A Python Scraper/Crawler App That Check a Websites Page Source Code for internal Links and visits those links to gather more links (With Compliancy & Safety measures)

Compliance & Safety

Using web crawlers like the Python script I provided is not inherently illegal, but it depends on how and where you use them. Here are the key legal and ethical considerations:

1. Check the Website’s robots.txt File

Most websites have a robots.txt file (e.g., https://example.com/robots.txt) that specifies which pages can or cannot be crawled. While robots.txt isn’t legally binding in most cases, ignoring it may violate terms of service.

2. Website Terms of Service (ToS) Violations

Many websites explicitly forbid automated scraping in their ToS. Bypassing these rules could result in legal consequences, such as being banned from the site or even facing civil action (e.g., breach of contract).

3. Copyright & Data Privacy Laws

  • Scraping personal data (e.g., emails, user info) may violate privacy laws like GDPR (EU) or CCPA (California).
  • Copying large portions of content could breach copyright laws.

4. Avoid DDoS & Overloading Servers

Sending too many requests in a short time may be considered an attack. Some websites block IPs or take legal action against abusive crawlers. Always use rate limiting (e.g., time.sleep(1)).

5. Web Scraping Court Cases

  • Legal (or not enforced):
    • HiQ Labs v. LinkedIn (2022) – A court ruled that scraping publicly available data does not violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA).
  • Illegal:
    • Facebook v. Power Ventures – Scraping behind a login page without permission was ruled illegal under CFAA.

How to Stay Safe?

✅ Follow robots.txt rules.
✅ Only scrape public pages.
✅ Respect rate limits (don’t flood servers).
✅ Avoid scraping personal/private data.
✅ Read the website’s ToS before scraping.