FederalRegister.gov Restricts Access to Combat Automated Scraping

You might care about this because the Federal Register and eCFR websites have put new restrictions on how people and programs can access their information. This change is because of too much automated scraping of their data. Scraping means automatically copying large amounts of data from websites. To address this, direct programmatic access, which means access by computer programs, is now limited. Instead, developers and researchers need to use special tools called developer APIs. These APIs provide a structured way to get the data without overloading the websites. If you are a human user and get a message saying your request is automated, you will need to complete a CAPTCHA. This is a small test to prove you are not a robot. You might have to do this more than once as part of their security steps. There is also a way to ask for help with IP access if you are having problems or need a wider range of IP addresses approved. What is particularly interesting about this change is how the government is responding to the challenges of modern web use. Websites like the Federal Register hold important public information. When automated systems aggressively scrape this data, it can slow down the site for everyone and use up valuable resources. By limiting direct programmatic access and moving to APIs, the government is trying to protect its online services. This move also shows a preference for organized data access through official channels rather than unstructured scraping. It could set a precedent for how other government websites manage public data access in the future. This approach helps maintain site stability while still allowing legitimate users and developers to access the information they need, but in a more controlled way. It highlights the balance between open access to public data and protecting infrastructure. This legal document will be of most interest to several groups of people. First, developers and legal tech companies who build tools that rely on data from the Federal Register or eCFR will need to pay close attention. They will have to update their systems to use the new developer APIs. Academic researchers and data scientists who analyze government regulations will also find this very relevant. Their data collection methods might need to change. Anyone who uses automated scripts to monitor federal regulations for their business or legal practice should also be aware. Lastly, even regular human users who frequently visit these sites might occasionally encounter a CAPTCHA. This is especially true if their internet connection looks automated to the website. This change affects anyone who relies on these government websites for information, especially those using automated methods.