This website uses cookies

Our website, platform and/or any sub domains use cookies to understand how you use our services, and to improve both your experience and our marketing relevance.

Secure Any CMS With Ease with Our Malware Protection Add-On! LEARN MORE→

Cloudflare Introduces One-Click Defense Against Web-Scraping AI

Updated on July 4, 2024

2 Min Read

Get an AI Summary of This Article

Want a quick summary? Let AI help you digest the key points from this article.

Summarize in

or

Cloudflare has unveiled a new feature for web hosting customers to block AI bots from scraping website content without permission. Responding to customer concerns, Cloudflare introduced a one-click option to block all AI bots, aiming to protect content creators and maintain a safe internet environment.

via GIPHY

“We hear clearly that customers don’t want AI bots visiting their websites, and especially those that do so dishonestly. To help, we’ve added a brand new one-click to block all AI bots,” Cloudflare stated.

While the robots.txt file has been a traditional method to block bots, it’s often ignored by unscrupulous AI bots. Notably, OpenAI and Google provided guidance last year on blocking their crawlers using robots.txt. However, Cloudflare’s analysis revealed that about 39 percent of the top one million web properties served by Cloudflare are visited by AI bots that often bypass robots.txt directives.

Cloudflare’s machine-learning model has been effective in detecting bots, including those disguised by spoofed user agents. This detection relies on digital fingerprinting, allowing Cloudflare to identify and block bots even when they attempt to mimic real browsers.

With this new feature, available even to free-tier customers, users can simply toggle the “Block AI Scrapers and Crawlers” button in the Security -> Bots menu to activate the block.

Cloudflare emphasized its commitment to continually adapting its machine learning models to combat evolving bot tactics, ensuring content creators retain control over their data.

Maintaining control over website content and preventing unauthorized AI training is crucial in today’s digital landscape.

Try Out Cloudflare Enterprise for Better Performance and Security!

Cloudflare Enterprise offers advanced tools for businesses that prefer performance and security over anything.

Get an AI Summary of This Article

Want a quick summary? Let AI help you digest the key points from this article.

Share your opinion in the comment section. COMMENT NOW

Share This Article

Start Growing with Cloudways Today.

Our Clients Love us because we never compromise on these

Abdul Rehman

Abdul is a tech-savvy, coffee-fueled, and creatively driven marketer who loves keeping up with the latest software updates and tech gadgets. He's also a skilled technical writer who can explain complex concepts simply for a broad audience. Abdul enjoys sharing his knowledge of the Cloud industry through user manuals, documentation, and blog posts.

×

Webinar: How to Get 100% Scores on Core Web Vitals

Join Joe Williams & Aleksandar Savkovic on 29th of March, 2021.

Do you like what you read?

Get the Latest Updates

Share Your Feedback

Please insert Content

Thank you for your feedback!

Do you like what you read?

Get the Latest Updates

Share Your Feedback

Please insert Content

Thank you for your feedback!

Want to Experience the Cloudways Platform in Its Full Glory?

Take a FREE guided tour of Cloudways and see for yourself how easily you can manage your server & apps on the leading cloud-hosting platform.

Start my tour
This site is registered on wpml.org as a development site. Switch to a production site key to remove this banner.