Websites Start Blocking AI Agents Acting for Users
Users of Meta Muse, xAI Grok, OpenAI Dots and Instinct report that their agents are being blocked from completing tasks on major websites, The Verge writes. The blocks are deliberate policy at several large companies rather than technical failures:
- Yelp only admits agents that pay for its data licensing program.
- Delta Air Lines stops agents from booking tickets on a user’s behalf.
- JPMorgan Chase and Charles Schwab block agent access to accounts over security concerns.
Users also report that Cars.com and Amtrak stopped working with their agents after previously accepting them, which suggests blocking is spreading quietly beyond the companies that confirmed it. Amazon set the precedent by banning Perplexity’s agentic shopping feature and suing the startup, arguing that third parties buying for customers should “operate openly and respect service provider decisions whether or not to participate.” Perplexity’s answer was that Amazon objects because agent traffic puts fewer human eyes in front of its ads.