Congress moves to stop bots from hoarding limited products

What it does

This bill makes it illegal to use bots or software to bypass purchase limits and inventory controls that online retailers set up to ensure fair access to products (like concert tickets or holiday gifts). It also prohibits knowingly selling products obtained through such circumvention. The FTC and state attorneys general can enforce the law and sue violators for damages.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is a straightforward prohibition on bot circumvention of retailer access controls, enforced by the FTC and state attorneys general. It is a consumer-protection measure targeting scalping and resale of artificially scarce goods.

What the text implies

• The bill's definition of 'posted' (clearly and conspicuously published) may create disputes over what constitutes adequate notice of purchase limits; retailers with vague or buried terms may face enforcement challenges.
• The exception for security research (subsection (a)(2)(B)) is broad and may allow sophisticated actors to claim research immunity while conducting reconnaissance on retailer systems.
• State attorneys general enforcement (subsection (c)) creates parallel litigation risk for retailers and resellers; coordination between state and federal enforcement is not mandated, potentially leading to duplicative suits.
• The bill does not define 'person' or clarify whether it applies to foreign bot operators or only those in U.S. jurisdiction; enforcement against offshore scalping services may be limited.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Ordinary consumers benefit by regaining fair access to limited products at posted prices, rather than losing inventory to bot-driven scalping. The bill does not restrict consumer rights or remedies; it restricts bad-actor conduct (bot operation and knowing resale of bot-obtained goods) that harms consumers.

Who stands to gain

• online retailers (restored ability to enforce inventory controls and pricing)
• consumers (fair access to limited inventory at posted prices)

Named in the bill

Federal Trade Commission, State Attorneys General, Internet retailers, Bot operators, Resellers

Where it stands

• Dec 17, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Dec 17, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

7 lobbying clients named this bill on 7 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $219,920 in lobbying spend. A filing names 8 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 86% of bills with at least one filing.

Paul Tonko, the sponsor, reported $685,551 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Paper Recycling Coalition — $80,000 on 1 filing
• Pratt Industries (usa), Inc. — $61,032 on 1 filing
• Graphic Packaging International — $39,727 on 1 filing
• Cascades Containerboard Packaging (fka) Norampac a Division of Cascades Canada — $26,023 on 1 filing
• Paperworks Industries, Inc. — $7,583 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 7, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.