{"id":27331,"date":"2025-07-04T15:42:40","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T12:42:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/?p=27331"},"modified":"2025-07-18T10:55:43","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T07:55:43","slug":"cloudflare-ai-protection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/cloudflare-ai-protection\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking on AI: How Cloudfare is protecting your content"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Before AI,<strong> <\/strong>search engines like Google would crawl websites. This means they would read your site\u2019s info to show it in search results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But with the coming of AI, companies started using special programs called AI crawlers. These programs automatically collect huge amounts of information from websites: text, articles, pictures, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But here\u2019s the problem:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>AI bots take content<\/strong> and show it in search results, but they <strong>don\u2019t link back to the original website<\/strong>. This means the people who created the content don\u2019t get visitors, don\u2019t earn money, and don\u2019t even get credit for their hard work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Content creators lose motivation.<\/strong> If no one sees or pays for original content, why would anyone want to create it?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cloudflare\u2019s new rules for AI<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cloudflare has begun <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cloudflare.com\/press-releases\/2025\/cloudflare-just-changed-how-ai-crawlers-scrape-the-internet-at-large\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blocking<\/a> AI crawlers from looking at website content. Now, they can only do so if the site owner consents or if the AI company pays for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\"><summary><strong>Not using Cloudflare? Here\u2019s why you might want to<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p>Cloudflare makes websites faster, safer, and easier for everyone to use. Let\u2019s say your server is in Germany, and someone trying to visit your site is in Australia. The data has to travel a long way (and who knows better than you about long trips?), which makes your site slow. And if hackers anywhere in the world decide your site looks juicy, you might get attacked. Enter Cloudflare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Faster loading<\/strong>: Cloudflare has servers all over the world. When someone visits your website, Cloudflare sends them the information from the server closest to them. This makes your site load much more quickly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stronger security<\/strong>: Cloudflare stops bad traffic, hacker attacks, and spam before they even get to your site.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Always available<\/strong>: If your site ever goes down, Cloudflare can show visitors a saved (cached) version. This means people can still see your content even if your site isn\u2019t working.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to regain control of your content with one click<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cloudflare now asks site owners their preferences with regard to AI bots:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69f14c9ba689a&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"910\" height=\"603\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on-async--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image.png 910w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-300x199.png 300w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-768x509.png 768w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-736x488.png 736w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-416x276.png 416w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 910px) 100vw, 910px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Source: <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.seroundtable.com\/cloudflare-block-ai-crawlers-39673.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Search Engine Roundtable<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This means:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If you own a website, you get to decide if AI companies can use your content. You can even tell them how they can use it \u2013 like for teaching their AI, for search, or to create AI overview answers. (Now AI crawlers must declare why they want to collect data.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you start a new website with Cloudflare, AI crawlers will be blocked by default.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>AI companies might start paying to use website content. This could mean that people who create content will finally get paid fairly for what they make!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Cloudflare\u2019s changes can help travel bloggers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Simply put, Cloudflare is giving website owners control over how AI uses their content. If you\u2019re a blogger, this can help you in several ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Visitors will have a reason to keep visiting your site<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Cloudflare&#8217;s changes could mean that people will need to visit your website more often to get the full, original information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, let\u2019s say someone asks an AI chatbot \u201cWhat are the best hiking trails in the Dolomites?\u201d If the AI system can\u2019t easily scan your blog about the Dolomites, it\u2019ll have to either link to your blog as a trusted source (if it makes a deal with Cloudflare and you) or give a lower-quality answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Your original content will be protected<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Everything you\u2019ve spent time and care creating \u2013 like a unique itinerary for Sicily or your original photos of a Bali sunset \u2013 may have been \u201ceaten\u201d by AI bots for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cloudflare\u2019s changes mean your content won\u2019t be automatically scanned by AI bots without your permission. And it won\u2019t be twisted into incorrect information in search results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example: If you\u2019ve written a guide called \u201cIceland Road Trip: 7-Day Itinerary\u201d with unique photos and tips, AI services won\u2019t be able to simply take your whole itinerary and photos to train their systems and create answers for users without mentioning you. This helps protect the value and uniqueness of your hard work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. You can get paid if AI does use your content<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Before, you didn\u2019t get anything when AI services used your content \u2013 you just lost visitors and earnings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cloudflare\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.cloudflare.com\/ai-audit\/features\/pay-per-crawl\/what-is-pay-per-crawl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pay Per Crawl<\/a> feature will make AI companies that need your content pay you to access it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example: You have a blog about food tours. You could sell access to your content for AI training. This means you would get money when these services scan your content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Will I get penalized for blocking AI bots? Fortunately, it seems not. Travel bloggers who have already blocked AI bots haven&#8217;t reported any negative consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what <strong>Marek Bronstring from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.indietraveller.co\/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR25jolD8V4aJtyYNLGORixeIDPFIUsMFlQTPzpN2OUYZM8QZbFznL1ku3s_aem_Af62UorrEQGcVGFH6H6OSh08IVfvC1Cs85aLIkQQCLej4RCF7rydL9aMQd7aOP7oEc0QHKhsYqLkFSjpb7fkxfve\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Indie Traveler<\/a><\/strong> had to say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile tp-no-border\" style=\"grid-template-columns:23% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"654\" height=\"654\" src=\"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/google-updates_marek.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23998 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/google-updates_marek.png 654w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/google-updates_marek-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/google-updates_marek-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/google-updates_marek-488x488.png 488w, https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/google-updates_marek-416x416.png 416w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 654px) 100vw, 654px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;ve had AI bots blocked using Cloudflare for a long time. No negative impacts and I continue to be indexed and even listed as a source in AI answers.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Has Cloudlfare just ended the age of AI thievery? Share your thoughts in the comments!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AI stealing your content and traffic? Learn how Cloudflare helps bloggers protect their earnings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":27333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[560,696],"class_list":["post-27331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-ai","tag-cloudflare"],"acf":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27331"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28534,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27331\/revisions\/28534"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelpayouts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}