Congress to crack down on online resales in response to wave of retail theft
Christopher Hutton
Video Embed
Congress is set to pass legislation meant to stop the online resale of stolen products, a response to an increase in organized theft that retailers have blamed on online marketplaces such as those run by eBay, Facebook, and Amazon.
Lawmakers included the measure, which will require third-party sellers to provide personal identifying information if they regularly sell products on an online marketplace, in must-pass government funding legislation unveiled late Monday night. The legislation is expected to be passed this week and signed by President Joe Biden.
CONGRESS SET TO BAN TIKTOK ON GOVERNMENT DEVICES
The House already voted in favor of the bill, the Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers Act, or INFORM Consumers Act, in November. Tech lobbyists praised the legislation, written by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) with bipartisan co-sponsors, as providing better tools for combating the resale of stolen products. The bill is backed by retailers such as Walgreens and Home Depot, as well as by some law enforcement groups.
Congress also included a ban on installing TikTok onto government devices in the omnibus bill. The bill was passed unanimously by the Senate last week, with the House expressing support for the bill as well.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The larger legislation would approve $858 billion in defense spending and $772 billion in nondefense discretionary spending, both up over last year’s levels.
The Senate will be the first to consider the omnibus legislation, with a time agreement required to speed up the vote. It’s unclear if any Republicans will move to block the legislation.