WordPress wrongly suspending sites over wrong definition of "Scraping"

  • Unknown's avatar
    libertarianinternational · Member ·

    Web scraping: (web harvesting or web data extraction) is a computer software technique of extracting information from websites. Web scraping is also related to web automation, which simulates human browsing using computer software.

    I am an actual “Person” who is posts text at WordPress and it is not actually “Scraping” because an actual person is typing NOT a computer program or a “robot”.

    That being said, WordPress should not automatically (like a robot) assume a real person’s WordPress postings are “Scraping” when they are NOT.

    My WordPress website is already gone and I’m not sure if I can get it back.

  • Unknown's avatar
    raincoaster · Member ·

    Not if you continue to copy and paste the work of other people without permission. Whether scraping is done manually or robotically, it is a violation of the terms of service.

  • Unknown's avatar
    libertarianinternational · Member ·

    This is NOT about “copying and pasting” other people’s work.
    In my case, this is about informational articles that are researched and explained and point out additional information or where to go for information.

    I’m sure many real bloggers who are “actual people” not robots
    can be saying the same thing at the same time such as, “The Healthcare.gov website is still not working”.
    This is not really “Scraping” if you are writing a valid opinion about the subject.

    I’m not actually “copying and pasting” something that is just a common topic in the media right now. And opinion on a common topic is “not” “scraping”.

    In fact, I was trying to provide extra or less common (Libertarian) information or tips around a “common” topic… this is not “Scraping” by the real definition.

    My WordPress sites tend to be more about what is NOT being said in the common mainstream press.

    So again, I dispute the “scraping” allegations. If anything it is more typical that Conservatives and Republicans “scrape” ideas and concepts from the Libertarian websites and pass off “Libertarian” ideas as their own.

  • Unknown's avatar
    timethief · Member ·

    I do not know which blog you are referring to but I do know that these matters are not discussed on the public forums and we Volunteers have been told not to enter dialog about suspended blogs in forum threads.

    We Volunteers cannot help you with your suspended blog issue. Here’s what gets a blog suspended:
    http://wordpress.com/types-of-blogs/
    http://en.support.wordpress.com/advertising/
    http://en.support.wordpress.com/affiliate-links/
    http://en.wordpress.com/tos/

    Mistakes can be made but as a policy, we are asked to refrain from discussing Terms of Service issues on these public forums. You have a warning notice with a link — please click that link as it works at all times (even when the regular contact form is closed). There’s also a contact form you can use to reach Terms of Service Staff at the bottom of this page http://en.support.wordpress.com/suspended-blogs/

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