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Websites Complaining About Screen-Scraping
wilko11 writes "There have been two cases recently where websites have requested the removal of modules from CPAN. These modules could be used to access the websites (EuroTV and Streetmap) from a PERL program. The question being asked on the mailinglists (threads about EuroTV and about Streetmap) is 'can companies dictate what software you can use to access web content from their server?'"
If you don't want your content being redisplayed on another site, place appropriate copyright and seek protections therein.
Don't stifle the technology. Treat the cause, not the symptom.
Karma: Chameleon (mostly due to the fact that you come and go).
So far as apps are concerned, again no.
There's no law stating that we have to look at ads. Although I see the problem paying the bills, a flaw in a business model is not the problem of the application coder (namely: me, you, and most people reading this site).
Karma: Chameleon (mostly due to the fact that you come and go).
... don't put merchandise in the windows.
Just like you can listen to unencrypted radio broadcasts through the airwaves as much as you want, or stand next to a group of people talking and listen in, you can view web pages that are served openly over the Internet.
If you are going to be presenting something for people to observe, they can observe it however they like. Legislate all you want, but this is a fundamental component of logical (as opposed to legal) privacy.
There are a multitude of methods for providing different content based on what the client browser returns on certain environment variables. While I think it's silly to demand that modules be removed from CPAN, it's entirely up to the people running the server to determine who they want to serve content to....and who they dont.
:)
If they can't figure out how to do it serverside (or with clientside scripting) then that's their problem.
That's the bitch about open standards....EVERYONE can use them....
This is just another example of gross technical incompetence by executives and lawyers.
A company that attaches an HTTP server receives an HTTP GET request complete with some information in its headers. They have a reasonable case to request that that information be accurate. They have unilateral technical ability to firewall IP's or whole subnets. Otherwise, once they receive a GET request, when the machine that they have configured responds by sending a file, they have granted explicit permission to process that file consistent with the info in the GET request.
The owner of the server is completely in control at a technical level. If they don't like what you are doing, they can firewall you. Absent a contractual agreement not to, you have the permission to send ***REQUESTS*** for anything you would like to request. They can say no. If you lie in your request, then they have a case to say your use is unauthorized, but short of that, there should be no need to have the judicial system rewrite the technology.
Remember when the web -- no, remember when the net was about sharing information? I miss that time. If somebody wrote a cool front end to your service, it was COOL and more power to them. If it made your service (site, whatever) more accessible, that mean more people were looking at your stuff, and that was COOL.
Now we have entities that threaten legal action for accessing the stuff they've made publically available. There may actually be a case when the software scrapes and repackages the content (or, more importantly, redistributes it), but I hope the stuff about decoding the URL for easy use is bogus. I have my doubts that a court will see it my way, but still I hope for reason. Nevertheless, the whole idea makes me sad and nostalgic.
Another thought: is my mozilla vulnerable to this sort of action because it blocks ads -- essentially repackaging the server output for display to me? Now I'm really depressed.
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bachiatari na torisetsu o yome!
I think this is something we're going to start seeing a lot of in coming years. Right now, the Internet in general is going through growing pains, and the pressure is starting to show in these "free services" type sites ( i.e. Mapquest )
/. I believe others would as well.
I don't know about these site in particular, but many of the big sites around today were built with the failed dot-com business model of delivering free content and selling advertising that ran on the page (or popped up behind it.) This, of course, is dependant on people viewing the site in a browser. If people get the information without using a browser, therefore never seeing the ads, the advertisers won't want to spend any money on the site.
Another problem is, most companies don't want to take the risks associated with innovation, so instead they seek legal action to maintain the good thing they have going. While this is a quick fix, and in the company's best interests, we need companies to present a new business model to the public and see how it gets adopted. I would pay an annual subscription fee for things like Mapquest.com, tvguide.com and maybe even
Porn sites, Ebay auctions, games such as Everquest and services such as Apple's dot-mac are online services that subscribers happily pay for because more than anything, they are quality products(well, some of the porn is). If the company's revenue is coming from its users, they would be a lot less concerned about how the information is being distributed.
This isn't such a radical change, as they could add a premium subscription service, and slowly transition the focus of their business towards it. Wouldn't it be cool if I could write my own mapping application ( or download a pre-made one from the site ) and have it connect to xml.mapquest.com, give my username and password, and retrieve the data I requested.
The eBay EULA only applies if you actually register for their service. If you have never signed up for eBay, you have never signed off on their EULA.