Sam Levine

Senior Fellow Sam Levine Co-Authors New Guide on Applying Existing Laws to AI Chatbots for Kids and Teens

November 19, 2025

Sam Levine, Senior Fellow at the UC Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice, has partnered with technologists Stephanie Nguyen and Erie Meyer along with the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) to release How Existing Laws Apply to AI Chatbots for Kids and Teens, a new resource making clear that AI products aimed at young users are fully subject to longstanding consumer protection and privacy laws.

This resource synthesizes current enforcement themes across jurisdictions, highlighting how...

Sam Levine and CLASS Network Urge D.C. Council to Strengthen Consumer Protection Law

October 22, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In testimony before the D.C. Council’s Committee on Public Works and Operations today, two distinguished consumer policy professionals called on lawmakers to pass critical reforms to the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act (CPPA).

Samuel Levine, Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley Law’s Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice and former Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, emphasized the urgent need to modernize D.C.’s consumer...

The Price of Loyalty: How Rewards Programs Trap Consumers, and How States Can Take Action to Protect Them

October 20, 2025

Nashville, TN – Loyalty programs are everywhere: from airlines to the grocery store and gas station, companies are seeking your loyalty in exchange for discounts. These programs may look simple: collect your points, get some deals, and save some money. But as a new analysis reveals, the reality is that many loyalty programs function as data-harvesting machines. These programs track what we buy, how we search, and even...

Center Participates in Oregon Consumer Protection Roundtable, and Sam Levine Testifies Before Oregon State Legislature

September 30, 2025

The Center commends Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield for bringing together six attorneys general and national thought leaders for a roundtable yesterday on the urgent challenges facing consumers and workers. With federal consumer and worker protections under threat—through efforts to dismantle the CFPB and weaken the FTC and worker-protection agencies—strong state-level protections and enforcement are more critical than ever.

We were proud to contribute to this important convening. The Center’s Senior Fellows, Seth Frotman and Sam Levine,...

Sam Levine Testifies on NYC Hotel Junk Fees Rule

September 24, 2025

Sam Levine testified this week before the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection in support of the department's proposal to ban junk fees by hotels that operate in New York City or advertise to New York City residents. Also, the Center, CLASS, and the CLASS chapters at the law schools at UC Berkeley, Fordham University, St. John's University, and New York University submitted a...

Sam Levine Speaks about Protections for MLM Workers

August 20, 2025

Sam Levine spoke about the FTC's authority to protect Multilevel Marketing (MLM) workers at the Annual Multilevel Marketing Conference in May. A description of his remarks and an examination of the Robinson-Patman Act can be read here.

Sam Levine Interviewed About Surveillance Pricing on "Click Here" Podcast

August 26, 2025

Sam Levine was interviewed about surveillance pricing on Click Here, a podcast about current issues in the world of tech. You can listen to the episode (entitled the "The price tag of you") here.

Sam Levine Quoted in Article on AI Deregulation

July 24, 2025
Senior Fellow Sam Levine was quoted in a Bloomberg piece about the Trump administration's efforts to deregulate AI. You can read the piece here.

Sam Levine Interviewed by NPR on Surveillance Pricing

August 11, 2025
In an interview with NPR's Weekend Edition, Senior Fellow Sam Levine discussed how surveillance pricing—collecting data from consumers to set individualized prices—is driving up costs and eroding privacy. Building on testimony he delivered before the United States Senate last month, Levine emphasized the importance of a strong response by policymakers. "We don't need to live in a world of one person, one price," Levine told NPR. "I think all states should pass surveillance pricing bans, especially if Congress doesn't act. We really have an opportunity to both protect...

Sam Levine