{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/cloudflare-adds-disallow-ai-training-to-let-sites-block-ai-training-keep-search","json":"https://digestai.news/story/cloudflare-adds-disallow-ai-training-to-let-sites-block-ai-training-keep-search.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/cloudflare-adds-disallow-ai-training-to-let-sites-block-ai-training-keep-search.md","slug":"cloudflare-adds-disallow-ai-training-to-let-sites-block-ai-training-keep-search","headline":"Cloudflare launches Disallow AI Training to separate search indexing from model data use","summary":"Cloudflare has introduced a new security setting called \"Disallow AI Training\" to resolve the conflict between website discoverability and AI data usage. Previously, site owners using mixed-use crawlers from major tech firms had to choose between allowing their content to be indexed for search or permitting it to be used for training large language models. The new feature allows websites to remain visible in search results while explicitly blocking the same crawlers from using that content for AI training.\n\nThe company has designated Apple, Google, and Microsoft as \"Accountable\" operators, meaning they have committed to honoring this distinction. This new control replaces the broader \"Block AI Bots\" setting, which is being deprecated. Cloudflare also plans to introduce granular controls for AI summaries by early next year, allowing site owners to specify how much of their content appears in generated answers. This move aims to give publishers more agency over how their digital assets are utilized in the evolving AI ecosystem.","keyPoints":["Cloudflare introduces \"Disallow AI Training\" to allow search indexing while blocking AI model training data usage.","Apple, Google, and Microsoft are designated \"Accountable\" operators committed to honoring the new training opt-out preference.","The legacy \"Block AI Bots\" setting is deprecated in favor of granular Search, Training, and Agent controls."],"whyItMatters":"This update gives publishers a practical way to protect their content from unauthorized AI training without sacrificing search engine visibility, addressing a critical tension in the current web ecosystem.","category":{"slug":"policy","name":"Policy & Regulation","url":"https://digestai.news/category/policy"},"entities":{"companies":["Cloudflare","Apple","Google","Microsoft","Amazon","Anthropic"],"models":[],"people":[]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-15T14:29:00Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-18T14:04:00Z","sourceCount":3,"hasPrimarySource":false,"sources":[{"outlet":"blog.cloudflare.com","title":"Stay discoverable in search while disallowing AI training","url":"https://blog.cloudflare.com/accountable-mixed-use-ai-crawlers","publishedAt":"2026-09-16T02:25:18Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":true},{"outlet":"Semrush Blog","title":"Cloudflare's AI training block now spares Googlebot","url":"https://semrush.com/blog/cloudfare-blocks-ai-training","publishedAt":"2026-09-18T14:04:00Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":false},{"outlet":"searchenginejournal.com","title":"Cloudflare Lets Sites Disallow AI Training Without Blocking Googlebot","url":"https://searchenginejournal.com/cloudflare-lets-sites-disallow-ai-training-without-blocking-googlebot/589559","publishedAt":"2026-09-15T14:29:00Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":false}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[{"site":"Hacker News","url":"https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49721435","points":41}],"thread":{"title":"Cloudflare Automates AI Bot Control","url":"https://digestai.news/thread/cloudflare-adds-disallow-ai-training-to-let-sites-block-ai-training-keep-search","storyCount":2},"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"Cloudflare launches Disallow AI Training to separate search indexing from model data use\", 15 September 2026, https://digestai.news/story/cloudflare-adds-disallow-ai-training-to-let-sites-block-ai-training-keep-search","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"Cloudflare launches Disallow AI Training to separate search indexing from model data use","datePublished":"2026-09-15T14:29:00Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/cloudflare-adds-disallow-ai-training-to-let-sites-block-ai-training-keep-search"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}