Protecting Your Business from Web Scraping as a Service
Understanding the Evolution of Web Scraping
Since the early days of the World Wide Web, automated scripts known as bots have been crawling cyberspace, collecting data for various purposes. Initially, these bots were designed to be helpful, cataloging information much like search engines such as Google and Bing do today.
However, the volume of automated requests has grown significantly. Today, bots account for a substantial portion of web traffic, costing businesses considerable resources to handle unwanted or malicious requests.
While creating a basic web scraper bot is simple, bypassing advanced anti-bot defenses has become increasingly difficult. This challenge has led to the emergence of Web Scraping as a Service (WSaaS), where platforms like Sequentum Cloud, ScrapeHero, and CrawlNow offer non-technical users access to sophisticated scraping capabilities through affordable subscriptions.
What Is Web Scraping as a Service?
Web Scraping as a Service, also called Bots as a Service (BaaS), enables users to automate the collection of website data without technical expertise. The process involves bots extracting raw data, such as HTML content, which is then stored in a structured format for analysis.
Web scraping has both positive and negative implications for websites. Search engines rely on scraping to enhance visibility and drive traffic, but scraping can also result in content theft, site cloning, and fraud.
Early Web Scrapers
The first web scraper, World Wide Web Wanderer, was built in 1993 by MIT’s Matthew Grey to measure the size of the web. Later that year, the first search engine, JumpStation, began indexing web content, fundamentally shaping how we navigate the internet today.
Web Scraping: A Double-Edged Sword
It’s hard to imagine the modern internet without web scraping as a service. Many basic functions baked into the web, including search engines, rely on scraping scripts. Webmasters have long accepted bots scraping their sites as an operational necessity.
However, website owners have become increasingly dubious of web scraping activity in recent years. This has led to the rise of anti-bot solutions designed to detect and mitigate scraper activity. Companies like Netacea offer tools to protect websites from unwanted scraping.
Types of Web Scrapers from a Website Owner’s Perspective
From the perspective of a website owner, web scrapers fall into three categories:
Good Scrapers
Generally beneficial to the website, such as search engine crawlers that enable SEO and organic search traffic.
Neutral Scrapers
Not malicious in intent but not actively benefiting the website. They could be worth blocking if their requests cause undue strain on the site.
Bad Scrapers
Crawlers designed to harm the website. Examples include stealing content to post elsewhere, cloning the site as part of scams, or scanning for product drops so scalpers can hoard inventory.
Why Use Web Scraping as a Service?
Web scraping bots are some of the most basic bots to build and operate. They simply visit a target web page and parse specified information as it appears. Web scraping can become more complex for certain datasets or when content is obscured by JavaScript. However, advancements like Headless Chrome have simplified the automation of extracting any type of data.
Because structured data is a valuable commodity, web scraping can be a profitable side hustle. It has historically had a low barrier to entry, especially with the advent of AI coding copilots. Anyone can use prompts to create a basic web scraping script.
Challenges with Traditional Scraping Methods
However, most websites now use some degree of bot protection, which can easily block rudimentary scrapers. To get past these defenses, scrapers need sophisticated functionality such as proxy IP address lists and even CAPTCHA bypass modules. Maintaining these in the cat-and-mouse race with bot protection solutions, along with hosting or renting your infrastructure, can become expensive.
The Rise of Web Scraping as a Service
The growing complexity of bot defenses makes the “web scraping as a service” model appealing to web scrapers. These services include IP rotation, proxy lists, and other anti-bot bypass techniques as standard.
Web scraping as a service operates in much the same way as any other SaaS product. The user doesn’t need to install any software, as everything is controlled via a web browser. They even offer support and a help desk in most cases. There is almost no skill or knowledge required for the end user.
Web scraping as a service also means subscription-based billing, making both low-level and high-volume scraping accessible without any up-front cost.
Potential Drawbacks of Web Scraping as a Service
Using web scraping as a service rather than one’s own bots also shifts potential liability to the third party. While most web scraping is not illegal, there have been lengthy legal battles between brands and those who have scraped their data. Examples include LinkedIn vs. HiQ and Meta vs. Bright Data. Using a third-party tool to scrape data makes it impossible to identify the end user.
On the other hand, some websites track who is scraping them and offer commercial terms to allow the scraping to continue. This happened in the case of several media sites scraped by AI tools like ChatGPT. If the service is blocked, there is no opportunity for the site to reach out and offer access for a fee. Access is more likely to be shut off without further contact.
Web scraping as a service is also a potential hindrance to more skilled scrapers and developers who might want more control and customization. These services are typically a “black box” – customers have no visibility of or control over how the solution works. This is fine for beginners or business-minded users, but more tech-savvy users might feel they’d get better results by taking back a degree of control.
The Ethical Debate Around Web Scraping as a Service
Web scraping services operate as legitimate businesses, often marketing themselves as ethical by being transparent about their data sources and practices. Some even attain certifications like SOC2 Type II to assure clients of their compliance.
However, these services actively bypass website defenses, raising questions about their ethical standing. While their transparency builds trust, their anti-bot circumvention tactics are in contravention of many websites’ terms of service and challenge the boundaries of ethical business practices.
Effectiveness of Web Scraping as a Service Against Bot Defenses
Web Scraping as a Service tools use advanced anti-bot bypass methods, making them difficult to detect with traditional defenses:
- IP Rotation: They cycle through vast proxy IP lists to mask their origin, making IP-based blocking ineffective.
- Residential Proxies: Using residential IPs helps them appear as legitimate traffic, complicating detection.
Blocking IPs that are part of residential proxies risks denying access to genuine users, creating further challenges for website owners.
Countering Web Scraping as a Service with Intent-Based Detection
The most effective way to combat scrapers, whether DIY or SaaS, is through intent-based detection. Instead of focusing on traffic characteristics like IP addresses or user agents, this method analyzes overall behavioral patterns in real time. Machine learning algorithms assess factors such as the velocity of requests, the order and composition of paths, and historical user activity.
By identifying web scraping intent, this approach prevents reliance on spoofable signals, allowing for accurate bot detection.
Netacea’s Solution for Managing Web Scraping as a Service
Netacea offers an agentless bot management solution that relies on real-time analysis of server logs instead of client-side signals. This ensures robust intent detection without depending on easily manipulated indicators like IPs or user agents.
Key Features
- Traffic Intent Analysis: Evaluates user behavior to distinguish between legitimate and malicious traffic.
- Scraper Identification: Identifies known scraper bots and enables website owners to negotiate data-sharing agreements.
- Revenue Opportunities: Unlocks potential for monetizing scraping activity through partnerships with third parties.
Take Control with Netacea
Web Scraping as a Service can harm your business if left unchecked. Protect your website, app, or API by adopting Netacea’s intent-based bot detection. Book a demo today and experience comprehensive bot protection tailored to your needs.
