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Getting a Vaccine Should Be Easier Than Getting a PlayStation
Our experience battling bots to get a gaming console highlights the inequities of vaccine distribution
At my makeshift work-from-home desk on our dining table, my Mac, iPhone, and iPad were all open to Best Buy’s page for the PlayStation 5. A few feet away from me in his home office, my husband, Max, also had his Mac, iPad, and iPhone open to the same Best Buy page. As the clock on our devices edged closer towards 10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, all I could hear was the sound of our furious repeated tapping of the refresh buttons on all six of our devices as we both stared intently at our respective clocks. The stakes were high: We had been trying for over a month to get a PS5, but every time we neared the finish line and were able to add the item to our cart, they were sold out before we could even complete the purchase.
It was us versus the bots.
Bots (computer programs designed to perform repetitive online tasks) wreaked havoc on Christmas shoppers trying to get their hands on Sony’s latest console. They became known online as “Grinch bots”, as digital scalpers swiped up all stock in a matter of seconds, with consumers then finding them on sites like eBay paying triple the price. Walmart reported to the Washington Post that on Black Friday alone, it blocked 20 million bot sale attempts in just 30 minutes.
Scammers have exploited the increase in digital shopping brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic and have increased their use of bots. While digital scalpers have been utilizing bots to turn a quick profit on game consoles, tickets, and limited-edition sneakers for a while, bots that thwart shoppers in search of essential goods and services are relatively new. As the Biden administration announced its plans to ship 1 million vaccine doses directly to 6,500 retail pharmacies for distribution, security companies warn that your vaccine appointment slot could be the next target for digital scalpers and bots.
With demand far outstripping the supply and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, social media has been awash with posts detailing the frustrations of making appointments. The recent PS5 bot debacle has made the private retail sector wary of the potential…
