The Ethics of Web Scraping: A Founder's Framework

Web scraping has a reputation problem. Mention it to a website owner, and they picture server crashes and stolen content. But scraping is just automated browsing — and like any tool, its ethics depend on how you use it.

Our Framework: The RESPECT Principles

R — Robots.txt Compliance

If a site says "don't scrape this path," we don't. Period. robots.txt is the first line of the social contract between scraper and site owner.

E — Explicit Purpose

We only collect data for a specific, documented business purpose. No "scrape everything and figure it out later." Every project has a scope document.

S — Slow and Steady

Our default rate is 1 request per second. For small sites, 0.2 req/sec. We would rather take longer than overload someone's server.

P — Public Data Only

No login-required content. No paywalled material. No data behind authentication.…