Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 2, 2026

Botcrawl is an independently operated cybersecurity publication, research project, and public directory platform. This Privacy Policy explains how Botcrawl collects, uses, stores, and discloses information when you visit Botcrawl.com or a Botcrawl-operated service covered by this policy, browse public directories or maps, submit a contribution or correction, interact with site features, or otherwise communicate with us.

This policy applies to Botcrawl websites and services that reference this page. A Botcrawl product, application, browser extension, API, customer portal, or other service that provides its own privacy notice is governed by that notice for the applicable service.

Information We Collect

Website and Technical Information

When you access Botcrawl, our website, hosting infrastructure, security systems, and service providers may automatically process technical information associated with your request. This may include your IP address, browser and device type, operating system, requested URL, referring page, date and time of access, response status, and similar connection, security, or diagnostic information.

We use this information to operate and secure Botcrawl, diagnose technical problems, prevent abuse, understand site performance and reliability, and protect Botcrawl and its users.

Directory Contributions and Corrections

When you suggest a missing Bot, Network, Data Center, or Ads & Trackers record, submit a correction to an existing record, or otherwise contribute directory information, Botcrawl may collect the information you provide. This may include your name, email address, optional relationship to the subject, optional organization, source URLs, supporting explanation, proposed record information, and other details included with the contribution.

Contributor contact information is maintained separately from public directory information and is not intended for publication. Factual information, source material, proposed changes, and related research may be used to verify, create, correct, document, or maintain public directory records.

For security and abuse prevention, a contribution system may also create a one-way cryptographic value derived from the IP address associated with the request. This value may be used for rate limiting, duplicate detection, and abuse controls rather than as a public identifier.

Please do not include passwords, access tokens, private logs, financial information, unrelated personal information, or other sensitive material in a contribution unless specifically requested through an appropriate secure process.

Comments

If comments are enabled and you leave a comment, Botcrawl may collect the information entered in the comment form together with technical information such as your IP address and browser user agent. This information may be used for moderation, security, spam prevention, and administration.

A cryptographic hash derived from the email address used for a comment may be provided to Gravatar to determine whether an associated profile image exists. If a comment is approved, the comment, display name, and any associated public profile image may be visible publicly. Gravatar is operated by Automattic and processes information under its own privacy practices.

Accounts

Most public Botcrawl content can be accessed without an account. If account functionality is available and you create or use an account, Botcrawl, WordPress, or related systems may store information associated with that account, including your username, email address, profile information, authentication information, account status, and account preferences.

Maps and Location Features

Some Botcrawl services may use Google Maps Platform services or similar mapping providers for mapping, location display, and place-search functionality. Using a map may cause information such as your IP address, browser or device information, map requests, search terms, and interactions with the map to be processed by the applicable mapping provider.

If a Near me or similar location feature is available, your browser will ask whether you want to provide location access. If permission is granted, the location returned by your browser may be used to position the map or identify relevant records in the surrounding area. Location permission is optional and is not required to browse Botcrawl.

Google and other mapping providers process information generated through their services according to their applicable privacy policies and terms.

Analytics

Botcrawl may use Google Analytics or similar analytics services to understand how visitors use Botcrawl, measure traffic and performance, identify technical problems, and improve content and functionality. Depending on the applicable configuration and your privacy choices, analytics services may process information such as page visits, session activity, approximate location, browser and device information, referring sources, and identifiers stored in cookies or similar technologies.

Google Analytics may use first-party identifiers such as the _ga cookie where analytics storage is permitted. Google provides controls that allow users to manage or limit certain Analytics and advertising-related data collection.

Advertising

Botcrawl may display advertising provided through Google AdSense and related Google advertising services. Google and other participating advertising providers may use cookies, IP addresses, browser information, device or advertising identifiers, or similar technologies to deliver advertisements, measure performance, prevent fraud and abuse, limit repeated advertisements, and, where permitted, personalize advertising based on previous activity.

Google advertising technologies may allow Google and participating advertising partners to serve advertisements based on visits to Botcrawl or other websites. You can manage Google’s personalized advertising through controls provided by Google and through applicable browser, device, or consent settings.

Botcrawl does not sell personal information to third parties for monetary consideration. Depending on applicable law, certain disclosures associated with analytics or advertising may be treated as sharing, targeted advertising, or similar activity. Advertising and analytics providers may independently process information according to their own privacy policies and the privacy choices available to you.

Donations and Payments

If you choose to donate to Botcrawl or make another payment through a supported Botcrawl service, payment processing may be handled by PayPal, Stripe, or another identified payment provider. Payment credentials such as full credit card or bank account numbers are processed by the payment provider rather than stored directly by Botcrawl.

A payment provider may provide Botcrawl with transaction information associated with a payment, such as a transaction identifier, amount, transaction status, name, email address, or other contact information. Payment providers process payment information according to their own privacy policies and terms.

Communications

If you contact Botcrawl by email or another communication channel, we may retain your message, contact information, message metadata, attachments, and related correspondence as reasonably necessary to respond, maintain records, investigate a report, address a security or legal matter, or protect Botcrawl and its users.

Public Directory and Research Information

Botcrawl publishes structured information about web bots, automated agents, internet networks, autonomous systems, infrastructure providers, data centers, facilities, operators, advertising technologies, tracking technologies, and related technical subjects. Directory and research information may be obtained from publicly available materials, operator publications, technical documentation, public datasets, direct technical observations, historical records, and community contributions.

This information is maintained for cybersecurity, internet-infrastructure identification, technical research, documentation, and public-interest reference purposes. Botcrawl does not use its public directories to create consumer marketing profiles.

If you believe a public directory record contains inaccurate personal information or information that should be reviewed, you may use an available contribution or correction system or contact Botcrawl directly.

How We Use Information

Information collected or processed through Botcrawl may be used to:

• Operate, maintain, secure, and improve Botcrawl websites and services.
• Provide the Bot, Network, Data Center, and Ads & Trackers directories and related search, research, and mapping features.
• Verify and process directory contributions and corrections.
• Maintain the provenance, accuracy, integrity, and history of directory and research records.
• Detect spam, fraud, abuse, automated attacks, and other security threats.
• Diagnose technical problems and maintain service reliability.
• Measure website performance, traffic, and usage.
• Display and measure advertising.
• Administer comments, accounts, and user-requested functionality.
• Process donations, payments, subscriptions, or related transactions where applicable.
• Respond to questions, reports, legal requests, and privacy requests.
• Investigate technical, security, fraud, or abuse incidents.
• Comply with applicable legal obligations and establish, exercise, or defend Botcrawl’s rights.

Cookies and Browser Storage

Botcrawl and services used by Botcrawl may use cookies, local browser storage, session storage, or similar technologies.

These technologies may be used for functions including authentication, account preferences, comment convenience, security, abuse prevention, analytics, advertising, consent preferences, and temporary site-interface settings.

For example, WordPress may use cookies when a user logs in or chooses to remember comment information. Botcrawl may also use browser storage for temporary interface preferences, such as remembering that a dismissible site notice has been closed.

Google Analytics, Google advertising products, and other third-party services may use their own cookies or identifiers as described in their respective privacy policies. Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies, although disabling certain storage technologies may affect website functionality.

Embedded Content and External Services

Botcrawl articles and pages may contain embedded videos, images, maps, social content, advertisements, interactive resources, or other content provided by third parties. Embedded content may behave in substantially the same manner as visiting the third-party service directly.

Those services may receive technical information such as your IP address and browser information, use cookies or similar technologies, and collect information about your interactions with their content according to their own privacy practices.

Links to third-party websites or services are provided for reference or convenience. Botcrawl does not control the privacy, security, or data-handling practices of external websites or services.

When Information May Be Shared

Botcrawl does not sell personal information for monetary consideration.

Information may be disclosed to third parties when reasonably necessary to operate Botcrawl, provide a requested feature, process a transaction, maintain security, or support website and service infrastructure. Depending on the service involved, these providers may include hosting and infrastructure providers, security services, Google services used for analytics, advertising, maps, and place search, Automattic services such as Gravatar, payment providers such as PayPal or Stripe, and providers used for website or administrative email.

We may also preserve or disclose information when reasonably necessary to comply with applicable law or legal process, respond to valid court orders or governmental requests, protect users or the public, investigate fraud, abuse, or security incidents, enforce Botcrawl’s rights, or establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

How Long We Retain Information

Retention depends on the type of information, the reason it was collected, operational and security requirements, and applicable legal obligations.

Comments and associated metadata may be retained indefinitely where reasonably necessary to preserve discussion history, moderation decisions, and recognition of previously approved commenters.

Account information may be retained while an account remains active and for additional periods when reasonably necessary for security, administration, dispute resolution, fraud prevention, or legal obligations.

Directory contributions may be retained as part of Botcrawl’s research provenance and record history. When an applicable and verified erasure request concerns contributor information, Botcrawl may remove stored contributor contact information, including the contributor’s name, email address, relationship, organization, and contribution-related IP hash, while retaining factual contribution and review history where reasonably necessary to preserve directory integrity, provenance, and research records.

Security logs, analytics information, advertising information, transaction records, and information processed by third-party providers may be retained according to operational requirements, configured retention periods, applicable law, and the policies of the relevant provider.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live and the laws that apply, you may have rights concerning personal information associated with you. These may include rights to request access, correction, deletion, restriction, objection, portability, or information about certain disclosures or uses of personal information.

You may also have rights to object to or opt out of certain forms of targeted or personalized advertising, sharing, or similar processing where applicable. Advertising preferences may additionally be managed through Google and through browser, device, or consent settings.

Botcrawl participates in WordPress’s personal-data export and erasure framework for information supported by WordPress and participating Botcrawl components. Other Botcrawl services may provide additional privacy-request mechanisms where appropriate. Because third-party providers maintain their own systems, a request submitted to Botcrawl may not automatically remove information independently controlled by another provider.

We may need to verify your identity or control of an associated email address before fulfilling a request. Certain information may be retained where reasonably necessary for security, fraud prevention, legal compliance, preservation of legitimate directory and research records, or the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims.

Security

Botcrawl uses administrative, technical, and application-level safeguards intended to protect information against unauthorized access, alteration, misuse, loss, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, input validation, restricted administrative records, abuse controls, security monitoring, and other practices appropriate to the nature of the information being processed.

No website, network, database, application, or transmission method can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Accordingly, Botcrawl cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children’s Privacy

Botcrawl is a cybersecurity, internet infrastructure, and technical research publication intended for a general audience. It is not directed specifically to children, and we do not knowingly solicit personal information from children where parental consent would be required by applicable law.

International Processing

Botcrawl is operated from the United States. Service providers used by Botcrawl may process information in the United States and other countries. Privacy and data-protection laws may differ between jurisdictions.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when Botcrawl’s websites, services, technology, data practices, service providers, or legal obligations change. The revision date at the top of this page identifies the current version.

Contact

Questions, correction requests, and privacy requests concerning Botcrawl may be sent to info@botcrawl.com.