- Safwan AMM
- 02 September, 2025
Cloudflare’s Big Move: Giving Website Owners Control Over AI Crawlers
Imagine this. You own a small online store in Sri Lanka selling handmade batik clothes. You write product descriptions, upload photos, and even share little stories about how each design is made. Suddenly, an AI bot visits your site, copies all your content, and uses it elsewhere. The bot doesn’t send customers back to your site. You lose both traffic and sales.
This is the problem Cloudflare is trying to fix.
What is an AI Crawler?
Think of an AI crawler like a tiny robot that goes around the internet, visiting websites and collecting information. It doesn’t read for fun — it copies text, images, or articles and takes them back to feed an AI system.
For example, if you wrote a blog about Sri Lankan recipes, an AI crawler could scan your page, copy your content, and later use it to help someone’s chatbot explain how to make “kottu roti.” The problem? The AI gives the answer but doesn’t send readers back to your blog.
That’s why AI crawlers are different from Google crawlers. Google shows your page in search results, bringing visitors to your site. But AI crawlers often take the knowledge without giving credit or traffic.
Blocking AI Crawlers by Default
Cloudflare, which powers nearly 20% of the world’s websites, announced that it will now block AI bots by default. That means if an AI company wants to scrape your site, they first need your permission.
In the old days, search engines like Google crawled websites, but they always sent visitors back to the original page. That helped creators, bloggers, and businesses earn income and grow. But with AI crawlers, the cycle is broken — they take your content but don’t return traffic.
Cloudflare’s CEO, Matthew Prince, said it well:
“If the internet is going to survive the age of AI, creators must have control over their content.”
Pay Per Crawl: A New Earning Model
Here’s the interesting part. Cloudflare also launched Pay Per Crawl. Think of it like a toll gate on your website. If an AI bot wants to crawl your content, it has to pay you a small fee per crawl.
💡 Example: Just like paying for water usage at home — the more you use, the more you pay — AI companies will have to pay for the content they use.
This model could open new income streams for publishers, news websites, bloggers, and even small businesses.
Why This Matters for Sri Lankans
Bloggers & Writers → Your articles, recipes, or travel stories won’t be stolen without permission.
Businesses → Product details and creative descriptions stay protected.
Media Houses → News websites in Sri Lanka can earn if AI wants their content.
Challenges Ahead
Of course, it won’t be smooth. Some AI companies might try to avoid paying, or they may only pay the big sites while ignoring smaller ones. There’s also the question of whether micropayments are practical at scale.
But this move is a first big step toward balancing AI innovation with protecting content creators.
Final Thought
Cloudflare’s decision is like putting a strong gate in front of your digital home. You decide who enters, who pays, and how your hard work is valued.
For Sri Lankan creators, this could mean more protection and possibly even new earnings in the AI-powered internet age.
