Rep. Laurel Lee Introduces Bipartisan Stealth Bot Prohibition Act to Increase Transparency and Combat Deceptive AI Web Crawlers

Washington, D.C. - Today, Representative Laurel Lee (R-FL-15) introduced the bipartisan Stealth Bot Prohibition Act, legislation to establish transparency standards for automated web crawlers and crack down on deceptive bots that conceal their identity while scraping online content. Representatives Valerie Foushee (D-NC-04) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-09) joined Rep. Lee as original co-leads of the legislation.

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. 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. These deceptive practices can increase cybersecurity risks, impose infrastructure costs, and make it more difficult to distinguish legitimate automated activity from malicious actors.

The Stealth Bot Prohibition Act requires automated web crawlers to accurately identify themselves and disclose their purpose when accessing websites. It also prohibits deceptive "stealth bots" that intentionally misrepresent their identity or impersonate human users in connection with generative AI services. The legislation authorizes the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce these requirements through civil penalties against violators.

"As artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated, we must ensure innovation is accompanied by transparency and accountability. 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," said Rep. Laurel Lee. "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."

"Stealth 'crawler' bots are being deployed in deceptive ways by data scrapers to access digital platforms and websites without consent, harming creative work by scraping large amounts of unauthorized web data and content. As these bots become more advanced, some bad actors are using them to intentionally misrepresent their nature and appear as human traffic, undermining the standards used to responsibly govern web use and protect consumers," said Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (NC-04). "Congress needs legislation that responds to these risks and protects creative and online content from misuse by requiring bot transparency and authorizing the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to intervene and pursue civil penalties against bad actors. I'm proud to join Congresswoman Laurel Lee on this important bipartisan effort that puts hardworking Americans and creative work over exploitative automated bots and unauthorized use."

"The rise of artificial intelligence presents incredible opportunities, but innovation must never come at the expense of those who create original content. News organizations invest significant time and resources to produce accurate, reliable journalism that keeps our communities informed. It is simply wrong for AI bots to scrape that content, repurpose it, and profit from it without permission or compensation," said Congressman Gus Bilirakis. "As a proud co-lead of the BOTS Act, I am committed to protecting intellectual property, supporting local journalism, and ensuring that emerging technologies are developed responsibly. This bipartisan legislation establishes commonsense guardrails that encourage innovation while safeguarding the rights of content creators and preserving access to trusted news sources for the American people."

"The Stealth Bot Prohibition Act is a common-sense solution to an urgent problem plaguing news publishers and other industries across the internet. We are drowning in bot traffic that is hurting our ability to serve our readers, and existing technical tools simply aren't enough to protect our content from malicious foreign actors that can disguise their identity," said Danielle Coffey, President and CEO of the News/Media Alliance. "We need transparency and accountability for bad actors, as well as enforcement mechanisms that require the most basic disclosures, the first step in establishing a secure and healthy marketplace and web. The News/Media Alliance thanks Rep. Lee and Rep. Foushee for their commitment to keeping the internet clean, and look forward to working with them and their colleagues in both the House and the Senate to pass this critical piece of legislation."

"AI companies are using disguised bots to scrape and steal original journalism with zero accountability. They use our work to train and operate their systems that then directly compete with us," said Roger Lynch, CEO of Condé Nast. "The bipartisan Stealth Bot Prohibition Act, requiring bots to identify themselves and their purpose, is a practical step toward helping publishers preserve the integrity of our journalism and trust with audiences. We commend Representatives Lee and Foushee for their leadership in introducing this important legislation."

"This legislation is an important step toward creating a clean internet and a healthy marketplace. Innovation must flourish alongside responsible business practices," said Debi Chirichella, President of Hearst Magazines.

"This bill gives needed protection to American companies like ours against bad actors. Malicious scraping by stealth bots hurts all content creators and, ultimately, consumers," said Conan Gallaty, CEO of Tampa Bay Times.

"Stealth bots are the silent scavengers of the internet-phantom parasites that loot legitimate sites and pillage intellectual property. By unmasking these bad boy bots, this legislation performs a vital role in protecting creators and journalists, and safeguarding internet integrity," said Robert Thomson, Chief Executive, News Corp. "The rampant proliferation of these malevolent bots has degraded the digital ecosystem, and we are proud to partner with other publishers in ensuring that AI does not stand for Abomination Incorporated."

The legislation is supported by the News/Media Alliance, News Corp, Advance Local, Axel Springer US, Condé Nast, Hearst Magazines, McClatchy Media Company, Newsmax, Tampa Bay Times, The New York Times, USA TODAY Co, Vox Media, and Reddit.

The full text of the Stealth Bot Prohibition Act is available here.