Schumer Pushes Retailers To Block Bots Scalping Popular Holiday Gift Items
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) revealed yesterday that cyber bots are scooping up popular holiday gifts, from dolls to gaming equipment, for resell on other websites at outrageous prices to consumers.
Schumer explained that “bots” are sophisticated computer programs often used by nefarious scalpers and brokers that plague the online sale of many items. In years past, cyber scalpers primarily used bots to snatch up popular tickets to concerts and live theater productions, leaving fans with no choice but to buy tickets through secondary resale sites at much higher prices. Artists, musicians, theater owners and concert promoters led the charge against bots used by online hackers and scalpers in an attempt to improve the ticket-buying experience for customers and guarantee increased transparency for fans.
Last year, Congress passed the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, which Schumer co-sponsored, which prohibits the unfair and deceptive act of using mechanisms such as bots in order to scoop up tickets before consumers are given a fair chance to buy them. However, the legislation did not include items beyond tickets.
According to Consumer Reports, bots subvert typical consumers through complex programming that guesses a product’s ID and locates the product page at lightening fast speeds, automatically filling out these pages in fractions of a second, allowing them to purchase items in demand much more easily. As a result, regular consumers are forced to purchase many popular items on secondary resale sites at prices far above the original retail price. Schumer is asking two of the leading retail trade associations – the National Retail Federation and the Retail Industry Leaders Association – to investigate the prevalence of bots on their members’ websites and help their members institute best practices to subvert these sophisticated computer programs.
“Grinch bots cannot be allowed to steal Christmas, or dollars, from the wallets of New Yorkers. Middle class folks save up—a little here, a little there—working to afford the hottest gifts of the season for their kids but ever-changing technology and its challenges are making that very difficult. It’s time we help restore an even playing field by blocking the bots. When it comes to purchasing products online, major retailers should put forth policies that will help prevent future Grinch bots from stealing the season’s hottest toys,” said Schumer.
Harris Applauds New Law Expanding Access To Breast Cancer Screenings
Assembly member Pamela Harris (D-Coney Island, Bay Ridge) announced that legislation she co-sponsored in the Assembly to mandate that health insurers cover 3-D mammograms was signed into law (Ch. 414 of 2017) last week.
Digital breast tomosynthesis (tomo), also known as 3D mammography, is a new screening and diagnostic breast imaging tool to improve the early detection of breast cancer. During the 3D part of the exam, an x-ray arm sweeps over the breast, taking multiple images in seconds. According to the American College of Radiology, Tomosynthesis, or 3-D mammography, has shown to have higher cancer detection rates and fewer patient recalls for additional testing.
“I am a breast cancer survivor and I know first-hand the importance of early detection. 3-D mammograms are an innovative new technology that is making early detection a reality for so many women. Ensuring this test is covered by insurance will save lives,” said Harris.
“Nobody should be forced to go without access to the best medical care because of cost. Every woman deserves to get the best, most accurate breast cancer screenings possible. I’m proud to stand with fellow survivors across this state to applaud this new law,” added Harris.
Treyger Condemns City’s Failure To Meet Deadline For ADA-Compliant Evacuation Centers
Council Member Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Gravesend), the Chair of the City Council’s Committee on Recovery, condemned the city administration for failing to meet a court-mandated deadline to have Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant evacuation centers.
Last Friday, Treyger led a committee hearing, titled “Update on Assisting Vulnerable Populations in Emergency Evacuations”, in which he took the De Blasio administration to task for failing to fulfill its commitment to have at least 60 emergency evacuation sites ADA compliant. NYC Emergency Management testified at the hearing, and said the City was granted an extension and claims the shelters will be ready by October 2018, more than a year after the initial deadline. However, the City failed to inform the City Council that it asked for an extension in April. As of last week only 34 sites are currently ready.
The hearing was a follow-up to a January hearing Treyger held to examine ways the City helps senior citizens, residents with disabilities, and other vulnerable residents during emergency evacuations. A New York court decision in 2013 found that the City violated the ADA by failing to protect vulnerable residents after Superstorm Sandy. Per the court decision, the City was required to have a minimum of 60 accessible emergency shelters by September of 2017.
More than a million of the city’s 8.2 million residents are in poor health, and approximately 800,000 are younger than five or 80 years of age or older. Southern Brooklyn and Coney Island have among the highest densities of senior citizens, and many of these New Yorkers live in high-rise apartment buildings with limited mobility and transportation options. During Sandy, there were about 75,000 people in poor health living in flooded areas and an estimated 54,000 people in these communities lost power.
“Our City was not prepared to assist our most vulnerable populations during Superstorm Sandy, and we are not fully prepared to do so now. We must do more, and we must act quickly. The devastation we recently saw in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands must serve as a reminder that the threat posed by natural disasters is not diminishing. We must be ready to face them, and we must be prepared to help New York’s most vulnerable. We still have much work to be done,” said Treyger.
Williams Applauds Passage of Tenant Harassment Bills
City Council member Jumaane Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood), Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings, applauded the passage of two bills last week he co-sponsored that will protect tenants from harassment.
The first, Intro 1721-A, expands the definition of harassment to include acts or omissions related to violations of the construction code, as well as the use of unlawful acts, providing false or misleading information relating to the occupancy of such unit or whether such unit is, or will be maintained, in a habitable and safe condition.
The bill passed alongside a companion bill from Council Member Brad Lander (D-Park Slope, Windsor Terrace) Intro 0521, which creates a certificate of no harassment (CONH) pilot program, which would require certain buildings to apply for a CONH before obtaining Department of Buildings (DOB) approval of permits of other construction documents for certain, covered work. Together, the two bills will provide meaningful protections against predatory tenant harassment.
“Tenant harassment can take on many forms. Unscrupulous landlords are constantly devising new methods of abusing their power over tenants, and our laws need to keep up with their actions. This bill will help prevent these landlords from using construction projects in an attempt to force tenants from their homes, and from lying about the that construction or about the safety of a unit. The fight against tenant harassment is ongoing and ever-changing, but my colleagues and I are committed to winning that fight on behalf of all New Yorkers,” said Williams.
“Unfortunately, for some unscrupulous landlords in NYC, harassing tenants is part of the business plan. Once a tenant is driven out, a landlord can make significant renovations, or demolish and rebuild, and then dramatically raise rents. The Certification of No Harassment program bill will expand the definition of harassment and bring strong new tools to fight that business model,” said Lander.
Golden Clears Up Facts On MTA Funding
State Senator Martin J. Golden (R-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach) set the record straight on funding regarding the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) last week.
The MTA has recently been under intense scrutiny following a series of service delays including signal problems, power outages and train equipment malfunctions that have stranded riders in between and at stations for extended periods of time, sometimes for an hour on trains lacking power to lights and air-conditioning. In June, Governor Andrew Cuomo, who controls the MTA, appointed Joseph Lhota to serve as the new Chairman of the MTA to direct the executive management team to address the current service issues facing the struggling authority.
“Recently, there has been some misinformation regarding MTA funding, and what was included in the final State Budget agreement. The Governor’s original proposed State Budget included a $65 million General Fund cut to the MTA. However, the Senate working together with the Assembly, allocated an additional $65 million in capital funding to offset the reduced operating aid,” said Golden.
In the past, Governor Cuomo has also done a “sweep” of funding in his State Budget, where the Governor has taken funds from state entities to spend as he sees fit. My colleagues and I in the Senate have fought these sweeps in the past, and I have legislation that would create a “Lock Box” (S.6807) which would prohibit the ability of the Governor to implement these diversions of public transportation funds in the future. As the representative of the MTA Capital Board for the State Senate, I know how critical it is that the resources meant for the MTA are expended for the MTA. Only by investing in our infrastructure can we keep New York City the best place in which to live, work and raise a family,” added Golden.
Donovan Introduces Legislation Providing Accountability For Taxpayers, Improve Disaster Relief
Congressman Dan Donovan (R-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) alongside Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09) introduced H.R. 4462, the Taking Responsibility by Accounting for Corruption and Excess (TRACE) Act last week.
The bipartisan legislation ensures federal contractors for disaster response cannot shield expenses and activities from audits and reviews. The TRACE Act prohibits the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from reimbursing disaster relief contractors if the contracts prohibit government audits and reviews.
In response to Puerto Rico being ravaged by Hurricane Maria, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) hired Whitefish Energy, a Montana firm, for a $300 million contract to restore the island’s power infrastructure. Whitefish Energy’s contract included a passage that stated “in no event shall [government entities] have the right to audit or review the cost and profit elements.” Whitefish’s work in Puerto Rico faced broad, bipartisan criticism and is the subject of several Congressional investigations. While the $300 million contract was ultimately cancelled, the company continues to do work in Puerto Rico and seeks $83 million in payments from PREPA. More than two months after the storm, approximately half of Puerto Rico remains without power.
“It’s mind-boggling that a contract payable with taxpayer dollars could so brazenly stipulate ‘audits not allowed.’ Emergency spending after a disaster is chaotic and sometimes difficult to track, as New Yorkers know all too well after Sandy and 9/11. But whenever public funds are spent, auditors need to account for the money and defend against corruption. Our legislation rightfully prohibits ‘no-audit’ contracts,” said Donovan.
