---
title: "Patreon Stops Asking AI Bots Not to Scrape — and Starts Blocking Them with Cloudflare"
source: "TechCrunch：AI（RSS）"
source_tier: "t2"
url: "https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/17/patreon-stops-asking-ai-bots-not-to-scrape-and-starts-blocking-them/"
permalink: "https://feed.astralor.com/items/itm_7be29e0c57cbc11636e38077"
published: "2026-07-17T15:21:17.000Z"
score: 68
channel: "ai"
tags: ["AI crawler blocking","Cloudflare","Patreon","creator protection","data compliance"]
---

# Patreon Stops Asking AI Bots Not to Scrape — and Starts Blocking Them with Cloudflare

## AI commentary

> As an editor, I find this report noteworthy because it marks a rewrite of the rules for AI data acquisition. For platform operators, Cloudflare's solution offers a reusable defense template; for creators, it's a crucial signal that content ownership rights are being enforced.

## At a glance

Patreon announced a partnership with Cloudflare to upgrade its defenses and proactively block crawlers used to train AI models. Previously, the platform relied solely on robots.txt files asking crawlers to stop, which had limited effect. The new solution uses Cloudflare's AI crawler detection and blocking capabilities to stop unauthorized data collection at the network level, protecting creators' content from being used for AI training without permission. This move marks a shift from 'asking' to 'forcing,' reflecting the industry trend under AI data compliance pressure.

## Key points

- Patreon moves away from relying solely on robots.txt to persuade AI crawlers, adopting active blocking instead.
- Partners with Cloudflare to leverage its AI crawler detection and blocking technology at the network layer.
- Aims to protect creators' content from being used for unauthorized AI training.
- Reflects an industry shift from soft requests to hard defenses under AI data compliance pressure.

## Full text

Patreon is strengthening its defenses against AI scraping by working with Cloudflare to block bots that train AI models on creators’ content without permission. The move marks a shift away from relying on websites using robots.txt alone to actively block unauthorized AI training.

---

Verify against the original before citing; curated by Astral Feed: https://feed.astralor.com/items/itm_7be29e0c57cbc11636e38077