Craigslist vs 3Taps Judgement

Craigslist is a popular online classified advertisement platform that

Job data
Sales Leads
Real estate
Naman Gupta
Naman Gupta
February 21, 2025
6 minute read
Craigslist vs 3Taps Judgement

UserVoice pioneered the concept of feature request tracking and idea voting boards, helping to make businesses more customer-centric. They deserve credit for pushing the industry forward.

But while UserVoice may have been groundbreaking back in 2008, their product hasn't kept up with the times.

Craigslist is a popular online classified advertisement platform that allows users to post listings for jobs, housing, goods, services, and more. Craigslist uses terms of service (ToS) that explicitly prohibit automated access to its website, including web scraping, without prior authorization.

3Taps was a company that aggregated data from various online sources, including Craigslist, and provided it to developers through an API.3Taps argued that the data it collected from Craigslist was publicly available and should be accessible for aggregation and redistribution.

Allegations and Arguments

  • Craigslist claimed that 3Taps violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) by scraping its data without permission.
  • 3Taps argued that it had Craigslist's authorization to access the listings. It claimed that Craigslist was a public website, so anyone, including 3Taps, always had authorization.
  • 3Taps suggested that Craigslist had set restrictions on how 3Taps must use the data, rather than restricting 3Taps's access to the data altogether.

The legal case between Craigslist and 3Taps is an interesting one in the context of web scraping and data aggregation
Naman Gupta
Founder & CEO, Relu Consultancy

Judgement and Outcome

In 2013, a federal judge ruled in favor of Craigslist, granting a preliminary injunction against 3Taps. The injunction prevented 3Taps from scraping Craigslist's data. Later, in 2015, a settlement was reached between Craigslist and 3Taps, where 3Taps agreed to shut down its operations and transfer its assets.

  • While data on the internet may seem publicly available, websites have the right to control access to and use of their data. Unauthorized scraping can be deemed as a violation of this right.
  • The case highlights the importance of reviewing and respecting a website's terms of service. Craigslist's ToS explicitly prohibited web scraping, and the court upheld the validity of these terms.
  • The judgment in this case set a precedent for the legality of web scraping, especially when it involves circumventing website terms of service. It underscores the need for companies to protect their data and for scrapers to operate within legal boundaries.

Craigslist vs 3Taps Judgement

Naman Gupta

Founder & CEO, Relu Consultancy
which deals in web scraping services which include Python Web Scraping, Web Scraper Tools, Website Data Extraction, Web Scraping API.

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Relu Consultancy impresses with its honesty and responsiveness despite time differences, offering expert data collection services beneficial for e-commerce analysis. They excel in monitoring services and promptly addressing issues, although slight coordination challenges may arise due to differing holiday schedules across countries. Overall, they come highly recommended for data analysts seeking reliable data solutions.

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We collaborated with Relu Consultancy to implement a new feature, encompassing web scraping, APIs, and React frontend.
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Effective communication and collaboration were maintained seamlessly throughout the project's duration.

We collaborated with Relu Consultancy to implement a new feature, encompassing web scraping, APIs, and React frontend. The project was successfully completed and delivered to production, where it is currently being utilized by live clients. Throughout the entire process, the Relu team demonstrated agility in comprehending evolving requirements and promptly incorporating changes to enhance the product feature. Effective communication and collaboration were maintained seamlessly throughout the project's duration.

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Thank you for getting us what we wanted without us having to sweat it out to explain what we wanted. This reflects your experience in developing various software products, no matter how out-of-this-world the idea may be. I also appreciate you getting our job done within our budget. I am looking forward to a long partnership that will last for years to come, with more products in our pipeline heading your way.

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