Sponsors (5)
The bill strengthens federal enforcement and user protections against deceptive or stealth bots but does so by imposing significant penalties and compliance costs, creating regulatory uncertainty, and limiting state enforcement while federal action is pending.
Everyday users and small businesses gain clearer legal protections against bots that impersonate humans in generative-AI interactions, reducing fraud and deceptive automated interactions.
Website and service operators (including small businesses and financial firms) should face fewer stealth-bot attacks, lowering downtime, maintenance costs, and service disruption for customers.
The FTC is given explicit enforcement authority and civil penalties to deter harmful bot activity and provide a federal remedy for harmed parties.
Companies and developers using bots (especially small developers and tech workers) face higher compliance costs and legal risk, including civil penalties up to $53,000 per violation (adjusted by CPI-U), which can raise costs and uncertainty.
The FTC is prohibited from issuing implementing regulations under this section, creating legal uncertainty about what precise practices are required until courts interpret the law.
State parens patriae actions are limited while federal enforcement is pending, which can delay state-level remedies for residents harmed by bots and slow local relief.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits deceptive or harmful 'stealth bots' (including bots made to appear human for generative AI), empowers the FTC to seek injunctions and civil penalties up to $53,000 per violation, and allows limited state enforcement.
Official title: To prohibit stealth bots, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 23, 2026 by Laurel Lee · Last progress July 23, 2026
Prohibits deploying or directing “stealth bots” that conceal their non‑human nature or are used in ways likely to damage, impair, or burden websites, online platforms, or services. Gives the Federal Trade Commission civil enforcement authority to seek injunctions and civil penalties (up to $53,000 per violation, CPI‑adjusted), allows state attorneys general to bring parens patriae suits with notice to the FTC, and sets a six‑year statute of limitations. The law becomes effective 180 days after enactment.