Flash can decrypt data... Afaik so encrypt the data in an xml packet... And
make the key a rotating key (something based on date or something like that)
and you have automatically created a difficult thing to "scrape" (although
not impossible but that is the nature of IT... Everything can be reverse
engineered unless you use one-way encryption algorithms but that's useless
here because you need to get the data back!)

Again, cease and desist letter MUST be the first port of call to get the
legal ball rolling...

Paul

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Peter Harrison [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
> Sent: 16 September 2003 15:46
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: RE: [ cf-dev ] Stopping 'db scrapes'
> 
> 
> The Flash front end would have to get its data via some URL, 
> yes? Sniff the URL, ignore the Flash front end and use your own.
> 
> The cease and desist letter sounds like JUSTICE! to me. *the mob grows
> hungry*
> 
> - Peter
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paul Johnston [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: 16 September 2003 11:01
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: RE: [ cf-dev ] Stopping 'db scrapes'
> 
> 
> And they just "simulate" registrations...
> 
> It's pretty easy to get around when a company is using a 
> program to simulate clicks...
> 
> However, there is one possibility...
> 
> How about sending the data as XML and having an external XSL 
> stylesheet, and if the user is using IE 6 then you can do the 
> HTML creation on the client side... That way the java applet 
> MAY get confused (it may not take long to get round though)...
> 
> Other than that, the simulated HTTP GET/POST statements must 
> be in some common format?  Maybe check for that common format 
> in some way and if it appears to be from the applet, then 
> dump the request...?  This can of course be got around!
> 
> I still think creating a Flash front end for the search 
> results may provide you with more protection (although it 
> means flash being used on the site which may or may not be 
> worthwhile)...  That way a scrape is a lot more difficult.
> 
> Erm...
> 
> Cease and Desist letter at same time would probably be 
> effective too! Btw... It is very easy to write a flash 
> checker to see if a user has flash installed and most do.  
> That way you would have two versions of the relevant bits (ie 
> search results and house details for example) BUT you would 
> stop plain old HTML scraping occurring.
> 
> Paul
> 
> > Oih dear. That's very sneaky.
> > Perhaps a registration to access the site is required then
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Rich Wild [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > > Sent: 16 September 2003 10:30
> > > To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]'
> > > Subject: RE: [ cf-dev ] Stopping 'db scrapes'
> > >
> > >
> > > > Not if the URL is not on any of the pages.
> > >
> > > What I'm saying is that if a page is available to a 
> normal user of 
> > > Peter's site with a normal browser without having to sign 
> in, then 
> > > the competitor will be able to get that page also, no matter what 
> > > you do.
> > >
> > > They're not linking to any pages, they're using a java applet to 
> > > simulate a user clicking and submitting search forms and then 
> > > they're scraping the results. Hence if a user can see the 
> data, then 
> > > so can their java applet, no matter what you put in the url.
> > >
> > >
> > > --
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> > >
> >
> >
> >
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> 
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