The Ethics and Legality of Scraping and Proxies
Tags: webscraping, datamining, residentialproxies, onlinesecurity
Published: 2023-03-17 13:27:10

Web scraping has become an essential tool for businesses that need to extract data from websites to gain insights into their target audience, competitors, and industry trends. Why is it important to use residential proxies to ensure data safety and compliance and where the future of residential proxies moving to?
In this episode of Ethical Data, Explained podcast, host Henry Ng is joined by Neil Emeigh, the founder and CEO of Sprious. They will broach trends and the future of the proxy and ethical web scraping industry; cases that make scraping look bad, and touch on the subject why it is important to be vocal about the positive applications of web scraping and maintain ethical data standards as a web scraping company. 

## Navigating the Grey Area
Regarding the reputation of scraping and proxies, opinions may vary depending on the individual. Scraping, particularly of publicly available information like social media, has faced scrutiny after the Cambridge Analytica case. Proxies, on the other hand, have an even worse reputation due to their use in illegal and unethical activities. While the industry as a whole is working to improve ethical standards, it is a challenging task for proxies. 

> “We refuse to use methods like botnet malware or taking advantage of vulnerable devices, unlike some providers who have recently been shut down by the FBI. We believe that our commitment to ethical practices sets us apart from others in the market who make similar claims but have been found to fall short in research papers. We acknowledge that our dedication to ethical business practices is a key factor in our success and are proud to stand by it” - Neil Emeigh

The legality of scraping has been tested in court cases like HiQ and 911.re. The future of scraping seems uncertain as social media companies face government pressure to protect personal data. However, for non-personal data like e-commerce, scraping is unlikely to face legal repercussions. Interestingly, large companies like Amazon, Target, and Walmart are paying proxy companies to help them scrape Facebook. As a result, there is a grey area where everyone tolerates scraping but uses anti-scraping technology to protect their data from competitors.

## Exploring New Opportunities in the Proxy World


Other than the SEO and the various practices associated with it, the market is evolving to include other strategies such as social media account management and this could lead to further developments in the proxy market, with residential proxies playing a key role in enabling businesses to manage their social media accounts and perform other tasks requiring online anonymity. However, it is still to be seen how the market will evolve and what new use cases may emerge for residential proxies in the future. It has been suggested that scraping will remain the dominant force driving the proxy market, with the ability to collect vast amounts of publicly available data through AI technology being a prime example. This requires a significant number of residential proxies to be utilized, as the scale of data collection can be immense. While scraping will continue to be a key application, its uses will likely expand as the field of AI continues to grow.

## Trends and Insights for Proxy Providers to Stay Competitive in the Next Few Years

In order for proxy providers to stay competitive in the next few years, they will need to stay ahead of the increasing anti-scraping technology put in place by large companies like Amazon. As the industry becomes more saturated, varying degrees of quality can be expected to enter the market. While public scraping may not be made illegal, scraping personal data may be in the future. To stay ahead of these challenges, proxy providers will need to become more hands-on and offer more guidance and support to end-users in terms of anti-fingerprint technology, user agents, rotating IPs, and good intervals.

## Exploring the Competitive Landscape and Finding Opportunities for Success


When reselling proxies, the success rate is low due to the growing saturation of the market, with big recognizable brands dominating most of it.  When navigating the competitive landscape of the proxy market, it is advisable for proxy providers to focus on finding a close-knit niche of customers who require their expertise and services. Rather than solely relying on website sales, providers should aim to help their customers succeed in their industries. Differentiation is also key to standing out from big brands with the same offerings and pricing tiers. It can be achieved by adding extra services or building tools that cater to specific industries. This can help providers stand out and succeed in a saturated market.


That’s it for today. To find out more, tune in to the full of this week’s episode! You can find links to Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Spotify, YouTube on the official podcast webpage - [Ethical Data, Explained](https://blog.soax.com/residential-proxies-and-web-scraping-future-of-the-industry?utm_source=devto&utm_campaign=post)!