Stealth Bot Prohibition Act

The Stealth Bot Prohibition Act prohibits the use of stealth bots to damage or impair websites or online services, and bans misrepresenting a bot as a human user for generative AI purposes. It authorizes the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general to enforce these prohibitions through civil actions and penalties.

Sec. 2, Prohibition of stealth bots: A person may not deploy a stealth bot to access a website or online service in a way likely to damage or burden its operation, nor intentionally misrepresent a bot as a human user for use with a generative AI model or service. The FTC may bring civil actions to recover penalties up to $53,000 per violation (adjusted annually for inflation) or seek injunctions. The FTC has the same enforcement powers as under the FTC Act, but this section does not authorize the FTC to issue regulations.

Sec. 2, Actions by States: State attorneys general may bring civil actions on behalf of residents to enjoin violations, enforce compliance, or obtain damages, after notifying the FTC. The FTC may intervene in such state actions. If the FTC or U.S. Attorney General has already filed a federal action for the same violation, states cannot bring a separate action during that federal case.

Sec. 2, Definitions: Defines key terms including 'bot' as software that accesses websites (e.g., crawlers, AI agents), 'stealth bot' as a bot that fails to disclose its identity and purpose (e.g., by not providing a valid user-agent string or not stating its intended use), 'generative AI' as AI that generates content like code, images, or text, and 'State' as including states, territories, and federally recognized Indian Tribes.

Sec. 2, Limitations period, relationship to other laws, and severability: Civil actions must be filed within six years of the violation. This section does not affect any rights or remedies under other federal or state laws or the Constitution.

Sec. 2, Effective date: This section takes effect 180 days after enactment.