Cloudflare is building an app store for the web. That’s a bit scary, isn’t it?
Cloudflare now allows publishers to block or charge AI bots crawling their content, a technical fix with strategic consequences. It helps publishers regain control and value, but also signals Cloudflare’s shift from helper to potential gatekeeper of the open web. Ian Kenney, CTO, Louder, explains why this may be dire.
Cloudflare has long been the internet’s quiet helper, speeding up websites, defending against bots, and keeping publishers online.
But its latest move is something else entirely. It now allows publishers to block or charge AI bots that crawl their content, a technical fix with strategic consequences.
On the surface, it’s a win for independent publishers who’ve been powerless against content-scraping AI models. But zoom out, and a bigger shift comes into focus. Cloudflare isn’t just optimising access anymore, it’s starting to mediate it.
Think of it like this: Apple and Google built App Stores that control what apps make it to your device, and who profits along the way. Cloudflare is setting up to do the same, not for apps, but for the open web.
