Stealth Bot Prohibition Act (119th Congress)
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Stealth Bot Prohibition Act[1]
United States — federal[1]
Proposed legislation[1]
H.R. 9915, 119th Congress[1]
Introduced in the House and referred to Energy and Commerce, July 23, 2026; no later formal action verified.[1]
None currently; the proposed section would commence 180 days after enactment.[1]
The Stealth Bot Prohibition Act, H.R. 9915, was introduced in the House on July 23, 2026, by Representative Laurel Lee with Representatives Valerie Foushee and Gus Bilirakis, and referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. It remains proposed legislation.[1]
Proposed requirements
The bill would prohibit deploying a stealth bot to access a website, digital platform or online service in a manner reasonably likely to damage or burden its operation. It would also prohibit intentionally disguising a bot as a human user in connection with a generative-AI model or service. Its definition covers crawlers and AI agents that access a site without prior disclosure of identity and purpose, including the intended use of page content.[1]
The Federal Trade Commission could seek injunctions and civil penalties; state attorneys general and designated state officials could bring civil actions for residents, subject to the bill's procedural conditions. If enacted, the section would take effect 180 days after enactment.[1]
Status and coverage
The official introduced text records the July 23 referral. News-media executives urged Congress to advance the existing proposal in late September; that lobbying did not itself change the bill's legal status.[1][2]
Related articles and coverage
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 U.S. Government Publishing Office, H.R. 9915 introduced text, July 23, 2026; full eight-page bill reviewed October 1, 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Desk, “Publishers push for new law banning bot-based AI scraping,” September 30, 2026; full report reviewed.