And it is not only an issue to prevent stealing of data...it is a server security issue. Some bots would use so many resources that they would bring down the servers. So there are many reasons for monitoring and preventing bot access. Joan In a message dated 8/4/2011 4:04:41 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, pjroots@att.net writes: Jim, You may be thinking about previous discussions regarding munging of email addresses via JavaScript or other methods. Those methods are employed for browser access, as opposed to a bot accessing the unmunged address directly from the server. Think about it. Any internet company with proprietary data, including RootsWeb or Ancestry, can and does block unwanted bots routinely. Otherwise all of the data they have created or purchased that is stored on their servers could be harvested. For example, insurance companies could steal the entire SSDI, which Ancestry has to pay for. Or Joe Blow Genealogy Services could steal the 1930 census index, etc. Pat