If I use such a code, will they not put me in jail, or will they put me in jail?

Question

Law in IT

I'm asking this question because my mother says that they will put me in jail for using someone else's property. I do not think so. The point is that I want to organize such a competition, in which the winner will be the one who writes the code in one of the 4 programming languages ​​(preferably in erlang) with the included code for some functions of offline browsers. It is necessary to accurately copy the sites entirely. There are more than 100 sites. The winner will be the one who adds the code of the public crawler so that it downloads sites without changes (+ some other little things that distinguish offline browsers from crawlers).
Is it legal to steal websites? (for reworking materials and no more) P.S. I know that you can use rips. How much to give a reward for a made crawler? Which freelance exchange to apply for a finished project?

Answer 1

They won’t go to jail for the code or actions with it, you can only be punished if someone suffers / incurs losses, after which this someone will sue you, then the court must issue an appropriate sentence of imprisonment, and the appeal will be denied (maybe a couple more stages to add, .type - the punishment will not be suspended or house arrest will not be chosen, etc.).
Crawlers do not violate anything, they are just a tool, roughly speaking a form of a web browser, with which you use someone else's web service. There is not a single law or rule that would regulate how a web browser should look like and how users should use a web service (something happens in the license agreements of some web services about 'disassembling', i.e. rummaging around in the service code is not is allowed, but there is no way to fulfill this prohibition and, most importantly, to prove it).
With a slim chance, if the developers of the website scanner do not take care of this, the scanning process itself can be considered a form of ddos ​​(for example, if the service during the scanning process will not be available for other users to work with). True, as far as I know, ddos ​​are not imprisoned, but a fine comparable to the amount of damage caused to the site is awarded, and then only in significant cases. In general, you need to be very clumsy developers of both the crawler and the web service so that it coincides and scanning the site breaks something and no less effort and luck will be required so that the involvement of one with the other can be proved.
A little more difficult with the data that automated services and crawlers can collect. Those. for yourself, you can do anything, but as soon as you start using other people's data, for example, to make a profit, then the license agreement on the web service comes into effect, which can regulate what users can do with this data. There are also no adequate ways to control the execution and prove anything, and even more so there is no way to prove it. On the other hand, the owners of the web service can independently deprive you as a user of access based on the assumption that you violate the way of use, but this is the maximum (and the costs that the user has incurred, for example, paid for access, may not be reimbursed).

Answer 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uE8hWtkXUk
see from 0m 35s to 1m 35s