From Creators To Haters; BidSwitch Says ‘No More Free Scrapes’

BidSwitch's announcement to stop free scrapes marks a significant shift in data access policies, specifically citing concerns over hate speech and antisemitic rhetoric on social media platforms like Instagram. This development has crucial implications for website owners, particularly those who rely on BidSwitch for data scraping services. The halt on free scrapes may lead to a decrease in AI bot traffic on their websites, potentially affecting their content moderation and advertising strategies. Website owners must reassess their data collection methods and consider alternative, paid services to maintain their current levels of data-driven insights. To adapt to this change, website owners can take the following steps: review their current data scraping agreements and adjust their budgets accordingly, implement more stringent content moderation policies to detect and remove hate speech, and update their llms.txt files to reflect changes in AI bot traffic and data access policies. By doing so, they can ensure compliance with evolving data regulations and maintain a safe, respectful online environment for their users.