Merge branch 'cj/refname-avail-check-optim-typofix' - The Battle Against AI Scraping

Warning: You are seeing this page because the administrator of this website has taken measures to protect it against malicious AI companies that have been aggressively scraping websites. This effort, dubbed Anubis, is a compromise between security and accessibility. While it may cause occasional downtime for users, its purpose is to make website scraping more expensive and less appealing to AI companies.

Anubis uses a Proof-of-Work scheme similar to Hashcash, a proposed method to reduce email spam. On an individual scale, the added load from Anubis is negligible, but when used by large numbers of scrapers, it becomes prohibitively expensive. This clever hack is designed to give website administrators a temporary solution while they work on more advanced methods for identifying legitimate users and headless browsers.

However, Anubis has some limitations. It requires the use of modern JavaScript features, which plugins like JShelter will disable. To navigate this challenge, users must enable JavaScript, which is now a necessary condition to access the website. Unfortunately, a no-JS solution remains a work in progress.

The rise of AI companies has dramatically altered the social contract around website hosting. With Anubis, website administrators are taking proactive steps to protect their resources and maintain control over their content. While this may cause some inconvenience for users, it ultimately ensures that websites can continue to serve valuable information and experiences without being exploited by malicious actors.

As we move forward, it's essential to recognize the importance of balancing security with accessibility. By understanding how Anubis works and taking steps to mitigate its limitations, we can create a safer online environment for everyone.