Higher Regional Court of Cologne on Scraping: Platforms May Defend Against Automated Data Vacuums
Validated facts
Judgment on LinkedIn. Platform operators may erect technical barriers (rate limiting, captchas, IP blocks) to prevent external bots from mass-harvesting user profiles.
In plain language
The homeowner may lock the door: A social media platform need not tolerate foreign firms vacuuming up all public data of its members.
Security relevance & practical tip
Legitimizes technical defensive measures to protect the privacy of registered users.
Primary source / reference
- OLG Köln – 15 U 145/22