocery pricing practices by grocery stores and third-party grocery delivery services, barring the use of consumers’ personal data to set individualized prices or charge higher prices for groceries and restricting discriminatory uses of data relating to legally protected classes. Enforced exclusively by the Maryland Attorney General, the Act includes a guaranteed 45-day cure period, no private right of action, and civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation, or $25,000 for repeat violations, and it reflects a growing national trend toward tighter regulation of surveillance and algorithmic pricing.

The California Consumer Privacy Act continues to drive significant enforcement activity—particularly when minors’ data is involved. In a recent action, the California Privacy Protection Agency imposed a $1.1 million fine on youth sports platform PlayOn Sports for alleged violations involving student data and inadequate opt-out mechanisms. The case highlights growing regulatory scrutiny around how companies collect, share, and provide transparency about personal information—especially when schools and students are involved. 

Pay transparency laws, which require employers to include pay information in job postings, have been on the rise. Colorado and California enacted such laws in 2021 and 2023 respectively.  In 2025, several states have decided to join California and Colorado by enacting or expanding pay transparency laws.