Algorithm Alert

Professor Elettra Bietti recently testified before the Massachusetts State House in support of H1564 and S1016, two bills designed to reduce the legal burden for plaintiffs suing landlords who use commercial pricing software such as RealPage to coordinate rental prices. Bietti, an expert on digital platforms and antitrust law, argued the bills are a significant development given the difficulty of proving algorithmic collusion under existing law.

“Given the novelty of the antitrust issues at stake and the difficulty of proving rent-setting collusion through algorithms, these state bills are a very significant development,” said Bietti. “They ease plaintiffs’ burden in antitrust lawsuits and reduce commercial landlords’ incentive to collude at a time when rent is such an important part of most households’ expenses.”