NY State Senate Bill 2025-S8483

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Aug 20, 2025	referred to rules

2025-S8483 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Rules
Law Section:: General Business Law
Laws Affected:: Add §219, Gen Bus L

2025-S8483 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Prohibits online retailers from basing prices on the hardware, software, or geolocation of an online device.

2025-S8483 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8483

SPONSOR: RYAN C
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the general business law, in relation to prohibiting
online retailers from basing prices on certain criteria

 
PURPOSE OF THE BILL:

To prohibit online retailers from using device-based, software-based, or
geolocation-based data to manipulate pricing presented to consumers,
thereby ensuring fairness and transparency in online pricing practices.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 adds a new section 219 to the General Business Law to define
terms, prohibit online retailers from generating or adjusting consumer
pricing, and allow limited exceptions where geolocation data may be used
for market demand.

Section 2 provides an effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

As online shopping and digital services dominate our daily lives,
consumers are increasingly being taken advantage of by price gouging
algorithms. Without consumer knowledge, companies have the ability to
charge different prices not based on demand or cost, but based on hard-
ware specifications like the age of the device, battery level or type of
device. These pricing strategies are often completely hidden from the
consumer or buried in terms and conditions and are designed to take
advantage of consumers in situations of need.

This bill seeks to end these unfair pricing practices by prohibiting
online retailers and platforms from using private, device-specific data
to manipulate prices behind the scenes. At the same time, it makes room
for fair and transparent pricing differences based on real-world factors
like legitimate market demand. Consumers deserve equal treatment, not
hidden algorithms that take advantage of them to make a profit . This
bill is a simple but powerful step toward restoring trust and transpar-
ency in the digital marketplace

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the state.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on January 1st following the date it becomes
law.

2025-S8483 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8483
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              August 20, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. C. RYAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the general business law,  in  relation  to  prohibiting
   online retailers from basing prices on certain criteria
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new section
 219 to read as follows:
   § 219. ONLINE RETAILER PRICING. 1. FOR THE PURPOSES OF  THIS  SECTION,
 THE FOLLOWING TERMS SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
   (A)  "COUPON"  SHALL  MEAN  ANY  METHOD BY WHICH A CONSUMER RECEIVES A
 DISCOUNT ON THE PURCHASE OF ANY ITEM THAT  IS  FUNDED,  PRODUCED,  SPON-
 SORED, PROMOTED, OR FURNISHED, EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, BY A BUSI-
 NESS,  INCLUDING,  BUT NOT LIMITED TO, A PAPER COUPON, A DIGITAL COUPON,
 OR AN INSTANT REDEEMABLE COUPON.
   (B) "DISCOUNT" SHALL MEAN ANY REDUCTION FROM THE REGULAR OR ADVERTISED
 PRICE OFFERED TO CONSUMERS ON A TEMPORARY OR CONDITIONAL BASIS.
   (C) "HARDWARE STATE" SHALL MEAN THE CONDITION OR MODE OF EXISTENCE  OF
 A  SYSTEM,  COMPONENT,  OR  SIMULATION,  INCLUDING,  BUT NOT LIMITED TO,
 BATTERY LIFE, NUMBER OF WIRELESS CONNECTIONS DETECTED, AND  AGE  OF  THE
 DEVICE,  DATA  THAT  IS  ERASED  WHEN  AN  ONLINE DEVICE IS RESTARTED OR
 POWERED DOWN, AND DATA  THAT  IS  RETAINED  WHEN  AN  ONLINE  DEVICE  IS
 RESTARTED OR POWERED DOWN.
   (D)  "ONLINE  DEVICE"  SHALL  MEAN A PHYSICAL OBJECT THAT HAS BUILT-IN
 RESOURCES THAT ALLOW IT TO COMMUNICATE THROUGH THE INTERNET OR A  SHORT-
 RANGE  WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY AND REACT TO INTERFACE CONDITIONS, INCLUDING,
 BUT NOT LIMITED TO, A LAPTOP COMPUTER, A DESKTOP COMPUTER, A  TABLET,  A
 SMARTPHONE, OR OTHER SMART HARDWARE.
   2.  (A)  A  PRICE OFFERED TO A CONSUMER THROUGH SUCH CONSUMER'S ONLINE
 DEVICE SHALL NOT BE GENERATED BY ANY ONLINE RETAILER OR  RETAIL  MERCAN-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13624-02-5
 S. 8483                             2

 
 TILE  ESTABLISHMENT,  IN WHOLE OR IN PART, BASED ON ANY OF THE FOLLOWING
 INPUT DATA:
   (I) THE HARDWARE OR HARDWARE STATE OF SUCH ONLINE DEVICE;
   (II) THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF ANY SOFTWARE ON SUCH ONLINE DEVICE; OR
   (III) GEOLOCATION DATA OF THE ONLINE DEVICE.
   (B)  NOTWITHSTANDING  PARAGRAPH  THREE  OF  SUBDIVISION  TWO  OF  THIS
 SECTION, THE GEOLOCATION DATA OF THE ONLINE DEVICE MAY BE USED, AND  THE
 CONSUMER'S  LOCATION  MAY  BE ACCOUNTED FOR, TO GENERATE A PRICE FOR THE
 FOLLOWING REASONS:
   (I) TO ACCOUNT FOR THE DIFFERENCES IN THE COSTS OR DEMANDS  ASSOCIATED
 WITH PROVIDING A GOOD OR SERVICE TO DIFFERENT CONSUMERS;
   (II)  A  SURCHARGE  BASED  ON  THE REAL-TIME DEMAND FOR THE PRODUCT OR
 SERVICE IN THE  CONSUMER'S  VICINITY,  IF  THE  PRODUCT  OR  SERVICE  IS
 PROVIDED IMMEDIATELY UPON REQUEST; OR
   (III)   PRICING   BASED  ON  PRICE  VARIANCES  AT  DIFFERENT  PHYSICAL
 LOCATIONS, DUE TO LEGITIMATE COST OR DEMAND DIFFERENTIALS  OR  STATE  OR
 LOCAL GOVERNMENT TAXES, DUTIES, OR OTHER FEES.
   (C)  THIS  SECTION SHALL NOT APPLY TO ANY COUPON THAT IS SEPARATE FROM
 THE PRICE, ANY DISCOUNT, OR ANY  OTHER  BONA  FIDE  REBATES,  SALES,  OR
 PROMOTIONS  THAT  REDUCE THE PRICE OF GOODS OR SERVICES, THAT ARE AVAIL-
 ABLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON THE SAME TERMS,  AND  DO  NOT  INCORPORATE
 INPUT DATA AS SPECIFIED IN PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
   3.  THE DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION ARE CUMULATIVE
 WITH ANY OTHER DUTIES OR OBLIGATIONS IMPOSED  UNDER  LOCAL,  STATE,  AND
 FEDERAL  LAW  AND  SHALL  NOT BE CONSTRUED TO RELIEVE ANY PARTY FROM ANY
 DUTIES OR OBLIGATIONS IMPOSED UNDER ANY APPLICABLE LAWS.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next  succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.

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Senate Bill S8483

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee

Actions

2025-S8483 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S8483 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S8483 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S8483 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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Sponsored By

Christopher J. Ryan

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee

Actions

2025-S8483 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S8483 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S8483 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S8483 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments