Where CC Stands on Pay-to-Crawl
3 days ago
- #AI
- #Digital Rights
- #Web Content
- The rise of large AI models has disrupted the social contract governing machine use of web content, making the web more extractive.
- Pay-to-crawl is an emerging system where websites automate compensation when their content is accessed by machines.
- CC supports pay-to-crawl if implemented responsibly to sustain content creation and sharing, but has significant reservations.
- Concerns include potential exploitation by rightsholders, new power concentrations, and blocking access for public interest actors.
- Proposed principles for responsible pay-to-crawl include not making it a default, enabling choice, preserving public interest access, and avoiding surveillance.
- Pay-to-crawl systems should use open components, support collective contributions, and avoid DRM-like architectures.
- CC calls for engagement to influence pay-to-crawl systems to prioritize reciprocity, openness, and the commons.