Sen. Warner Drafts Bill to Regulate AI Agent Access and Privacy

Sen. Mark Warner is preparing legislation that would create the first regulatory framework for AI agents, addressing critical questions about user privacy and platform access as autonomous software increasingly acts on behalf of consumers.

The draft bill, reviewed by The Information, comes as AI agents have begun operating at scale across retail, financial services, and other sectors. The Virginia Democrat has positioned himself at the forefront of this emerging policy challenge, building on his earlier work with the Access Act, which he reintroduced last year with provisions allowing users to designate agents to act on their behalf across social platforms.

The core regulatory questions

Warner's proposed framework tackles two fundamental issues: how users can ensure their personal information remains confidential when agents act on their behalf, and whether major platforms like Meta and Google can restrict or "throttle" third-party agents from accessing their services.

According to a senior legislative aide familiar with the bill, the legislation aims to protect users' ability to move seamlessly between services. One example: a consumer instructing an independent agent to purchase items from Facebook Marketplace without platform interference.

The regulatory push comes amid growing tension between tech platforms and third-party agent developers. Some companies have expressed concern that fewer human visitors could translate to reduced advertising revenue. Amazon has already updated its code to block competing agents, though CEO Andy Jassy indicated earlier this year he was open to permitting third-party agents under certain conditions.

Why it matters

The absence of clear rules for AI agents creates uncertainty for both businesses deploying the technology and platforms hosting transactions. Without established standards for agent identity, authorization, and operational limits, the infrastructure needed to verify agent legitimacy at scale doesn't exist. This regulatory gap grows more urgent as agent usage accelerates: AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail sites jumped 805% year-over-year by Black Friday 2025, with agents contributing more than $22 billion to global online sales. The AI agents market, valued at $5.4 billion two years ago, is projected to reach $236 billion by 2034.

The broader identity challenge

Warner's legislative effort aligns with increasing calls for "Know Your Agent" standards analogous to the Know Your Customer protocols established by financial institutions in the 1970s. As Johnny Ayers, CEO of identity firm Socure, argued in a World Economic Forum article, the agent-driven economy has already arrived. AI agents now transact across multiple sectors at speeds that exceed human oversight capabilities, yet the verification systems needed to confirm their identity and authorization remain underdeveloped.

The details of Warner's bill were first reported by The Information on Monday.