‘Cyber Grinches’ snatching toys should be stopped, US lawmakers say

Star Wars toy accessories at a store in Houston, Texas. Blumenthal and Schumer want to crack down on ‘cyber Grinches’ using bots to quickly snap up entire inventories of popular holiday toys to resell them at higher prices. Their actions could make some of the items almost impossible to buy, the politicians say, exacerbating shortages sparked by supply chain woes. — AFP

A group of Democrats wants to stop the Grinch from stealing Christmas. Except this time around the spoilsport they’re targeting is not a furry green creature, but a robot.

US lawmakers including Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chuck Schumer introduced a bill to crack down on “cyber Grinches” using bots to quickly snap up entire inventories of popular holiday toys and resell them at higher prices. Their actions could make some of the items almost impossible to buy, the politicians say, exacerbating shortages sparked by supply chain woes.