alt Hacker News1. Put a note in robots.txt that says
"By accessing this file more than one time per second you agree to pay a fee of $0.1 per access plus an additional $0.1 for each previous access each day. This fee will be charged on a per access basis."
2. Run a program that logs the number for Facebook requests and prints a summary and bill.
2. Then get a stamp, envelope and write out a bill for the first day, call it a demand for payment and send it to:
Facebook, Inc. Attn: Security Department/Custodian of Records 1601 S. California Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94304 U.S.A.
You can optionally send this registered mail, where someone has to sign for it.
Corporations such as FaceBook are used to getting their way in court because they can afford lawyers and you cannot. So they have gotten lazy and do not worry about what is fair or legal.
So take them to court when you have a legitimate legal issue. The courts are there to provide redress when you are aggrieved. Right? Use the courts. You can file a small claims action easily. Just make sure you have 1) a legitimate case, 2) evidence 3) have sent them a demand for payment.
Replies
Why do you think this would be anything other than a time-consuming and slightly costly exercise?
Do you think there's a contract created by your robots.txt comment?
Great point. By the way, by reading this comment, you agree to pay me one gorillion dollars.
It this functionally different from posting the "I DO NOT GRANT FACEBOOK PERMISSION..." copypasta to your Facebook page?
You can't just make a one sided contract agreement like that though. Just like I can't tell anyone that by reading this comment they agree to pay me (as another commenter pointed out).