Cloudflare has announced a significant change by blocking AI crawlers by default for new customers, reversing the traditional model of allowing crawlers unless blocked. The company introduced Pay-Per-Crawl, enabling website owners to charge AI companies per page crawled. This move aims to create economic relationships between AI companies and content owners. Major publishers have joined this system. While this offers control and monetisation for creators, challenges include equal pricing for content and potential evasion by AI companies. This shift sparks discussions on data ownership and consent.
Free speech put on hold.
July 13, 2026
