scraping - technical definition

(1) Extracting data from output intended for the screen or printer rather than from original files or databases. For example, Web pages formatted in HTML are often scraped. Scraping is a way to obtain data without having access to the formats and databases the data are naturally stored in. With Web sites and search engines, an enormous amount of data can be brought to the user's screen and captured. See screen scraping.

(2) Extracting e-mail addresses or other data from a large Web site or search engine. Bots are used to cull the data, which may be reorganized and presented in a unique manner that attracts visitors, the purpose of which is to make money on ads. The data might also be used for nefarious reasons, such as selling the information to spammers and cybercriminals.