Stopping Grinch Bots Act of 2025
Congress targets shopping bots that bypass online purchase limits and fuel resale markups
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- Would make it illegal to bypass an online store’s security tools that enforce purchase limits or manage inventory.
- Targets “bots” and similar tools used to buy up high-demand items fast and resell them, especially when stores post buying limits.
- Also bans selling or offering to sell items obtained by bypassing those controls if the seller took part in it, could control it, or should have known.
- Allows exceptions for security research and investigations meant to find weaknesses or help enforce the law.
- Gives the Federal Trade Commission the main job of enforcing the rule, and lets state attorneys general sue for court orders, refunds, or other compensation.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Milestones
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
2 articles
Consumer Reports calls on Congress to approve the Stopping Grinch BOTS Act to protect consumers from the predatory use of “shopping bots”
Consumer Reports urges Congress to pass the Stopping Grinch Bots Act, arguing it would curb automated “shopping bots” that bypass inventory/purchase controls and drive up resale prices; highlights FTC and state AG enforcement.
Press Release: Tonko and Blumenthal Reintroduce Stopping Grinch Bots Act to Combat Holiday Scalping
Aggregated coverage of a congressional press release on reintroducing the Stopping Grinch Bots Act, describing a ban on tools that circumvent retailers’ posted purchase limits/inventory controls and related resale prohibitions.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Stopping Grinch Bots Act of 2025
Data Sources
Sponsor
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.