Proxies and Copyright: What is Legal in Scraping, Multi-Accounting, and Bypassing Blocks

The use of proxies for business — scraping marketplaces, managing multiple social media accounts, or bypassing geographical restrictions — raises questions about legality. Arbitrage specialists, SMM professionals, and online store owners often face uncertainty: is it legal to use proxies to collect data from Wildberries? Am I breaking the law by managing 30 Instagram accounts through an anti-detect browser? Am I at risk of sanctions for bypassing advertising platform restrictions?

In this article, we analyze the legal aspects of using proxies: what is allowed by law, which actions violate platform user agreements, and how to protect your business from legal risks. No legal jargon — just practical answers to real questions.

Is it legal to use proxies: legal status in Russia and the world

The first and foremost question: the use of proxy servers is legal in almost all countries, including Russia. Proxies are a technical tool for routing internet traffic, similar to a VPN or a regular router. Legislation does not prohibit the use of technologies to change IP addresses or mask locations.

However, it is important to understand the difference between using the tool and the purposes for which it is applied. Proxies themselves are neutral — like a hammer that can be used to build a house or break a window. The legality depends on what actions you use proxies for.

Legal scenarios for using proxies

Legislation in different countries recognizes the following purposes for using proxies as legal:

• Privacy and security protection: using residential proxies to protect personal data when working with public Wi-Fi networks or to prevent tracking.
• Service availability testing: checking how your website or advertisement displays in different regions and countries.
• Competitor monitoring: tracking prices and product ranges of competitors on marketplaces (provided that publicly available data is used).
• Reputation management: monitoring brand mentions in different regions.
• Academic research: collecting data for scientific work and market analysis.

Gray areas and potential risks

There are scenarios where the legality of using proxies depends on the context and manner of application:

• Bypassing platform technical restrictions: using proxies to bypass rate limiting (restrictions on the number of requests) may violate user agreements but is not a criminal offense.
• Multi-accounting: managing multiple accounts through anti-detect browsers (Dolphin Anty, AdsPower) violates the rules of most platforms but does not directly violate legislation.
• Bypassing geographical restrictions: accessing content unavailable in your region may violate licensing agreements of copyright holders but is rarely prosecuted by law.

Data scraping and copyright: where the line is drawn

Data scraping is one of the most common applications of proxies in business. Online store owners scrape prices on Wildberries and Ozon, marketers collect data on competitors, and analysts study trends on Avito. But is such data collection legal?

The key principle: publicly available data (information that any user can see without authorization) is not protected by copyright as a database. However, there are important nuances.

What can be scraped without legal risks

Court practice: hiQ Labs vs LinkedIn

An important precedent for understanding the legality of scraping is the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in the case of hiQ Labs vs LinkedIn (2019). hiQ used scraping of public LinkedIn profiles to analyze employee data. LinkedIn attempted to block access, citing violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA).

The court ruled: scraping publicly available data is not unauthorized access and does not violate the CFAA. The key argument: if data is accessible to any internet user without authorization, its collection is legal.

How to scrape data legally: checklist

1. Check robots.txt: The robots.txt file indicates which sections of the site the owner allows to be indexed. Although this is not a legal document, compliance shows good faith.
2. Follow rate limiting: Do not send thousands of requests per second — this may be considered a DDoS attack. Use delays between requests.
3. Do not bypass technical protections: If the site uses CAPTCHA or other protective measures, bypassing them may violate computer security legislation.
4. Do not collect personal data: Names, addresses, phone numbers, and emails of users are protected by personal data laws.
5. Use data for analysis, not for re-publication: Collecting data for market research is legal, copying it to your site is a violation of copyright.

For scraping marketplaces and competitor websites, it is recommended to use residential proxies — they mimic the behavior of regular users and reduce the risk of blocking.

Multi-accounting on social media and advertising platforms: legal risks

Managing multiple accounts is standard practice for SMM agencies and arbitrage specialists. A specialist may manage 20-50 client accounts on Instagram, while an arbitrage specialist may run ads from different Facebook Ads accounts to test creatives. For this, anti-detect browsers (Dolphin Anty, AdsPower, Multilogin) and proxies are used.

The main question: does multi-accounting violate the law? The short answer: no, but it violates platform rules.

The difference between law and user agreement

It is important to understand: violating a user agreement (Terms of Service) is not a criminal offense or an administrative violation. It is a contractual obligation between you and the platform. Maximum sanctions:

• Account blocking (including chain-banning related accounts)
• Content removal
• Prohibition on creating new accounts
• In rare cases — civil lawsuits for damages (if the platform proves harm)

Criminal or administrative liability arises only if multi-accounting is used for fraud, distribution of prohibited content, or other crimes.

Platform rules on multi-accounting

Legal ways to work with multiple accounts

There are scenarios where managing multiple accounts does not violate platform rules:

1. Business managers and agency accounts: Facebook Business Manager, TikTok Business Center allow legal management of multiple advertising accounts. This is an official tool for agencies.
2. Different devices and IP addresses: If you manage client accounts from different physical devices and IPs (via mobile proxies), platforms cannot prove a connection between accounts.
3. Delegating access: Instagram and Facebook allow adding employees to business accounts without creating new personal profiles.
4. Different legal entities: If accounts are registered to different companies with different details, this is a legal practice.

How to minimize risks when multi-accounting

It is important to understand: even with all precautions, the risk of blocking exists. Platforms constantly improve algorithms for detecting multi-accounting. Therefore, diversify your presence — do not keep all your business on one platform.

Bypassing geographical restrictions: what the law says

Geographical restrictions (geo-blocking) are used by platforms to comply with licensing agreements, sanctions, or local laws. For example, Netflix shows different content in different countries, and some advertising platforms are unavailable from certain regions.

Using proxies to bypass geographical restrictions is a common practice, but its legality depends on the context.

When bypassing geo-blocking is legal

• Accessing personal accounts while traveling: If you are abroad and use a proxy to access your bank account or work services from your country — this is legal.
• Testing service availability: Companies test how their website or advertisement displays in different regions — a legal practice.
• Bypassing censorship: In countries with internet censorship, using proxies to access blocked websites may be a legal right to information (depends on jurisdiction).
• Accessing public information: Using proxies to read news or study public data from another region is legal.

Gray areas and risks

• Accessing streaming services: Using proxies to watch Netflix from another country violates the user agreement but is not a criminal offense. The maximum consequence is account blocking.
• Buying goods at regional prices: Using proxies to purchase games or software at prices from another region may violate sales terms but is rarely prosecuted.
• Bypassing sanctions: If your country is under sanctions and you use proxies to access a platform — this may violate international law and export control conditions.

Practical scenarios for business

For businesses, bypassing geographical restrictions is most often used in the following scenarios:

1. Launching ads in other regions: Arbitrage specialists use proxies to create Facebook Ads or Google Ads accounts in countries with cheaper traffic. This violates platform ToS but is not a crime.
2. Testing localization: Marketers check how their website displays in different countries — absolutely legal.
3. Accessing regional marketplaces: Sellers monitor prices on Amazon.com from Europe or study competitors' assortments on local platforms — legal when using publicly available data.
4. Bypassing Roskomnadzor blocks: Russian companies use proxies to access services blocked in Russia (Instagram, Facebook) — legal, as the blocks concern providers, not users.

User agreements vs legislation: which is more important

One of the main sources of confusion is the difference between breaking the law and violating a user agreement (Terms of Service, ToS). Many businesses are afraid to use proxies, thinking that violating the platform's ToS is a crime. This is not the case.

Legal nature of user agreements

A user agreement is a civil law contract between you and the platform. When you register on Facebook, Instagram, or Wildberries, you agree to the terms of use. Violating these terms can lead to:

• Termination of the contract (account blocking)
• Civil lawsuits for damages (extremely rare, the platform must prove actual harm)

But violating ToS is not a criminal offense or an administrative violation. The police will not pursue you for multi-accounting on Instagram.

When violating ToS becomes an offense

Criminal liability arises when actions using proxies violate legislation:

Practical consequences of violating ToS

For most businesses, the main risk of violating user agreements is losing access to accounts and data. This can mean:

• Blocking advertising accounts: loss of active campaigns and budgets
• Chain-banning related accounts: Facebook may block all accounts linked by digital fingerprints
• Loss of audience: if an Instagram account with 100,000 followers is blocked
• Reputational risks: clients may lose trust if you regularly lose their accounts

Therefore, even if the action is legal but violates ToS, it is necessary to assess business risks and have a plan B.

How to protect your business from legal risks when using proxies

Regardless of whether you use proxies for scraping, multi-accounting, or bypassing blocks, there are universal measures to minimize legal and business risks.

1. Document the legitimacy of business goals

If you use proxies for legitimate purposes (monitoring competitors, testing ads, managing client accounts), document this:

• Contracts with clients for SMM services
• Internal company regulations on market monitoring procedures
• Technical documentation on the purposes of using proxies

This will help prove good faith in case of claims.

2. Use quality proxies from reliable providers

Free or cheap proxies are often associated with fraudulent activity. Use proxies from reputable providers:

• Residential proxies for working with social media and advertising platforms
• Mobile proxies for tasks requiring maximum trust (account farming)
• Data centers only for technical tasks where anonymity is not critical

Quality residential proxies have a clean reputation for IP addresses and reduce the risk of being blacklisted.

3. Follow ethical principles of scraping

Even if scraping is legal, adhere to ethical norms:

• Do not overload the target site's servers (use rate limiting)
• Follow robots.txt as a sign of respect for the site owner
• Do not collect personal data of users
• Use data for analysis, not for direct content copying

4. Diversify your presence

Do not keep all your business on one platform or one account:

• Use multiple advertising platforms (Facebook Ads + TikTok Ads + Google Ads)
• Create backup accounts on social media
• Build your own subscriber base (email, Telegram) independently of platforms
• Regularly back up data and content

5. Consult with lawyers when in doubt

If your business operates in a regulated industry (finance, healthcare, personal data) or you plan large-scale scraping, consult a lawyer specializing in internet law.

6. Use a corporate structure

To protect personal assets when conducting business using proxies:

• Register accounts under a legal entity, not personally
• Use corporate emails and payment cards
• Separate business activities across different companies to reduce risks

Real court precedents and their significance for business

Understanding court practice helps assess the real risks of using proxies. Let's consider key precedents from recent years.

hiQ Labs vs LinkedIn (USA, 2019-2022)

Case essence: hiQ Labs used scraping of public LinkedIn profiles to analyze data about employees of companies. LinkedIn blocked access and filed a lawsuit, claiming that scraping violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA).

Decision: The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of hiQ Labs, stating that scraping publicly available data is not "unauthorized access" under the CFAA. However, in 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court sent the case back for reconsideration after changes in precedent practice regarding the CFAA.

Significance for business: Scraping public data remains in a gray area. Courts tend to lean towards it being legal, but platforms can use technical protective measures and civil lawsuits.

Ryanair vs PR Aviation (Ireland/EU, 2015)

Case essence: PR Aviation scraped flight prices from Ryanair's website for an aggregator. Ryanair filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement on the database.

Decision: The EU court ruled that scraping does not violate the Database Directive if the data is not protected by technical means and is publicly accessible.

Significance for business: In the EU, scraping public data (prices, schedules) for commercial use is legal if technical protections are not bypassed.

Facebook vs Power Ventures (USA, 2016)

Case essence: Power Ventures created a service that allowed users to manage multiple social media accounts from one interface. Facebook blocked access, and Power Ventures continued to use proxies to bypass the block.

Decision: The court ruled that after receiving a cease and desist notice, continuing to use proxies to bypass the block constitutes a violation of the CFAA.

Significance for business: If a platform has officially prohibited your access, bypassing the block through proxies may be deemed illegal. The key point is the presence of an official notice.

Practical conclusions from precedents

Russian court practice

In Russia, court practice regarding the use of proxies and scraping is less developed than in the USA or EU. Most cases concern not the use of proxies themselves, but the consequences — fraud, copyright infringement on content, illegal collection of personal data.

Key articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation that may apply in cases of proxy abuse:

• Article 272 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (unauthorized access to computer information) — applies in cases of hacking protection or accessing closed data
• Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud) — if proxies are used for deception (fake accounts for inflating, phishing)
• Article 137 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (violation of privacy) — in cases of illegal collection of personal data

Important: simple use of proxies for business does not fall under these articles if you are not committing criminal acts.

Conclusion

Using proxies for business is a legal tool that helps solve tasks of scraping, multi-accounting, testing, and privacy protection. Key takeaways:

• Proxies themselves are legal — legislation does not prohibit the use of technologies to change IP addresses
• The purposes of use are important — scraping public data, multi-accounting, and bypassing geo-blocking are not crimes but may violate user agreements
• Differentiate ToS and law — violating platform rules risks blocking but not criminal liability
• Avoid illegal actions — hacking protection, collecting personal data, fraud via proxies are prosecuted by law
• Document legitimacy — keep evidence of business purposes for using proxies
• Use quality proxies — the reputation of IP addresses affects the risk of blocking

For most business tasks — monitoring competitors, managing client accounts, testing ads — using proxies is absolutely legal. The main thing is to act in good faith, not violate personal data and copyright laws, and be prepared for platforms to block accounts for violating ToS.

If you plan to use proxies for scraping marketplaces, multi-accounting on social media, or launching ads, we recommend residential proxies — they provide maximum anonymity and minimal risk of blocking due to the use of real IP addresses of home users. For working with mobile platforms (Instagram, TikTok), mobile proxies that mimic connections through mobile networks are optimal.