A group of Democratic lawmakers is reintroducing legislation to outlaw the use of automated bots to purchase retail goods, like graphic cards and video game consoles from e-commerce websites.

Lawmakers Introduce Anti-Bot Act

On Nov. 28, US Representative Paul, a Democrat from New York, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, and Ben Ray Lujian, a Democrat from New Mexico announced a new push for the Stopping Grinch Bots Act.

The lawmakers said in a statement that the bicameral bill would crack down on cyber Grinches who uses bot technology to purchase whole inventories of popular holiday toys and resell them to other buyers at a much higher price.

Tonko, Schumer, and Blumenthal originally introduced the legislation in November 2019 to stop scalper-run bots from getting all in-demand holiday toys from other consumers, according to PCMag.

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Since then, the problem has exploded since retailers are largely selling the newest video game consoles and PC graphics cards online.

Schumer said in the announcement that the average holiday shopper is unable to compete with the light speed of the all-too-common Grinch bot and is then held at ransom by scalpers and third-party resellers when they are trying to purchase holiday presents.

Schumer added that after a particularly trying year, no parent or American should have to fork over hundreds or even thousands of dollars to buy Christmas and holiday gifts for their children and loved ones.

The proposed legislation expands on an earlier law passed in 2016 that outlawed automated bots from circumventing control measures to buy up ticket sales for public events, such as music concerts and sporting events. In addition, the law made it illegal for scalpers to resell the tickets obtained through the bot.

The Stopping Grinch Bots Act would apply the same principles to all online retail sites. The US Federal Trade Commission would be tasked with enforcement, according to Washington Post.

Tonko added that the Grinch Bots Act works to level the playing field and prevent scalpers from sucking hardworking parents dry this holiday season. He urges his colleagues to join him in passing the legislation immediately to stop these Grinch bots from stealing the holidays.

The lawmaker's last attempt to pass the bill seems to have stalled in Congressional committees. However, the ongoing supply chain troubles facing the US may spark more support for the bill when Democrats narrowly control both chambers of Congress.

Retailer's Fight Against Bots

Retailers such as eBay, Best Buy, Walmart, and Amazon are working to make their system more secure and to prevent scalpers from using bots in purchasing items online.

According to IGN, one of the most sought-after products online is the PS5 console, which immediately gets sold out just minutes after restocking them. Each has its own restocking methods with some variances, but the restock patterns differentiate between the retailers.

Amazon tends to be the least likely to restock out of the three. Most of the time, the restocks are available to any customers, although there have been a few rare instances when it made PS5s and Nintendo Switch OLEDs available through its Treasure Truck program or through Prime.

Last week, Japanese retailers revealed that they have a very smart way of making sure that scalpers can't purchase online.

Reddit users also shared tips on how to get PS5 consoles without having to go through scalpers.

Related Article: Japan Plans to Tag PS5 Consoles Sold by Scalpers | 'Large Cross' Allegedly Used to Marks Devices

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Written by Sophie Webster