Ethical web scraping and automation: PhantomBuster’s approach
At PhantomBuster, we believe that ethical web scraping and social media automation is essential to building a sustainable and trustworthy business. That's why we've developed a unique approach to automation that emphasizes transparency, responsibility, and ethical behavior. Our team strives to ensure that our software adheres to best practices and that our customers use our tools in a responsible manner.
Responsible data scraping: How PhantomBuster is leading the way
Data scraping is often misunderstood. Whilst data scraping can, unfortunately, be used inappropriately, it’s primarily a technology that underpins many legitimate businesses and use cases. For example, researchers, journalists, and NGOs use web scraping to gather important data on everything from health statistics to social media sentiments. E-commerce and travel companies scrape pricing data to stay competitive, and lawyers will often scrape reports on past cases. Using web scraping for lead generation is an important part of many businesses’ business growth strategies, and we believe that it can be done ethically and transparently. And at PhantomBuster, we're committed to showing our customers how it's done.
No tricks or fakes: Only automate your own account
PhantomBuster automates your own account on various platforms. The data available to you through PhantomBuster is the same as the data you would find if you log in through the platform of your choice. Unlike other web scrapers, we do not use fake accounts to access data you would otherwise not have access to. PhantomBuster only allows you to scrape data and automate actions that would be manually accessible to you through your account.
Protecting your online reputation: PhantomBuster stands against spam
Let’s be upfront. If you’re looking for a platform to automate spammy behavior, then PhantomBuster is not for you. We do not condone sending any type of spam through our platform, and we urge you to respect users on the platforms you’re automating on. PhantomBuster is a tool for businesses that are serious about their lead generation. Spam can be harmful to your online reputation, your business, and the people you’re trying to reach. If you want to read more about anti-spam laws, you can find more information here:
- For the EU: E-Privacy Directive
- For the US: CAN-SPAM Act & Guidance
- For the UK: PECR
Enabling better business practices: Slow and steady wins the race
Be respectful of rate limits. Rate limits limit the number of actions you can take on a website within a certain time frame. They are there to protect users from spam—just like speed limits which exist to keep drivers safe. At PhantomBuster, we view rate limits as a good thing. We urge users to follow the guidance of each platform to stay within the recommended limits. When it comes to automation, quality will always beat quantity. Read more about rate limits here.
Transparent and ethical: How PhantomBuster handles data
PhantomBuster does not provide data as a service and we do not have a database of leads. We do not sell data. We provide tools that help you build up your own leads from reputable sources. Our Phantoms automate the actions you could otherwise do manually, so you can focus on more important things, like closing deals with your newfound leads. PhantomBuster never shares any data you scrape with other PhantomBuster users.