Fall Sale! Code FALL2024 takes 25% OFF our Pro Plugins & Books »
Web Dev + WordPress + Security

Yahoo! Once Again Caught Disobeying Robots.txt Rules

Hmmm.. Let’s see here. Google can do it. MSN/Live can do it. Even Ask can do it. So why oh why can’t Yahoo’s grubby Slurp crawler manage to adhere to robots.txt crawl directives? Just when I thought Yahoo! finally figured it out, I discover more Slurp tracks in my Blackhole trap for bad spiders:

IP:   74.6.17.163
Host: 163.17.6.74.in-addr.arpa llf520189.crawl.yahoo.net

[2008-07-30 (Wed) 16:51:59] "GET /blackhole/ HTTP/1.0"
Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Yahoo! Slurp; http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/ysearch/slurp)

OrgName:    Inktomi Corporation
OrgID:      INKT
Address:    701 First Ave
City:       Sunnyvale
StateProv:  CA
PostalCode: 94089
Country:    US

NetRange:   74.6.0.0 - 74.6.255.255
CIDR:       74.6.0.0/16

NetName:    INKTOMI-BLK-6
NetHandle:  NET-74-6-0-0-1
Parent:     NET-74-0-0-0-0
NetType:    Direct Allocation
NameServer: NS1.YAHOO.COM
NameServer: NS2.YAHOO.COM
NameServer: NS3.YAHOO.COM
NameServer: NS4.YAHOO.COM
NameServer: NS5.YAHOO.COM

RegDate:    2006-02-13
Updated:    2007-03-09

RAbuseHandle: NETWO857-ARIN
RAbuseName:   Network Abuse
RAbusePhone:  +1-408-349-3300
RAbuseEmail:  network-abuse@cc.yahoo-inc.com

OrgAbuseHandle: NETWO857-ARIN
OrgAbuseName:   Network Abuse
OrgAbusePhone:  +1-408-349-3300
OrgAbuseEmail:  network-abuse@cc.yahoo-inc.com

OrgTechHandle: NA258-ARIN
OrgTechName:   Netblock Admin
OrgTechPhone:  +1-408-349-3300
OrgTechEmail:  netblockadmin@yahoo-inc.com

# ARIN WHOIS database, last updated 2008-07-29 19:10

I enjoy the control provided by the robots.txt protocol and look forward to the day when all of the major search engines get it right.

About the Author
Jeff Starr = Creative thinker. Passionate about free and open Web.
GA Pro: Add Google Analytics to WordPress like a pro.

2 responses to “Yahoo! Once Again Caught Disobeying Robots.txt Rules”

  1. This just shows that Google’s nearest competitor is just oh so far behind in the game.

  2. Jeff Starr 2008/08/18 4:11 pm

    So true. I mean, how difficult is it for a computer to obey the operational rules it’s been given? I honestly can’t think of any excuse for Slurp’s recent deviancy into explicitly forbidden territory. Given that computers do not make “mistakes,” such illicit crawl behavior seems intentional. In either case, it’s not looking good for Yahoo.

Comments are closed for this post. Something to add? Let me know.
Welcome
Perishable Press is operated by Jeff Starr, a professional web developer and book author with two decades of experience. Here you will find posts about web development, WordPress, security, and more »
GA Pro: Add Google Analytics to WordPress like a pro.
Thoughts
I disabled AI in Google search results. It was making me lazy.
Went out walking today and soaked up some sunshine. It felt good.
I have an original box/packaging for 2010 iMac if anyone wants it free let me know.
Always ask AI to cite its sources. Also: “The Web” is not a valid answer.
All free plugins updated and ready for WP 6.6 dropping next week. Pro plugin updates in the works also complete :)
99% of video thumbnail/previews are pure cringe. Goofy faces = Clickbait.
RIP ICQ
Newsletter
Get news, updates, deals & tips via email.
Email kept private. Easy unsubscribe anytime.