Can web data scraping be ethical?
This is a frequently asked question nowadays. After all, web scraping is a relatively new technique used to look for and collect a particular type of data based on the specific needs of a business.
Yes, scraping web data from various sources is ethical as long as the scraped data is not used for any harmful purposes, does not negatively impact the scraped website’s operations, or does not include Personally Identifiable Information (PII). This practice may get unethical if certain proxy servers, like residential proxies, are used in an inappropriate manner.
This post will cover residential proxies and their connection with web scraping. But before that, let’s take a quick look at how the web scraping technique actually works.
Web Scraping – How It Works?
Also called data extraction or web harvesting, web scraping is a popular practice that gathers aggregated data like market pricing, product details, weather reports, etc., and exports it to a spreadsheet, database, or an API.
After submitting the links from which the data has to be obtained, the scraping bot loads the full HTML code. In the case of an advanced scraper, the entire site, with JavaScript and CSS elements, can also be accessed. Scrapers extract all data on web pages before running the project and display it in different formats.
Residential Proxies and Web Scraping
A residential proxy is a type of proxy server that routes internet traffic through an intermediary server capable of accepting web traffic and passing it along to another website or device. It works by assigning the user an alternative residential IP address issued by ISPs channeling the server requests.
This proxy server enables you to choose a particular geographic location and explore the web as a real user in that area. Key features of residential proxies are a high anonymity level and low block rate.
Residential proxy servers are used for many different purposes, including search engine optimization, social media monitoring, affiliate link testing, review monitoring, and price aggregation. One common use of these proxies is web scraping.
Anonymity is crucial for effective web data extraction. Routing traffic through a residential proxy gives you complete anonymity while scraping data from websites. Plus, authentic residential IP addresses enable scrapers to collect accurate data for real-time requirements in particular. These proxies also allow you to choose an IP address from the geo-targeted location to ensure the acquired data is fully accurate.
Residential proxy servers support many SEO automation tools and are compatible with most systems. What’s more, these proxies allow you to scrape data from multiple sources at one and the same time and avoid blanket bans since they come from actual devices with actual ISP-provided internet connections.
How to Acquire Residential Proxies
In most cases, proxy providers acquire residential proxies in the following two ways:
Software SDKs
Proxy providers offer software development kits (SDKs) used by software or application developers to monetize their software applications besides using advertisements. Whenever a developer includes this form of SDK, end users accepting the terms and conditions will have their device become associated with the residential proxy network. Then, the device can be used to route requests of other bots or people.
Browser Extensions
Proxy providers also contact owners of known browser extensions to request to include some of their code. As the code gets included, extension users become a part of the residential proxy network as well.
Ethical vs. Unethical Residential Proxy Servers
In general, residential proxy servers are completely ethical. However, it is their use that makes them unethical. Proxies that help obtain data from public websites for a useful or beneficial purpose are ethical. On the contrary, any residential proxy that is used to perform an illegal action, like accessing private information from an online source, can be considered unethical.
Furthermore, it’s important to consider how the proxy is acquired. As residential proxies use the IPs of real users, it’s crucial that those users are fully aware. As such, companies should ensure that users who give their IPs have full disclosure as to how their IPs are used. In best-case scenarios, those users should also receive monetary compensation. For example, this popular residential proxy store ensures that the majority of thor residential proxies have an A+ rating, meaning that the user is fully aware, gives consent, and receives compensation.
On the contrary, companies that acquire end-users’ consent in a way that prevents full transparency or without consent would be considered unethical.
Why Use Ethical Proxy Servers?
Though geo-targeting is highly beneficial for businesses to find out how users in different geographic regions are finding their services/products, sometimes the use of proxies becomes illegal. Using proxy servers to scrape a large amount of data or attempting to access geo-restricted content without going through the Terms of Service of the targeted website may lead to legal problems.
A site may not accept too many simultaneous requests for data retrieval and may take legal action against the business behind this attempt. Therefore, businesses should make use of ethical proxies in order to perform operations in a successful and seamless manner.
Final Thoughts
All in all, collecting publicly available data is considered to be ethical. However, we also stand against the misuse of web scrapers. Scraping high volumes of data if this process is done for a questionable purpose. It is important to use proxies in the right manner to gather web data. Simply follow ethical web scraping practices and use them to make your business operations flourish.
