In a nondescript warehouse at an undisclosed location in Northern New Jersey, there sits a garage space full of neatly stacked sneakers—some on shelves, some not—a basketball hoop, an Armenian flag, ...

Automated purchasing bots, also known as “sneaker bots,” “click bots,” “Instacart bots,” and other names, are ruining the online shopping and gig economy experience for both consumers and workers.