{"url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-26/therealreal-bot-defense-meta-muse-agents","markdown_url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-26/therealreal-bot-defense-meta-muse-agents.md","title":"The RealReal Tightens Bot Defenses Against AI Shopping Agents","headline":"The RealReal Updates Bot Defense After Meta's Muse Blocked Shoppers for Hours","description":"The RealReal updated its bot defense system after Meta's Muse agent could hold listings in carts for hours, blocking other shoppers from buying.","section":"Product Launches","published_at":"2026-10-26T17:51:13+00:00","modified_at":"2026-10-26T17:51:13+00:00","author":"News Desk","key_takeaways":["The RealReal updated its bot defense configuration to make it harder for AI agents to log in, add items to cart and check out.","The Verge found Meta's Muse could continuously re-add RealReal listings to a cart after the 20-minute hold expired, blocking other shoppers for hours.","Meta said on its Q3 earnings call that shopping was the most common use case for Muse, with purchases averaging over $200."],"companies":[{"name":"The RealReal","is_primary":true,"profile_url":null,"website":"http://www.therealreal.com"},{"name":"Meta","is_primary":false,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/003qagv/meta","website":"https://www.meta.com"}],"source":{"publisher":"The Verge","title":"The RealReal won’t let AI agents hog designer clothing","url":"https://www.theverge.com/news/1018713/meta-muse-agentic-shopping-ai-the-realreal"},"other_sources":[],"tags":["Product Launches","The RealReal","Meta"],"body_markdown":"The RealReal said it updated its bot defense system, making it harder for AI agents to shop on its site. The change follows reporting by [The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/news/1018713/meta-muse-agentic-shopping-ai-the-realreal) that [Meta](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/003qagv/meta)'s Muse could continuously re-add listings to a cart and block other shoppers for hours.\n\n## How The RealReal Addressed The Muse Cart Hold\n\nOn The RealReal's website, an item goes on hold and is unavailable to other customers for 20 minutes once it is placed in a shopping cart. The Verge found that Meta's Muse could be instructed to re-add The RealReal listings as soon as the 20-minute hold expired, effectively blocking other shoppers from purchasing products for hours or longer.\n\nAfter publication, chief technology officer Luke Friang said in an email that the company had addressed the Muse use case flagged by The Verge's story. \"The RealReal's bot defense configuration now makes it much more difficult for all agents to log in, add items to cart, and check out,\" Friang said. Agents will still be able to surface listings from The RealReal and direct Muse users to product pages, Friang said, adding that the company will continue to strengthen protections as AI-powered online shopping evolves. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.\n\nMeta said on its Q3 earnings call this month that shopping was the most common use case for Muse so far, and that purchases were over $200 on average. The company said 10 million people in the US had downloaded the app in 40 days. Retailers including Amazon have blocked agents from shopping on their sites.\n\n## The RealReal's Recent Product And Business Moves\n\nThe RealReal expanded its Ask TRR AI shopping agent, built with Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise, to all 45 million members after a successful pilot, PR Newswire reported on October 8, 2026. The agent helps shoppers find luxury items via natural language.\n\nHarper's BAZAAR reported on October 23, 2026 that The RealReal is releasing a book, Real Style, that guides readers in defining and building personal style through vintage shopping. Business Model Analyst reported on October 21, 2026 that The RealReal turned a profit in Q2 2026, posting $13.5 million in adjusted EBITDA.\n\n## Meta's Muse Data Disclosure\n\nTechdirt reported on October 26, 2026 that Meta's Muse AI app's share links leaked sensitive user data via passive DNS search, including confidential notes, revenue reviews, loan applications and staff calendars. Claroc researchers discovered the flaw, and Meta has suspended the feature while investigating.\n","publisher":{"name":"News for Agent","url":"https://newsforagent.com"}}