{"id":238,"date":"2018-05-21T09:51:34","date_gmt":"2018-05-21T09:51:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prowebscraper.com\/blog\/?p=238"},"modified":"2026-03-21T07:27:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T07:27:09","slug":"is-web-scraping-legal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowebscraper.com\/blog\/is-web-scraping-legal\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Web Scraping Legal? : The Definitive Guide [2024 update]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-right:24px;flex-basis:20%\">\n<div class=\"table_of_content_menu\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Table of Content<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#why_does_web_scraping_often_appear_offensive\">Why does web scraping often appear offensive?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#arguments_in_favour_of_web_scraping\">Arguments in favour of web scraping<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#is_web_scraping_legal_or_not\">Is Web Scraping legal or not?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Conclusion\">Conclusion<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:80%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/prowebscraper.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/is_web_scraping_legal-1024x512-1024x512.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-586\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You must be eyeing some data on a competitor\u2019s website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You might think that you can get a competitive edge if you can get hold of this data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, you need the data not just once but regularly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You want to scrape it but you are not sure if it\u2019s legal to scrape web data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t worry; you are not alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A lot of people are not sure whether web scraping is legal or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some people scrape the web data and don\u2019t stop at anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some others are not sure if getting <a href=\"https:\/\/prowebscraper.com\/blog\/product-description-generator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">product descriptions from an e-commerce<\/a> site would invite legal trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No worries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To put the debate to rest, we have put together this blog that dispels all the myths regarding legality of web scraping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"b poc poc-split\">\n        <div class=\"poc-split-l\">\n          <div class=\"poc-badge\" style=\"margin-bottom:.75rem\"><span class=\"poc-dot\"><\/span> Free pilot<\/div>\n          <div class=\"poc-h\">Real competitor data in 48 hours. Not a demo \u2014 your actual sites.<\/div>\n          <div class=\"poc-sub\" style=\"text-align:left;margin:0 0 1.25rem;max-width:none\">Tell us which competitors matter. We&#8217;ll deliver a sample file you can open in Excel tomorrow \u2014 same format you&#8217;d get as a paying customer.<\/div>\n          <a href=\"\/book-demo\"class=\"poc-btn\">Request sample data<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"poc-split-r\">\n          <div class=\"poc-split-r-item\">\n            <div class=\"poc-split-r-icon\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#60a5fa\" stroke-width=\"1.5\"><rect x=\"3\" y=\"3\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" rx=\"2\"><\/rect><line x1=\"3\" y1=\"9\" x2=\"21\" y2=\"9\"><\/line><line x1=\"9\" y1=\"21\" x2=\"9\" y2=\"9\"><\/line><\/svg><\/div>\n            <div><div class=\"poc-split-r-title\">1\u20132 sites scraped<\/div><div class=\"poc-split-r-desc\">Your target competitors<\/div><\/div>\n          <\/div>\n          <div class=\"poc-split-r-item\">\n            <div class=\"poc-split-r-icon\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#60a5fa\" stroke-width=\"1.5\"><path d=\"M14 2H6a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v16a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h12a2 2 0 0 0 2-2V8z\"><\/path><polyline points=\"14 2 14 8 20 8\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div>\n            <div><div class=\"poc-split-r-title\">25\u2013100 SKUs<\/div><div class=\"poc-split-r-desc\">Complete sample file<\/div><\/div>\n          <\/div>\n          <div class=\"poc-split-r-item\">\n            <div class=\"poc-split-r-icon\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#60a5fa\" stroke-width=\"1.5\"><circle cx=\"12\" cy=\"12\" r=\"10\"><\/circle><polyline points=\"12 6 12 12 16 14\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div>\n            <div><div class=\"poc-split-r-title\">48-hour delivery<\/div><div class=\"poc-split-r-desc\">Real data, not demo data<\/div><\/div>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"why_does_web_scraping_often_appear_offensive\">Why Does Web Scraping Often Appear Offensive?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When you are engaging in web scraping, you may not find it offensive or unethical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, if you find out that somebody else is scraping your website for a competitive advantage or financial windfall, you would not like it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is what it\u2019s all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/prowebscraper.com\/blog\/what-is-web-scraping\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Web scraping <\/a>is generally not carried out for harmless, academic purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People think that web scraping is a process by which companies encroach upon their space and gain a competitive advantage for financial gains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To put it more precisely, here\u2019re the key points why people consider web scraping offensive and even unethical, bordering upon illegal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Since data provides an immediate competitive advantage to companies, they indulge in web scraping to get hold of the data they need. While doing so, they have financial gain in mind. This builds a perception that web scraping is meant for making money. People don\u2019t like something that is misused for financial rewards. This is why people consider web scraping offensive and even unethical.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When companies and individuals indulge in web scraping, they at times cross the line and violate copyright norms and Terms of Service. Web scraping appears as an aggressive exercise that does not respect any ethical or legal norms. This is the reason people find it difficult to perceive web scraping in a positive light.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>At times, it\u2019s simply the manner in which web scraping happens that people find offensive. For instance, a scraper would send more number of requests than human users do. This means that it will cause heavy load on the website.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Every website has its own security measures to protect its data. Those indulging in web scraping may not respect or follow the security measures. They may bypass these security measures and carry out their web scraping tasks without any care for your privacy or security concerns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In several subtle ways, web scraping annoys people and earns a poor reputation for itself. However, it\u2019s ironic that everybody who finds web scraping offensive also needs web scraping equally badly!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"arguments_in_favour_of_web_scraping\">Arguments in Favour of Web Scraping<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Like it or not, it\u2019s a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/peterbendorsamuel\/2017\/07\/21\/the-power-of-digital-transformation-in-a-data-driven-world\/#696158513f2c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">data-driven world<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No matter what your field of operation is, you need access to tons of data. Without data, you cannot make any real progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If it is not possible to work or carry out business at an individual level without leveraging data, imagine the stakes for a multinational company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine that you are a billion dollar corporation and you are about to work out your marketing campaign. Can you just shoot in the dark?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course not!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You need something to base your policy and strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is where data comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You would need reliable and latest data regarding your area of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is where web scraping comes as a huge boon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only that web scraping can automate the process, it can also make a lot of data available in no time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Web scraping can relieve the burden of hunting for data as it can make it all available in one place. Moreover, while data is anywhere available on websites, it is not available in a usable format. <a href=\"https:\/\/prowebscraper.com\/blog\/beginners-guide-to-web-scraping-using-excel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Web scraping can extract the data<\/a> in a format of your choice like Excel so that you can process it and use it the way you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are various ways in which web scraping is a great help without which the digital world as we know it may come to a standstill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As long as web scraping remains in the legal boundaries and procures the data you want, there should be no reason to term it offensive or illegal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"is_web_scraping_legal_or_not\">Is Web Scraping legal? or Not<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s take a practical example to understand this. Craigslist sued a company called Instamotor for scraping its content to create their own listings and sending mails to Craigslist users for selling used cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Guess what happened next?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instamotor was ordered to pay <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law360.com\/articles\/951532\/instamotor-agrees-to-pay-craigslist-31m-stop-scraping\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">$31 million to Craigslist<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you can see, it can get pretty nasty as a legal issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You might wonder how far it is legal and when it becomes illegal where you make yourself vulnerable to such lawsuits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have put together key points for you to find out how legal or illegal your web scraping exercise is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/prowebscraper.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Is-web-scraping-legal-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-587\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As you can see in Craiglist issue, it was not so much about the data itself. But it is much more about the abusive access and use of the data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is where <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/uscode\/text\/18\/1030\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Computer Fraud and Abuse Act<\/a> (CFAA) comes in. Craiglist got the upper hand because of this act. Under this act, an unauthorized use of data from a web page can be liable to legal action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So while web scraping, you must ensure that you are not in violation of this act. Web scraping would be illegal if it is in violation of CFAA.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"perfect-pullquote vcard pullquote-align-full pullquote-border-placement-left\" style=\"border-color:#1a73e8 !important;font-size:28px !important;\"><blockquote><p style=\"font-size:28px !important;\"><strong>Tip #1<\/strong> &#8220;Don\u2019t violate the norms laid down in CFAA. Avoid the abusive access and use of data for business and financial gain.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Copyright Infringement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Copyright is a widely known concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, you might wonder what it\u2019s got to do with web scraping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, when you scrape web data, you are accessing data which could be protected by copyright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So if you scrape it and use for commercial purposes, it could invite legal trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may think that you are scraping public data and there\u2019s nothing wrong with it. You are right to the extent that you scrape it. However, making commercial use of this data is not allowed under copyright laws. Therefore, if your web scraping leads to <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Copyright_infringement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">copyright violations<\/a>, it would be termed illegal.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"perfect-pullquote vcard pullquote-align-full pullquote-border-placement-left\" style=\"border-color:#1a73e8 !important;font-size:28px !important;\"><blockquote><p style=\"font-size:28px !important;\"><strong>Tip #2<\/strong> &#8220;Respect copyright and don\u2019t scrape and use data protected by copyright.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Trespass to Chattel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This one sounds less scary than the CFAA and Copyright Infringement. However, it is also equally serious legal issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Basically you know how trespassing is treated legally. You are not allowed to trespass on someone\u2019s property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Likewise, entering the prohibited space and behaving in an irresponsible manner on the digital platform is also not appreciated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In terms of web scraping, it is offensive if you directly damage the website and its functioning in any way. While scraping web data, many people fail to see how their web scraping adversely affects the website and the server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To expedite the processing of scraping the data, your scraper may make too frequent requests and slow down or bring down the server. This could qualify as the matter under <a href=\"https:\/\/ilt.eff.org\/Trespass_to_Chattels.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">trespass to chattel<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In any way, your web scraping must not affect the website and the server. If it does, you are exposing yourself to some legal trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"perfect-pullquote vcard pullquote-align-full pullquote-border-placement-left\" style=\"border-color:#1a73e8 !important;font-size:28px !important;\"><blockquote><p style=\"font-size:28px !important;\"><strong>Tip #3<\/strong> &#8220;Don\u2019t enter the prohibited space and don\u2019t violate the owner\u2019s space and data.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Robots.txt<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, there is something called <a href=\"http:\/\/www.robotstxt.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Robots.txt<\/a> which you must consider at the outset. In simple terms, it\u2019s document that contains all the rules regarding how bots should interact with the website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some websites completely prohibit bots. If you are careful enough, you would get the message to stay away from such a site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It also clarifies what the website considers \u201cgood behavior\u201d when it comes to access, restricted web pages and frequency of crawling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So if you want to play it safe legally, you must adhere to the norms laid down in Robots.txt. This is a clear indication what you must and must not do. As long as you follow the norms contained in it, you would be safe, legally!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"perfect-pullquote vcard pullquote-align-full pullquote-border-placement-left\" style=\"border-color:#1a73e8 !important;font-size:28px !important;\"><blockquote><p style=\"font-size:28px !important;\"><strong>Tip #4<\/strong> &#8220;Follow the norms of Robots.txt and respect the terms described in it while scraping the web data.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Crawl Rate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The strength of web scraping is also its weakness. The reason why web scraping is preferred is because of the speed with which it can fetch the data you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, here\u2019s the hitch. Websites don\u2019t like such aggressive crawling and scraping of the data at such a fast clip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why many websites specify the crawl-delay settings in order to slow you down. However, many people scraping data aggressively disregard this crawl rate and end up scraping in a way that either harms or upsets the site owners. This, in turn, can expose you to significant legal trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"perfect-pullquote vcard pullquote-align-full pullquote-border-placement-left\" style=\"border-color:#1a73e8 !important;font-size:28px !important;\"><blockquote><p style=\"font-size:28px !important;\"><strong>Tip #5<\/strong> &#8220;Don\u2019t crawl in an aggressive manner. Follow a reasonable crawl rate of 1 request per 10-15 seconds. As long as you follow a reasonable crawl rate, you will be safe.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. API vs. scraping the data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Scraping data without considering the legalities of it in an aggressive fashion can get you in trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead you can opt for a safer path like using an API. Most of the websites that you come across have already got an API for its users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It would not be advisable to scrape data in an aggressive way when an API is available. The reason is that using an API puts you in a much better position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As long as you use an API and don\u2019t indulge in desperate efforts of scraping the data violating the norms, you will be legally safe.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"perfect-pullquote vcard pullquote-align-full pullquote-border-placement-left\" style=\"border-color:#1a73e8 !important;font-size:28px !important;\"><blockquote><p style=\"font-size:28px !important;\"><strong>Tip #6<\/strong> &#8220;Most websites have got an API. Use API instead of scraping wherever provided.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Violating Terms of Service (ToS)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to scraping, people tend to cross the lines quite often. One such line that people cross is <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Terms_of_service\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Terms of Service<\/a> (ToS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Websites create and store the data in a way that is protected from predatory scrapers. Terms of Service would state it quite clearly that there\u2019s data on this site that they don\u2019t want to allow anybody to scrape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You might think that you are scraping the public data but if the Terms of Service prevents you from scraping it, you are crossing the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scraping public data may not be strictly illegal but you have exposed yourself to a situation in which a company can initiate action against you if it wishes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The bottom line is that you must respect the Terms of Service or be prepared for legal trouble!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"perfect-pullquote vcard pullquote-align-full pullquote-border-placement-left\" style=\"border-color:#1a73e8 !important;font-size:28px !important;\"><blockquote><p style=\"font-size:28px !important;\"><strong>Tip #7<\/strong> &#8220;Follow and respect Terms of Service. If it explicitly lays down norms for web scraping, follow it in letter and spirit.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. Hitting the servers too frequently<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The world of business has become so data-driven that companies are willing to go to any lengths to procure data. Since time is of the essence, companies want the data right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In an effort to beat the competitors, they would take undue risks and scrape away at a great pace disregarding the norms and rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One such example is the way scrapers hit the servers repetitively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Humans don\u2019t access a website so frequently and websites are designed for such a human pace of accessing websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So when you <a href=\"https:\/\/softwareengineering.stackexchange.com\/questions\/304751\/is-there-a-limit-to-how-often-i-should-access-a-website-programically-to-avoid-d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">hit the servers too frequently<\/a>, it may happen that the server will crash or at least slow down to extent that it cannot efficiently load web pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It gives the website owner the right to initiate legal proceedings against you considering the fact that your efforts have harmed their website in a willful way.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"perfect-pullquote vcard pullquote-align-full pullquote-border-placement-left\" style=\"border-color:#1a73e8 !important;font-size:28px !important;\"><blockquote><p style=\"font-size:28px !important;\"><strong>Tip #8<\/strong> &#8220;Maintain time gap between two requests. Don\u2019t be too aggressive in your scraping efforts.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, you exercise restraint and don\u2019t hit the servers too frequently, you will be able to scrape the data as long as you want. It will enable you to scrape the web data and avoid any legal ramifications as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. Going beyond the Public Content<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As a smart Internet user, you must learn to distinguish between public content and private data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Websites keep some data available for public use and allow anyone and everyone to access it. However, there\u2019s some data on the website which is not for public access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You would know it very well. But if you knowingly go beyond the public content and scrape data that is not open to the general users, you will be asking for trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For instance, if it requires logging in, it means it is not for public access. You need to stay away from such data that you can get only after logging in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you violate this basic norm and extend your scraping exercise beyond the public content, you may invite the legal trouble. However, if you stick to the public content, you will be safe and will be able to scrape as long as you want without having to worry about legal issues.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"perfect-pullquote vcard pullquote-align-full pullquote-border-placement-left\" style=\"border-color:#1a73e8 !important;font-size:28px !important;\"><blockquote><p style=\"font-size:28px !important;\"><strong>Tip #9<\/strong> &#8220;Access the public data only. Don\u2019t go beyond the public data. It will lead to violation of copyright etc.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Conclusion\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The question is not whether you will scrape the web data or not scrape it because web scraping is inevitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s no other fast and efficient way to extract web data you need for the decision making and growth of your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The question, however, is how to scrape web data without inviting legal trouble. To avoid legal problems, you need to maintain a fine balance between the tendency to scrape under all circumstances and the respect for the website\u2019s norms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you violate any of the norms that the website has laid down in different places, you are exposing yourself to legal complications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, if you <a href=\"https:\/\/prowebscraper.com\/blog\/how-to-scrape-in-a-smart-way-without-getting-blocked\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">scrape data in a smart way<\/a> that does not harm the website in any way, you can go on scraping the data without having to worry about legal issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hope this blog will help you steer clear of the legal problems and enable you to make great scraping decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scrape away but be safe and respect other\u2019s websites!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Table of Content Why does web scraping often appear offensive? Arguments in favour of web scraping Is Web Scraping legal or not? Conclusion You must be eyeing some data on a competitor\u2019s website. You might think that you can get a competitive edge if you can get hold of this data. However, you need the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-scraper"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":6}},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Blog | ProWebScraper.com - Managed E-commerce Data Service<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/prowebscraper.com\/blog\/is-web-scraping-legal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Blog | ProWebScraper.com - Managed E-commerce Data Service\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Table of Content Why does web scraping often appear offensive? Arguments in favour of web scraping Is Web Scraping legal or not? Conclusion You must be eyeing some data on a competitor\u2019s website. You might think that you can get a competitive edge if you can get hold of this data. 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