Yes, scraping public data in Pennsylvania is generally permissible, provided compliance with state and federal laws, including the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law (RTKL) and the Computer Crime and Abuse Act (CCAA). Courts have not explicitly banned scraping public records, but unauthorized access or excessive requests may violate statutes. The Pennsylvania Office of Open Records (OOR) oversees RTKL compliance, while the 2026 amendments to the CCAA introduce stricter penalties for unauthorized data extraction from government systems.
Key Regulations for Scraping Public Data in Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law (RTKL): Requires agencies to disclose public records upon request, but does not mandate proactive publication. Scrapers must avoid circumventing access controls or overwhelming systems with automated requests, which may trigger “denial of service” claims under RTKL § 703.
- Computer Crime and Abuse Act (CCAA): Prohibits accessing a computer or network without authorization or exceeding authorized access. The 2026 amendments expand liability to include scraping bots that bypass CAPTCHAs or manipulate IP addresses, with penalties up to $100,000 per violation.
- Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA): While preemptive, Pennsylvania courts often defer to CFAA precedent. Scraping data from websites with clear “no-bot” terms may constitute unauthorized access, as seen in hiQ Labs v. LinkedIn (2022), a case cited in Pennsylvania’s 2025 judicial guidance.