Instacart has a problem with third-party apps letting shoppers pay for early access to orders

Kara Carmichael has been an Instacartshopper for years in Orlando, Fla. It’s how she’s been able to support her family, she told TechCrunch. But she says she has noticed an increase in third-party bot activity that has made shopping “nearly impossible.”
Despite the high demand for Instacartamid the COVID-19 pandemic, shoppers like Carmichael are facing difficulties claiming orders within the shopper app. This is the result of what appears to be some sophisticated work by