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There might be hope yet if you're looking to FINALLY secure a PS5 or your most-desired collectible because a group of lawmakers have just reintroduced a bill aimed at stopping scalpers and the bots they use!
The bill is called the "Stopping Grinch Bots Act" and was reintroduced earlier this week and if it passes it would do the following:
- Prohibit manipulative technical practices that allow bad actors to use bots to circumvent control measures designed to protect real consumers.
- Make it an illegal Federal Trade Commission violation to circumvent security measures, access control systems, or other technological control measures on a site or online service.
- Make it illegal to sell or offer any product or service obtained by the described method.
- Allow the FTC and state Attorneys General to "treat these abusive workarounds as prohibited unfair or deceptive acts or practices, and take legal action against the bad actors."
Essentially all of the above means the US would actually support programs aimed towards reducing bots used by scalpers and resellers to buy up all of a retailer's stock of a certain item and allow other people to purchase said items.
The "Stopping Grinch Bots Act" has received support from Consumer Reports, The Consumer Federation of America, and the National Consumers League. and I don't know about you, but I just love that Grinch is in the bill's title!
You can learn more about the bill HERE!
(IGN)