WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday pressed the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce a 2016 law against ticket resellers using bots after Ticketmaster accused the software of problems selling tickets for the superstar’s upcoming tour. of pop Taylor Swift.
Ticketmaster canceled planned ticket sales to the general public for Swift’s 2023 US concert tour, her first in five years, earlier this month amid 3.5 billion fan ticket requests , bots and scalpers have overwhelmed the website.
Senators Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn, the lead Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Commerce Committee’s data security panel, who both worked on a 2016 law banning ticket resellers from using software to purchase tickets, pressed the agency on what it had, if any. done to enforce the law.
“Ticketmaster/LiveNation has identified online bots as a reason fans can’t get Taylor Swift concert tickets, leading the ticket seller to close sales to the general public,” they wrote. senators in a letter to the FTC, citing other consumer examples. have problems buying tickets online.
“While bots are not the only reason for these issues, which Congress is assessing, combating bots is an important step in reducing consumer costs in the online ticketing industry,” the authors wrote. senators.
Swift, winner of Artist of the Year at the recent American Music Awards, said it was “excruciating” to watch fans struggle to get tickets to her Eras tour after being assured Ticketmaster could handle the strong request.
An FTC spokesperson confirmed receipt of the letter, but had no comment.
In the letter, the lawmakers questioned why the agency hadn’t filed more than one lawsuit under the law and asked if there were any other lawsuits pending. PA
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