IAFD - search caps

[Len801]

Capped.
We cap the numbers of pages we serve to any given IP address (xx.xx.xxx.xxx) in a 24 hour period of time, and you hit that cap. We do this in an effort to enforce our rules of no robots or link grabbers and to make sure we have enough bandwidth to go around. Your access should be restored automatically midnight EDT.
To restore access, please e-mail iafd@iafd.com, and make sure you make reference to the IP address; we can't do anything without your IP address


I was doing some search to ID an actress from IAFD database, and at one point I got the page shown above

This is the first time I have seen this.
I was not attempting to grab links, plunder their database or any other type of illegal activity (I don't have the
inclination, interest or even technical knowledge to even contemplate or attempt such as thing).
My searches through their database occasonally uncovers errors/omissions and I frequently pass
along corrections.

I don't know when IAFD started to do this or whether they have particular problems with people
performing searches that they somehow disapprove of. But if every time this warning comes up
that you are locked out for 24-hours, you're supposed to send them a message saying your searches
were purely "innocent" and "scholarly" and to beg them to "unfreeze" their cap?

And if I understand it correctly from past history the IAFD@IAFD.com e-mail is not that closely
monitored so it could be several hours or days before someone sees the message and decides to
respond.

Comments?

[jj]

I'm a massive user of iafd and have never encountered this.

I'm sure they have their reasons [the ones given seem to me underwhelming]
but the criteria could do with some clarity:
"Your access should be restored automatically midnight EDT" and
"To restore access, please e-mail iafd@iafd.com...."
... seem mutually contradictory.
How big a cap, I wonder? And is it related to complexity of search? For ex. I
do a fair few tattoo-searches, which necessarily produce a lot of candidates.
IOW, are some 'pages' bigger than others?

And if their system can't distinguish enquiry from skulduggery they should go
back to the drawing-board. Or introduce a log-in protocol.

[Len801]

Lately I have been seing "time-outs" which is sensible enough, when you are consulting an IAFD page
for some time without any other activity.
I have also experienced "caps" in the future whern you send them a certain number
of "corrections", abnd they block you and tell you to resume the next day. They probably believe you
are trying to "bombard" the site with useless correction submissions.
However this type of database inquiry cap is unusual and never seen (by me) before.
I don't what prompted it, or why they have not explained it more fully.
I probably went through 30-40 movie titles (over a period of more than an hour) in trying to ID a certain performer,
when that "cap" page came up blocking me from further access.
I mean what could I be "stealing" from IAFD in 1-2 hour small enquries?
They can't distinguish a spider/bot from simple personal enquiries?