This Week in NET

In this episode, host João Tomé is joined by Will Allen, Cloudflare’s VP of Product Management, to discuss Pay-Per-Crawl and our new permission-based model for AI bots. These updates, launched on July 1, 2025 — what we call Content Independence Day — aim to reshape how AI models access and reward content, shifting from an opt-out to an opt-in approach. Cloudflare’s CEO, Matthew Prince, also appears in a video at the start, reflecting on Content Independence Day.
We explore how AI Overviews are changing the old “traffic for content” model and how Cloudflare is helping creators take control through tools like AI Audit. Plus: the future of trustworthy content, bot authentication, and the rise of a fairer content economy.
Send us your questions for a future episode on these topics at ThisWeekinNET@cloudflare.com.
Check the mentioned blog posts here:
https://blog.cloudflare.com/tag/pay-per-crawl/

Show Notes

In this episode, host João Tomé is joined by Will Allen, Cloudflare’s VP of Product Management, to discuss Pay-Per-Crawl and our new permission-based model for AI bots. These updates, launched on July 1, 2025 — what we call Content Independence Day — aim to reshape how AI models access and reward content, shifting from an opt-out to an opt-in approach. Cloudflare’s CEO, Matthew Prince, also appears in a video at the start, reflecting on Content Independence Day.

We explore how AI Overviews are changing the old “traffic for content” model and how Cloudflare is helping creators take control through tools like AI Audit. Plus: the future of trustworthy content, bot authentication, and the rise of a fairer content economy.

Send us your questions for a future episode on these topics at ThisWeekinNET@cloudflare.com.

Check the mentioned blog posts here: https://blog.cloudflare.com/tag/pay-per-crawl/

What is This Week in NET?

This Week in NET is Cloudflare’s weekly roundup exploring the Internet’s past, present, and future. Hosted by João Tomé with expert guests, it shares insights that matter to developers, businesses, and Internet enthusiasts alike.

Follow us on X: @CloudflareTV and @Cloudflare
Read our blog posts at blog.cloudflare.com
Watch our full video library at cloudflare.tv/ThisWeekInNet