Ontario in Canada is planning to bring in legislation that will outlaw computer ‘bots’ that snap up event tickets and post them on resale websites at inflated prices.
Ontario Attorney General Yasir Naqvi said that he would consult with consumer groups, performers and colleagues in other jurisdictions such as New York before the legislation is introduced, possibly as early as spring 2017.
New York has introduced legislation to ban bots while the UK government announced earlier this week that it would consider amending the law to take a similar step against those who operate the technology.
The legislation in Ontario will build on an earlier private member’s bill by Sophia Kiwala, Naqvi said.
Naqvi added that he was keen for consumers to be given a “fair shot” at buying tickets to big events and added that inaction was not a viable option.
“I want to see what kind of solutions we can put in place,” he said. “New York and London are bigger markets than us, and they’re struggling with the same thing.”
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