For Texas Taylor Swift fans, karma is a bill being signed into law Monday that prohibits the use of bots to buy live event tickets online. The new legislation comes after millions of Swifties were unable to live their wildest dreams by attending the pop star’s Eras Tour.
Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 1639, proposed by state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, a Laredo Democrat, which stops individuals from using technology that allows them to bypass security measures in online ticketing systems. This includes tactics such as disguising the identity of the purchaser or allowing them to purchase more tickets than a website allows.
These methods were used rampantly when Eras Tour tickets went on sale last November, causing a meltdown for fans who waited for hours in jammed virtual queues. While many Swifties were able to purchase tickets, scalpers using bots were, too. By the end of the fiasco, most of the shows were sold out or had only bad, but pricey, seats left.
