Cybersecurity Policy Report, Bipartisan House Bill Targets Data-Scraping ‘Stealth Bots’, (Jul 24, 2026)
Organizations Mentioned:Federal Trade Commission
Data-scraping Internet bots would have to identify themselves and disclose their purpose when accessing websites under bipartisan House legislation introduced yesterday.
The Stealth Bot Prohibition Act (H.R. 9915, 119th Cong. (2026)) was offered by Rep. Laurel Lee (R., Fla.) and is co-sponsored by Reps. Valerie Foushee (D., N.C.) and Gus Bilirakis (R., Fla.).
The bill would prohibit the use of stealth bots “to access a website, digital platform, or online service in a manner that is reasonably likely to damage, impair, or burden the technical or commercial operation of a website or other internet service,” according to its text.
“As artificial intelligence continues to transform the digital landscape, automated bots now account for more than half of all global web traffic, with malicious bot activity increasing at an alarming rate,” Rep. Lee said in a news release.
“Many AI-powered web crawlers ignore existing industry standards, disguise themselves as human users, or conceal their identities altogether, making it increasingly difficult for website operators across industries to understand who is accessing their systems and how their content is being used,” she said.
“These deceptive practices can increase cybersecurity risks, impose infrastructure costs, and make it more difficult to distinguish legitimate automated activity from malicious actors,” Rep. Lee added.
Operators of bots that fail to identify themselves or misidentify themselves would face fines of up to $53,000 per violation. The bill’s provisions would be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general.
“Today, website operators are too often left in the dark about who is accessing their systems and whether automated tools are collecting their content under false pretenses,” Rep. Lee said. “The Stealth Bot Prohibition Act establishes commonsense transparency standards that help businesses protect their networks, safeguard proprietary information, and better understand how AI systems interact with online content."
News: FederalLegislation DataSecurity AINews