A bill has been reintroduced to Congress to curb the use of ‘grinch bots’, that is automated software to scan online stores, and snap up the hot items before anybody else can get them. These are then sold on at a profit to those who missed out, including desperate parents.
The bill’s sponsors have called it the ‘Stopping Grinch Bots’ bill, and claim the “bots ruin the holidays”. Bots spoil the fun for PC users too—with supplies of graphics cards tight, scalpers are in full effect. The practicality of the task is considerable, but it has been done before. A bill in 2016, aimed at stopping automated systems from buying tickets to sports events and concerts, has led to prosecutions.