EIA investigates software ‘robots’ use to access data

摘要

Washington—The Energy Information Administration is combating the improper use of software “robots” to obtain market sensitive gas and oil inventory reports, sometimes blocking a company’s access to EIA websites for inadvertent technical errors, documents released to CNBC June 8 show. The cable news channel requested information identifying companies and organizations that had their access blocked in 2011 as a result of the EIA enforcing its security policy prohibiting an automated retrieval program that “excessively accesses information,” such as the government’s weekly oil and gas storage reports.