Many companies are using data mining techniques to convert raw data into easy-to-read information to learn about their customers.
Large batches of information are further processed to increase sales, decrease production costs and develop effective marketing strategies.
Web scraping is the process of extracting data from websites where the collected information is exported into a more readable format for the user with the help of data parsing.
Technically, this software-based component can parse the data (such as HTML) into a representation that is in a readable structure.
Where It All Started
When the World Wide Web was born in 1989, the internet was unsearchable. Users used the Internet as a collection of FTP (File Transfer Protocol) sites to find specific shared files, before the development of search engines.
Later, people created a web crawler, a specific automated program with only one goal: fetching all pages available on the internet and copying their content to create databases that were used for indexing purposes.
The Internet then grew in data and became easy to search, with information becoming available everywhere. The problem arrived when people wanted to obtain data from the internet.
This is where web scraping came to life, which is powered by the same web crawlers that are used by search engines.
Their function has not changed to that point, which is fetching information and copying it.
How Does Parsing Work
Data parsing is not a simple process that analyzes strings of symbols within any specified computer language, but a two-step technique in which a programmatically configured parser is deployed to read, run the required analysis, and then transform it accordingly.
Data Mining and Ethics
Many users have a habit of scraping data for research and analysis, either due to their job or personal interest. Marketers, researchers, data scientists, data journalists, students, or even corporations are involved in data scraping.
However, the same users have to put in a lot of effort to fight bots from their websites or blogs and analytics so that they can focus on their real customers.
An ethical set of instructions has existed for data mining activities for many years. Businesses and individuals should try to abide by the below-mentioned rules.
The scrapper should abide by the following ethics:
- If the website is using a public API that contains the required information, then the scrapper should use that instead.
- A User-Agent string should be provided, which can let the website owner know about the scrapper’s attention.
- Data requests should be sent at a reasonable frequency so that the website owners do not confuse the scrapper with a DDoS attack.
- Only the required information should be saved from website pages.
- All content should be respected and it should never be passed on as self-created.
- Look for methods of value return for websites through redirection or mentioning the website in posts or articles.
- Data should be scraped to create new value, not for duplication.
The site owner should abide by the following ethics:
- Allow scrapers that are following ethical rules on the site as long as they are not becoming a burden on the performance of the site.
- Transparent User-Agent strings should be respected instead of blocking them to encourage the use of masking.
- Understand that scrapers are a part of the open web.
- Consider the use of public APIs to make data available to users, discouraging the use of scrapers.
Is Web Scraping Legal?
Near the end of 2019, LinkedIn’s request was denied in the US Court of Appeals that was initiated to stop an analytics company, HiQ, from scraping its data.
This decision is considered a historic moment in the era of data privacy and data regulations showing that web crawlers can freely utilize any data that is publicly available or not under a copyright act.
However, the decision does not grant freedom to HiQ or any other web crawlers to utilize the obtained data for unlimited commercialization.
At the same time, the decision also does not grant freedom to any web crawler to extract data from websites that have authentication measures in place.
Automated data collection activities are typically forbidden on sites that require their users to agree to the Terms of Service. However, sites that make their data publicly available can be used by web crawlers to collect it.
Website owners can employ the use of techniques such as “rate-throttling” to limit web crawlers from downloading multiple pages simultaneously, overloading the site, and causing a crash.
Conclusion
Data is important to everyone and should be easily available. Even though web scraping has been declared legal to use in certain scenarios, publicly available websites should not be burdened.
Web scrapers, such as those used by businesses, should ethically use web crawlers so that the site owners are not troubled and they willingly allow web scrapers to download content.
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