The Bot Blockade: How Generic User-Agents Are Trapping Developers in the LLM Crawler Crossfire
A developer's public blog post detailing aggressive blocking of HTTP requests with generic User-Agent headers reveals the escalating battle against LLM training data scrapers. This defensive measure, while aimed at reducing server load from indiscriminate crawlers, risks collateral damage for legitimate tools and scripts. The incident highlights the tension between open web access and the unsustainable burden of mass data harvesting.