Acceptable Use Policy
Last Updated: December 27, 2025
This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") governs your use of CrawlKit's web scraping API services. By using CrawlKit, you agree to comply with this policy. Violations may result in immediate suspension or termination of your account without refund.
1. Purpose
CrawlKit provides web scraping API services to help users extract publicly available data from websites. This policy defines acceptable and prohibited uses to ensure:
- Legal compliance
- Ethical data collection practices
- Protection of third-party rights
- Service reliability for all users
2. Your Responsibilities
As a CrawlKit user, you are responsible for:
2.1 Legal Compliance
- Ensuring your scraping activities comply with all applicable laws and regulations
- Obtaining necessary permissions or legal basis for data collection
- Understanding and following the terms of service of target websites
- Complying with data protection laws (GDPR, KVKK, CCPA, etc.) when collecting personal data
2.2 Ethical Scraping Practices
- Respecting
robots.txtfiles and crawl-delay directives where applicable - Implementing reasonable rate limits to avoid overwhelming target servers
- Not interfering with the normal operation of target websites
- Being transparent about your data collection practices
2.3 Data Handling
- Handling collected data responsibly and securely
- Not misusing or misrepresenting collected data
- Properly disposing of data when no longer needed
- Notifying affected parties in case of data breaches
3. Permitted Uses
CrawlKit may be used for legitimate purposes including, but not limited to:
✅ Market Research & Competitive Analysis
- Price monitoring and comparison
- Product availability tracking
- Market trend analysis
✅ Academic & Research Purposes
- Data collection for research projects
- Academic studies and publications
- Educational purposes
✅ Business Intelligence
- Lead generation from public business directories
- News and media monitoring
- Public sentiment analysis
✅ SEO & Marketing
- SERP monitoring
- Backlink analysis
- Content research
✅ Application Development
- Building data-driven applications
- Aggregating public information
- Creating search engines or comparison tools
✅ Personal Use
- Monitoring public information
- Archiving publicly available content
- Personal data collection projects
4. Prohibited Uses
The following activities are strictly prohibited:
4.1 Illegal Activities
🚫 Criminal Activity
- Using the Service for any illegal purpose
- Facilitating fraud, money laundering, or other crimes
- Violating export control or sanctions laws
🚫 Unauthorized Access
- Accessing systems or data without authorization
- Bypassing authentication or security measures
- Hacking, cracking, or exploiting vulnerabilities
4.2 Harmful Data Collection
🚫 Personal Data Violations
- Collecting personal data without legal basis
- Scraping private or protected information
- Building profiles for stalking or harassment
- Collecting data from private accounts or behind logins
- Scraping content from platforms that explicitly prohibit it for the purpose of building AI training datasets without authorization
🚫 Sensitive Data
- Collecting health, financial, or biometric data without proper authorization
- Scraping government databases or restricted systems
- Harvesting credentials, passwords, or security tokens
4.3 Harmful Activities
🚫 Malicious Use
- Spamming or phishing
- Distributing malware or malicious content
- Conducting denial-of-service (DoS) attacks
- Facilitating cyberattacks
🚫 Harassment & Abuse
- Stalking or harassing individuals
- Doxing or exposing private information
- Threatening or intimidating behavior
🚫 Intellectual Property Violations
- Scraping copyrighted content for redistribution
- Violating trademarks or patents
- Circumventing technical protection measures
4.4 Service Abuse
🚫 Technical Abuse
- Attempting to circumvent rate limits
- Sharing API keys with unauthorized parties
- Reselling or redistributing API access
- Interfering with CrawlKit's infrastructure
🚫 Fraudulent Activity
- Creating multiple accounts to abuse free credits
- Providing false information during registration
- Chargebacks or payment fraud
5. Rate Limits & Fair Use
To ensure service quality for all users:
5.1 Rate Limiting
- Respect the rate limits defined in your subscription plan
- Do not attempt to bypass rate limiting mechanisms
- Contact us if you need higher limits
5.2 Fair Use
- Use credits reasonably within your plan's scope
- Do not engage in activities that degrade service for others
- Report any service issues instead of attempting workarounds
5.3 Target Website Considerations
When scraping, consider:
- The target website's server capacity
- Implementing delays between requests
- Respecting peak traffic hours
- Using caching to reduce redundant requests
6. Content Restrictions
You may not use CrawlKit to collect or process:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Illegal Content | Child exploitation material, illegal weapons, controlled substances |
| Harmful Content | Violence promotion, terrorism, hate speech |
| Fraudulent Content | Fake reviews, misleading information, scams |
| Infringing Content | Pirated media, counterfeit goods, trademark violations |
7. Third-Party Rights
7.1 Website Terms of Service
- You are responsible for reviewing and complying with target websites' terms of service
- CrawlKit does not guarantee that scraping any particular website is permitted
- Some websites explicitly prohibit scraping; you assume all risks
7.2 Intellectual Property
- Respect copyrights, trademarks, and other intellectual property rights
- Do not use collected data in ways that infringe on creators' rights
- Consider fair use principles when using collected content
7.3 Privacy Rights
- Respect individuals' privacy rights
- Obtain consent where required by law
- Honor data subject requests (deletion, access, etc.)
8. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless CrawlKit from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from:
- Your violation of this AUP
- Your violation of third-party rights
- Your use of data collected through the Service
- Any legal action resulting from your scraping activities
9. Monitoring & Enforcement
9.1 Our Rights
We reserve the right to:
- Monitor API usage for compliance with this AUP
- Investigate reports of violations
- Take action against violating accounts
- Cooperate with law enforcement when required
9.2 Enforcement Actions
Violations may result in:
| Severity | Action |
|---|---|
| Minor | Warning and request to cease activity |
| Moderate | Temporary suspension of service |
| Severe | Immediate termination without refund |
| Criminal | Termination and report to authorities |
9.3 Appeals
If you believe your account was suspended in error:
- Contact support@crawlkit.sh within 7 days
- Provide detailed explanation and evidence
- We will review and respond within 14 days
10. Reporting Violations
If you become aware of any violations of this AUP, please report them to:
Email:support@crawlkit.sh
Include:
- Description of the violation
- Any evidence or documentation
- Your contact information (optional)
We take all reports seriously and will investigate promptly.
11. Disclaimer
11.1 Tool Provider Status
CrawlKit is a tool provider. We provide the technical infrastructure for web scraping but:
- We do not control what users scrape
- We are not responsible for users' scraping decisions
- Users bear full responsibility for their activities
11.2 No Legal Advice
This AUP is not legal advice. We recommend:
- Consulting with legal counsel about your specific use case
- Conducting your own research on applicable laws
- Seeking professional guidance for complex situations
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this AUP to:
- Address new types of abuse
- Clarify existing provisions
- Comply with legal requirements
Changes will be posted on this page. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.
13. Contact Information
For questions about this Acceptable Use Policy:
14. Related Policies
By using CrawlKit, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to comply with this Acceptable Use Policy.