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Research Disclaimer

Applies to all BCS publications, reports, and registry data

Methodology

BCS observes automated traffic arriving at participating network nodes. Observations are logged with timestamps, IP addresses, User-Agent strings, and request paths. Bot identification is performed by matching observed User-Agent strings and IP ranges against operators’ own published declarations.

What We Report

• Observable behavior: which paths were requested, in what order, at what rate
• Compliance with web standards: robots.txt directives, rel=“nofollow” attributes, X-Robots-Tag HTTP headers
• Behavioral classifications based on deviation from established standards
• IP verification against operators’ own published ranges

What We Do Not Claim

• We do not claim to know the purpose or intent behind any bot’s actions
• We do not claim our observations represent the totality of any bot’s behavior
• We do not claim that low scores indicate malice, fraud, or illegality
• Terms such as “hostile” and “non_compliant” are technical classifications based on behavioral deviation from web standards, not moral judgments

Data Integrity

All observations referenced in BCS reports are backed by timestamped server logs. Operators who wish to review the specific evidence behind their score may request a private audit under NDA by contacting hello@botconduct.org.

Right of Response

Any operator named in a BCS report has the right to respond. Responses received before publication are included in the report. Responses received after publication are appended as addenda. Contact: hello@botconduct.org

Legal Basis

BCS publications constitute security research and are protected under principles of freedom of expression, scientific inquiry, and responsible disclosure. BCS does not access, attack, or probe external systems. All data is collected from traffic that voluntarily enters BCS-monitored infrastructure.