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Use “Be The Bot” to Get Around Website Registration

Thu, Mar 13, 2008

Hacks and Mods

There are a number of ways to try to circumvent sites that require you to register in order to view content. BugMeNot used to be a good option, but lately it seems that most sites have gotten wise. BeTheBot is a site that makes sites think you are a search engine crawler, which is basically like an all-access pass. They have a succinct description on their website:

BeTheBot.jpg

Have you ever been googleing something, and you see exactly what you need in the preview, but when you click the link it doesnt show you what you want to see?
This is because the owners of the site are trying to trick you into buying something, or registering. It’s a common tactic on the internet. When Google visits the site, it gives something called a “Header”. This header tells the site who the visitor is. Google’s header is “Googlebot”. The programmers of the site check to see if the header says “Googlebot”, and if it does, it opens up all of its content for only googles eyes.
Now, all we have to do is trick the site’s headers, into thinking that we ARE google. That’s what this site does. See the How to use box to the right for instructions on usage

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This site is edited by Michael Schneider, an attorney with the firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati. When not working with clients on legal issues, Michael enjoys tracking and writing about emerging technology and the Internet.

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