In a striking example of corporate double standards, Meta was an active customer of Bright Data—using its services to scrape e-commerce sites—at the same time it was suing the company to prevent others from scraping its own platform.
To avoid being overwhelmed and ensure value, new web data initiatives should begin with a small, focused pilot. Instead of immediately downloading massive datasets, analyze a few megabytes in a simple tool like Google Sheets to understand its structure and potential before scaling.
Brands must now focus on how LLMs perceive and represent them, not just on traditional SEO. This new discipline, "GEO" or "LLM Visibility," involves managing the public web data that AI agents consume to answer user queries about brands, products, and competitors.
To remain agile in a rapidly changing market, senior product leaders must stay connected to the front lines. Bright Data's CPO actively reviews customer support tickets and production issues, providing real-time feedback crucial for rapid iteration and strategic decision-making.
Many leaders mistakenly assume web data collection is easy because small tests work. In reality, large-scale scraping introduces chaos—blocks, bad data, and technical hurdles—much like how physics laws change at the quantum level, making enterprise-grade infrastructure essential.
Legal battles won by data firm Bright Data against platforms like Meta and X set a key precedent: public information not behind a login is fair game. A federal judge's declaration, "You do not own the internet," solidifies the right to collect this data responsibly.