A Private Members’ Bill has been introduced to Parliament seeking to regulate the use of automated bots and increase transparency over automated web scraping.

Introduced by Damian Hinds MP, the Automated Online Software (Access and Transparency) Bill is particularly aimed at addressing the growing problem of automated bots scraping the websites of digital publishers and reproducing that content elsewhere without permission. Under the proposed legislation, operators of bots that access and copy content from UK websites would be required to identify themselves and disclose the purpose for which they are collecting data.

Explaining the motivation behind the Bill, Mr Hinds said that, in addition to helping to support publishers and local journalism, 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”.

A press release also added that the Bill – which has not yet been published – would 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”.

Commenting on the Bill, the Chief Executive of the News Media Association, Theo Bamber, said “for years, news publishers have watched their journalism taken without permission by unidentified bots. This means they don’t know who is accessing their content and then have no say in how it’s used. This Bill will change that by giving publishers, and thousands of other businesses, the right to see who’s trying to gain access to their sites and then negotiate any access on their own terms. It introduces a basic online standard that is long overdue in the AI training gold rush. A standard that will be good for creators of trusted journalism, good for British Business and vital in the pursuit of a healthier internet”.

The Bill will receive its Second Reading on 16 October 2026. As a Private Members’ Bill, however, its prospects of becoming law will depend heavily on whether it secures sufficient Parliamentary time and Government support.

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