It is very far from a DDOS tool. Scraping can be done from a single source, one request at a time, with self imposed rate limits. Sure it can overwhelm a server, but then so can a single user opening 10 tabs.
That's not what this tool does though. It allows you to distribute your scraping to a layer of proxies. So, the only difference is whether there is an intent to do harm to the target or merely collect data... which could be a form of doing harm as well?
There are plenty of tools like this where going up to the line is much different than crosing it. There's a vast difference between driving your car to an event and driving the few extra meters into the crowd at an event. You can cut down a tree with a chainsaw or cut down a tree onto your neighbours house.
There's definetly an argument that dangerous tools should be regulated to varying degrees. If we're arguing regulations in this specific area you'd probably also be balancing it with regulations that sites can't close an account for reasonable rate automated access and that public research can have higher rates so long as they're not crippling.
The tree example is true and why I agree these things are very similar. The only significant difference is when you put it on your neighbor’s house on purpose.
I wouldn’t regulate this but If you’re introducing regulations, why not just require the source to deliver the data in a neatly packaged format? The necessity for scraping and the potential for DDOS and potentially nefarious behavior basically goes away.
