Establish transparency standards for automated web crawlers, prohibit deceptive stealth bots that misrepresent their identity or impersonate human users while scraping content for generative AI, and authorize FTC civil penalties against violators.

Gus M. Bilirakis · Florida · Republican

policy impact 0.65 specificity 0.88 extraction confidence 90%

Commitment kind: unknown. Promised action: not established. Promised outcome: not established. Deadline: unknown; not assumed expired.

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Occurrences

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 while collecting data for use in connection with generative AI services. The legislation authorizes the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce these requirements through civil penalties against violators.

Bilirakis introduced legislation to require bot transparency, ban deceptive AI web crawlers, and empower the FTC to penalize violators.

Bilirakis, Lee, and Foushee Introduce Bipartisan Stealth Bot Prohibition Act to Increase Transparency and Combat Deceptive AI Web Crawlers | Congressman Gus Bilirakis
primary · press_release · model gpt-5.5

Evidence

legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

GovInfo lists H.R. 9915 as the Stealth Bot Prohibition Act, bill version Introduced in House, with last action date July 23, 2026. The action states that Ms. Lee, for herself, Mrs. Foushee, and Mr. Bilirakis, introduced the bill and it was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): Official GPO metadata confirms Bilirakis cosponsored the bill in the current Congress, but the listed status is only introduction and committee referral, not enactment or passage. No lookback-window search results showed later action.

unresolved same_term A for effort

H.R. 9915 (IH) - Stealth Bot Prohibition Act - Content Details
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 93%

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legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

The introduced text prohibits deploying a stealth bot likely to damage, impair, or burden an online service, and bars misrepresenting a bot as a human user for generative AI. It authorizes FTC civil actions and penalties, defines bots and stealth bots, and takes effect 180 days after enactment.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): The bill text matches the commitment's substance on transparency, stealth bots, generative AI scraping, and FTC civil penalties, but because it is introduced text and not enacted law, the promise remains unresolved rather than delivered.

unresolved same_term A for effort

H.R. 9915 (IH) - Stealth Bot Prohibition Act - Bill Text
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 94%

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Assessments

Public state: unverified As of unknown · legacy_unverified · . Original AI recommendation (not independently established): unresolved. same_term A for effort

Bilirakis materially advanced the promised policy by joining as an original co-lead/cosponsor of H.R. 9915, the Stealth Bot Prohibition Act, introduced on July 23, 2026. The bill's substance matches the promise: crawler transparency, prohibitions on deceptive stealth bots and human impersonation for generative AI scraping, and FTC civil penalties. As of the available current status, the bill had only been introduced and referred to committee, with no enactment or final federal implementation, so the promised outcome has not yet been delivered.

provider codex_cli · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 93%