The world’s data extraction industry is growing actively presently. Allied Market Research states that the specified branch will reach $4.9 bln by 2027 compared with $2.14 billion in 2019. Plenty of businesses globally employ web scraping nowadays. This is because online info collecting gives you numerous advantages. It helps improve company effectiveness, simplifies conducting research, and many more. That’s, however, fair only if you order data extraction services from reputable platforms (e.g., nannostomus.com).
Some entrepreneurs avoid web scraping employment, though. This is because such business owners do idea know the truly boundless possibilities of online info-collecting bots. So, proficient experts decided to come up with a brief but comprehensive description of a data extract from website storage and its use cases. Thus, let’s dive deeper into the key peculiarities of e-information mining applications.
So, What Is a Data Extract From Website Storage?
In short, the mentioned process implies scanning and gaining certain information from particular online platforms using specific software. The latter may scrape not only visible but also hidden data. However, the latter case requires a careful approach as implicit info may be copyrighted, secret, etc.
Specific IT agencies deliver web scraping services. Such companies typically have corresponding licenses and skilled specialists. Data mining firms create and configure info-collecting bots according to clients’ demands and current local and international legislation.
Is a Data Extract From Website Storage Legal?
This depends on the type of information that web scrapers collect and the way they use gained info. You may safely mine copyright-free data. Such information can be processed, published, etc., without negative consequences. However, experts still recommend rephrasing copyright-free text data if you post it on a website. Otherwise, search engines may penalize your site for plagiarism.
How to Use Copyrighted Information
Such info is usually allowed to be entirely processed but partially published. Let’s say you will create an article based on some trusted research. Analytical papers are usually copyrighted as their authors spend a lot of time and effort to make them; consequently, they want compensation for that. So, in this case, following the subsequent recommendations is necessary:
- Don’t publish huge parts of third-party research texts. It’s better to insert short citations in your articles to avoid law troubles.
- Always specify the original authors of quotes you use. Here, entrepreneurs should employ certain citation styles, put links to initial sources, etc.
- Don’t use information from the online resources related to your business. For example, scraping info from an online appliance marketplace would be a bad idea if you want to create an article for an e-store selling washers.
Handling copyrighted information offers you much more freedom in action. Business owners often use such scraped data for the following purposes:
- market analysis and research;
- looking for new clients;
- marketing campaign creation or improvement;
- seeking better suppliers;
- searching for innovative products to add to existing ranges.
The instances above don’t require posting copyrighted data that entrepreneurs extracted. So, authors usually don’t have any claims against the business owners in such cases.
What Should Be Known About Personal Info Mining?
Data extraction from websites with private information is prohibited. So, it would help if you didn’t scrape the following info:
- ID details, social security numbers, medical records, etc.;
- private videos, photos, and correspondence;
- political beliefs or religious faiths;
- gender, sexual orientation, etc.
Today, almost all e-stores track and analyze their visitors’ behavior and preferences, though. Moreover, online shops store their customers’ account information. Such info frequently becomes an aim for rivals in their competitive intelligence campaigns. According to Research Optimus, about 90% of Fortune 500 enterprises use CI to improve their efficiency.
Laws on Web Data Protection
There is no certain international legislation on online information defense applied in all countries worldwide. So, web scrapers globally follow particular laws valid in European countries and the USA instead.
Main GDPR Features
The specified regulation is in force in the EU. It replaced another act called DPA in 2018. GDPR protects all kinds of personal information. For example, in 2019, a Polish court forbade an EU data extraction agency to collect data from the business register of Poland based on the described legislative act. So, be especially careful when mining private info in countries of the European Union.
What Should Be Known About Data Protection in the USA?
Here, it’s worth noting California state acts on information defense. They are CCPA and CPRA. The latter is an addition to the first one. CPRA allows the collection of any data published by a person on the internet. So, web scrapers from California received the right to extract info even from social media platforms.
And How About Data Protection Legislation in Other Countries?
Numerous states worldwide developed information defense laws based on GDPR. It’s worth noting South Africa, Thailand, South Korea, Turkey, Nigeria, Japan, Israel, India, Egypt, China, Chile, and many more countries. Other states regulate data protection issues using their local legislation. The laws are typically milder than GDPR there. So, website data extractors have much more leeway in those countries.
May a Data Extract From Website Storage Be Considered a Hacker Attack?
The answer is no. However, it’s true only if you use web scraping bots created by reputable IT companies (like Nannostomus). Such agencies always carefully learn the features of sites from which you will collect info and customize robots in a way suitable for each case.
On the other hand, dubious companies often don’t have enough skills in data extraction. As a result, bots made by them may send too many requests at a time. This, for its part, can be considered a DDoS attack, which is illegal.
Final Thoughts
You can essentially enhance your business efficiency using data extraction services from websites. However, following particular rules is necessary to avoid law troubles. Furthermore, experts recommend ordering the creation of web scraping bots merely from reliable IT companies. Otherwise, you may harm sites from where the info is scraped.
