New York Legislature Passes Bill Targeting ‘Stealth Crawlers’ on News Site

-Editorial 

The New York State Senate and Assembly have approved legislation aimed at curbing the use of so-called “stealth crawlers,” automated systems that allegedly disguise their identity while accessing and extracting digital news content. The measure reflects growing concern among lawmakers and media organizations over the impact of large-scale automated traffic on journalism platforms, infrastructure costs, and content protections.

The bill, approved by the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, targets automated systems that damage, impair, or unduly burden the operations of covered news organizations. It also addresses systems that may generate economic harm through excessive or unauthorized scraping activity.

Under the legislation, the use of stealth crawlers would be prohibited when they are used to access news content in ways that obscure their identity or bypass transparency requirements. The measure further introduces accountability standards for entities deploying automated tools, with the goal of ensuring clearer identification of non-human traffic and more responsible access to digital journalism platforms.

Supporters of the bill argue that the rapid growth of automated scraping tools has placed increasing pressure on news organizations, particularly local outlets with limited technical and financial resources. They say that unidentified bot traffic not only raises operational costs but also complicates efforts to manage content access and protect original reporting.

Danielle Coffey, president and CEO of the News/Media Alliance, said the legislation responds to what she described as widespread and persistent bot activity affecting news websites. She emphasized the need for publishers to have clearer tools to distinguish between legitimate readers and automated systems that consume content at scale.

Diane Kennedy, president of the New York News Publishers Association, said the measure addresses long-standing concerns about automated systems accessing journalism without transparency or authorization. She stressed that protecting original reporting is essential to maintaining the viability of news organizations across the state.

From the broadcasting sector, David Donovan, president of the New York State Broadcasters Association, said the bill would help safeguard broadcasters from unauthorized automated data collection and reinforce the economic foundations that support local news production.

The legislation is sponsored by Assemblymember Steven Otis and State Senator Michael Gianaris. Both lawmakers have described the measure as an effort to increase transparency in automated web access and to strengthen protections for journalism in the digital environment.

The bill now advances to the next stage of the legislative process, where it will undergo further consideration before any potential enactment into law. Lawmakers and industry stakeholders frame the proposal as part of a broader national debate over artificial intelligence, data scraping, and the economic sustainability of news production in an increasingly automated online ecosystem.

Source: https://www.newsmediaalliance.org/ny-passes-stealth-crawler-prohibition-act/