Business & Technology
DataDome launches waiting room to block bot traffic
SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO
News Editor
DataDome has launched Priority Protect, a virtual waiting room designed to manage human, AI agent and bot traffic. The product targets online sales and booking periods that attract heavy automated demand.
The launch comes as concern grows over the effect of bots on ticketing and other high-demand online transactions in the UK, where lawmakers are considering the Ticket Touting Bill. Existing queue systems were built to handle traffic spikes as a capacity issue, rather than distinguish between genuine customers and automated traffic, according to DataDome.
The new system analyses each request in real time and classifies it as coming from a human user, an AI agent or a bot. Businesses can then apply different rules to each group, including allowing access, challenging traffic or removing it from the queue.
That approach reflects a wider shift in online commerce. Automated tools no longer appear only during headline product launches or major ticket releases. Retailers, ticket sellers and booking platforms are increasingly dealing with software agents that monitor listings continuously and react immediately to changes in availability or price.
DataDome said this has turned many ordinary online sales into a constant version of a flash sale. In one overnight sports ticket sale, 31% of queue traffic was bot-generated, or 2.4 million of 7.8 million requests, it said.
Queue pressure
Virtual waiting rooms have become a common way to control access during sudden traffic surges, especially for concert tickets, sporting events and limited product drops. But many of those systems decide only when a visitor first joins the queue and do not continue checking behaviour once the user is inside, DataDome argues.
Priority Protect is designed to keep validating traffic throughout a session, rather than only at the point of entry. That means a user or software agent that changes behaviour after entering the queue can be challenged again or removed, according to the company.
The system also keeps the waiting room on the client company’s own domain, rather than sending users to a separate environment. That allows businesses to set rules for specific pages, domains or URLs and adjust queue release rates in real time, DataDome said.
It is also adding priority lanes, allowing customers to route selected users or approved agents to the front of the queue through dashboard settings. That could be used for trusted partners, premium customers or other predefined groups.
Wider issue
The debate over queue fairness has intensified after several major ticket sales in recent years drew complaints about long waits, site instability and limited availability for ordinary consumers. Sales for artists including Oasis and Taylor Swift focused attention on how quickly automated traffic can crowd online systems and reduce access for genuine buyers.
The proposed Ticket Touting Bill in the UK has added political momentum to efforts to curb abuse in online ticketing. While the legislation addresses resale and touting practices, pressure on ticketing systems also stems from the scale and speed of automated queue traffic.
Early customers using Priority Protect have reported cleaner queues, fewer losses of inventory to bots and shorter waiting times for genuine users during peak periods, DataDome said. It did not identify those customers.
DataDome already provides bot and automated traffic management services, and said the new waiting room extends that work into queue management. Its wider network processes 5 trillion signals a day to assess traffic behaviour, though the company did not break down how much of that activity relates specifically to the new product.
Pradheep Sampath, Chief Product Officer at DataDome, said the problem is no longer limited to website outages caused by sudden demand.
“Peak moments should drive revenue, not outages. A virtual waiting room that cannot tell a human customer from a bot or an unauthorised AI agent has no way to guarantee fairnesos. Priority Protect was built on a fraud-detection foundation, so businesses can guarantee that every spot in line goes to a real customer or an agent they actually trust,” Sampath said.
The company behind bikemaker Raleigh, which was founded 139 years ago and has supplied bikes to the UK’s cycling city of Oxford over the years, has filed to appoint administrators.
Accell UK and Ireland, part of Netherlands-based Accell Group, filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators as the wider group kickstarted insolvency proceedings.
This follows a difficult spell for Nottinghamshire-based Raleigh, which confirmed job cuts in 2024 before reporting a £30m loss in financial accounts published the following year.
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The boss of Accell said it was a “deeply sad and frustrating situation” and that it had “tirelessly explored” every option for the future of the cycling business.
The company bought Raleigh in 2012 for around 100 million US dollars (£74 million), adding to its roster of bike brands throughout Europe including Haibike, Winora and Ghost.
Raleigh was founded in Nottingham in 1887 and was well-known for its Chopper model, which featured extended handlebars and is now part of its “retro” range.
It no longer manufactures bikes from Nottingham, and its head office has moved to Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, while the company has shifted to selling electric bikes under Accell’s ownership.
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Accell went through a restructuring in February, securing additional funding from shareholders and lenders and reducing debts.
The group said it had since “explored every possible avenue” for its future, including discussions with potential buyers, but that it had not been possible to find a solution which means the business can continue operating.
It has therefore initiated insolvency proceedings in the Netherlands.
Accell’s chief executive Jonas Nilsson said: “This is a deeply sad and frustrating situation given all the hard work and everything we have achieved, with the support of shareholders and lenders, to restructure Accell’s operations and finances.
“It is an especially difficult moment for our employees, creditors, customers, suppliers, and partners.
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“Every realistic option for the future of the business has been tirelessly explored, and none have resulted in a solution to continue the Group in its current form.
“Our immediate focus is to support an orderly process, provide clarity wherever possible, and work with the relevant court-appointed administrators to preserve viable activities and employment where circumstances allow.”
At its 1970s height, Raleigh employed more than 13,000 people across the UK, with around 8,000 working at its various Triumph Road sites in Nottingham.
The former factory land later became the University of Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus.
Raleigh subsequently moved its headquarters to Church Street in Eastwood, before leaving that site and relocating to Durban House in 2024.
Celebrating both GCSE and A-Level Results Days, the chain will offer the popular dish to students who buy one of its bubble teas.
The free offer is available at all 42 Rosa’s Thai restaurants across England and Wales.
To avail of the free noodles, students need to register on Rosa’s Thai website for a unique code, which they should present at the restaurant together with a copy of their results.
Rosa’s Thai has a new range of bubble tea flavours, including Ube-Taro, Matcha-Coconut, Mango Sticky Rice, and Milo Chocolate Milk, as well as favourites like Home-brewed Thai Tea with Tapioca, and Lychee Mango with mango boba.
Students can sign up for their free Pad Thai at rosasthai.com/result-day-free-pad-thai and find their nearest restaurant at rosasthai.com/locations.
The London Mint Office, which distributes commemorative coins and medals, appointed administrators on July 31 after 20 years in business.
The company’s website now displays a message confirming the appointment of Michael Magnay and Jonny Marston of Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP as joint administrators.
A spokesman for Alvarez and Marsal said: “On July 31 2026, Michael Magnay and Jonny Marston of Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP were appointed as Joint Administrators of The London Mint Office Limited in administration (the “Company”).
“Regrettably, the Company’s liquidity challenges have led to a number of immediate redundancies. We are supporting the affected employees through the redundancy process.
What Happens When a Company Goes Into Administration?
“The affairs, business and property of the Company are being managed by the Joint Administrators who act as agents of the Company and without personal liability.”
The announcement confirms that it is no longer possible to purchase coins or medals through the company’s website.
The London Mint Office operates a distribution centre in Tonypandy, Rhondda Cynon Taf, where it employs a significant number of people.
Administration is a formal insolvency process triggered when a business cannot meet its financial obligations.
An insolvency practitioner is appointed to manage the company’s affairs and may attempt to restructure the business or sell off assets to repay creditors.
What happens when a company goes into Liquidation?
Founded in 2006, The London Mint Office describes itself as “one of the UK’s most trusted suppliers of historic, commemorative, and collector coins.”
It is part of Samlerhuset AS, a Norwegian company based near Oslo and one of Europe’s largest distributors of commemorative coins and medals.
Samlerhuset’s website states that it offers “provide a wide range of coins from ancient to modern, originating from virtually every country in the world.”
The London Mint Office has advised anyone with an interest in the company’s assets to contact the administrators at INS_THLMOL@alvarezandmarsal.com.
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