Ticketmaster Under Fire: Bot Scalping Allegations

“When pressed on the problem of cybersecurity securities, you seemed surprised and suggested that LiveNation invested over a billion dollars investing in site protections against bots,” Blackburn created in the letter to Berchtold.

The FTC filed suit versus Ticketmaster simply a couple of months after Head of state Trump issued an executive order routing the feds to step up enforcement of the BOTS Act and other steps indicated to safeguard customers from hazardous ticket sale practices.

Blackburn’s Scathing Letter to Ticketmaster

“Instead of casting blame on any kind of entity apart from Ticketmaster, we prompt you to be forthright with Congress and the American public concerning the extent of your engineering in allowing robots to acquire up and hoard large quantities of tickets,” Blackburn added.

The Republican cited a number of factors that emerged in the FTC’s legal action, including an interior e-mail in which a senior Ticketmaster executive claimed the business “turn [ed] a blind eye as a matter of policy” when brokers and their bots acquired up ticket supply.

FTC Lawsuit and Bot Allegations

“It is astonishing that you would make such a case while actively colluding with scalpers and criminals to obtain the American public,” Blackburn claimed in the letter, which was also signed by Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM).

Ticketmaster was also pressed to discuss whether it has “ever purposefully loosen up [ed] enforcement of ticket limits for certain buyers or brokers for monetary gain,” along with why it spends millions in anti-bot innovation despite allegedly conspiring with brokers who prevent it.

Demands for Answers on Bot Enforcement

In a scathing letter sent out to Ticketmaster CFO Joe Berchtold late Tuesday, Blackburn expressed “major problems” concerning the claims and mentioned statement in 2023 in which Berchtold asserted the business was “doing everything we can to combat individuals who assault our sales and steal tickets meant genuine fans.”

Blackburn demanded Ticketmaster provide solution to numerous concerns in composing by Oct. 14, including whether the business waits its earlier statement that it does not “disregard” to offenses of the BOTS Act taking into account the accusations elevated by the FTC.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) required Ticketmaster explain whether it misdirected Congress in 2023 regarding its handling of bot scalpers– days after the Federal Profession Compensation sued the firm for presumably disregarding to on-line rate gouging.