Damian released the following statement today:
MP Damian Hinds has presented a Bill in Parliament to increase transparency around automated web scraping.
The Automated Online Software (Access and Transparency) Bill would require operators of automated software (‘bots’) that systematically access and copy content from UK websites to identify themselves and disclose the purpose for which they are collecting data.
Automated scraper bots are widely used to collect and organise online content for search engines and AI sites such as ChatGBT. Whilst some identify themselves responsibly, others do not, making it difficult for publishers and website owners to know who is accessing their content or how it will be used. Automated bots now account for more than half of internet traffic, with a significant proportion taking steps to avoid identification.
Commenting, Damian said: "Anonymous scraping bots pose a particular challenge for local news publishers. Local journalism depends on readers visiting publishers' websites, where advertising and subscriptions fund reporters covering courts, councils and their communities.
"When an unidentified bot copies a local newspaper's reporting and that information is reproduced through an AI assistant or other service, readers may never visit the original source. The publisher receives no revenue, despite having invested in the journalism that made the information available in the first place.
"My Bill would not solve every challenge facing local journalism, but it would establish a basic principle of transparency. Publishers should be able to see who is accessing their work and decide for themselves whether to block that access, allow it or agree a fair price for their content."
The Bill does not regulate AI models, determine how automated software may use data, or change copyright law. Instead, it establishes transparency requirements for operators of automated systems that collect content from UK websites. Many major search engines and AI companies already identify their bots; the Bill is primarily intended to address operators who currently do not.
The Private Members Bill is sponsored by a number of cross-party MPs and is scheduled to receive its Second Reading on 16th October.
ENDS
For more information: contact [email protected]
Notes to editors
More information about the Bill can be found here: Automated Online Software (Access and Transparency) Bill - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament
Bot traffic grew roughly eight times faster than human traffic in 2025, with AI-driven scraper traffic up nearly 600% in a single year. The estimated size of the global "stealth bot" black market in scraped data is over $1 billion, and growing fast as AI expands. (Source – News Media UK)
