A skeptical look at the Automated Content Access Protocol @ Ars Technica

Vikingod · Jan 14, 2008, 12:02 PM

Source: Ars Technica
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Internet publishers have devised a complicated new system called the Automated Content Access Protocol (ACAP) that aims to supplement the aging Robots Exclusion Protocol by providing a means for site operators to provide more detailed instructions to web spiders and indexing programs. Although there are contexts in which a richer and more expressive mechanism for establishing indexing parameters would be advantageous for site operators, ACAP goes far beyond indexing and attempts to dictate the terms under which content can be used and displayed. ACAP, which is being devised by a cabal of publishing companies with very little regard for implementation challenges, would likely represent a significant burden for major search engines—assuming that any decide to support the protocol.

Jan 14, 2008, 12:02 PM	#1
Vikingod Int'l Fish Liaison Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: By the light of lamp I sit and type... Posts: 16,197 Rep Power: 112 System Specs	A skeptical look at the Automated Content Access Protocol @ Ars Technica Source: Ars Technica _____________ Internet publishers have devised a complicated new system called the Automated Content Access Protocol (ACAP) that aims to supplement the aging Robots Exclusion Protocol by providing a means for site operators to provide more detailed instructions to web spiders and indexing programs. Although there are contexts in which a richer and more expressive mechanism for establishing indexing parameters would be advantageous for site operators, ACAP goes far beyond indexing and attempts to dictate the terms under which content can be used and displayed. ACAP, which is being devised by a cabal of publishing companies with very little regard for implementation challenges, would likely represent a significant burden for major search engines—assuming that any decide to support the protocol.