Earlier today, Cloudflare (NET) announced that it is now the first major internet infrastructure company to automatically block AI bots from accessing websites unless permission is given. This means that when a new website signs up with Cloudflare, AI crawling is turned off by default. Website owners can later decide whether to allow AI bots and under what conditions, such as if they want their content used for AI training, search, or inference. The goal is to return to a system where creators benefit from the value they provide, rather than having their content taken and used without compensation or traffic.
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In fact, search engines used to index web content and send users to the original sites, which helped creators earn ad revenue and grow their audiences. However, AI changed that. Instead, bots now scrape text and images to power AI-generated answers, often without giving credit or driving traffic back to the creators. Fortunately, Cloudflare’s massive network, which handles trillions of daily requests, is able to tell the difference between humans and bots. As a result, this gives website owners more control and requires AI companies to clearly state their purpose before accessing content.
Unsurprisingly, many major publishers and tech platforms are backing this change by saying that this approach protects original content and encourages fair partnerships with AI firms. Cloudflare’s CEO, Matthew Prince, said that this move is about keeping the internet open and sustainable, especially as AI becomes more common. The company hopes that this will lead to a more balanced online world, where creators are respected, compensated, and can continue sharing content freely, while AI still has room to grow in a responsible way.
Is NET Stock a Good Buy?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on NET stock based on 16 Buys, nine Holds, and one Sell assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. Furthermore, the average NET price target of $165.57 per share implies 11.8% upside potential.
