Check the terms before you automate a website

With RPA or AI, operating web systems can usually be automated from a technical standpoint. However, what is technically possible and what you are allowed to do are separate questions. Many web services used for business prohibit access by tools in their terms of use.

This article explains why you should check the terms of use before choosing which tasks to automate, and how to check them. The second half shows what the actual terms say for REINS in real estate, shipping lines’ tracking sites, job boards, and a document management service for construction.

The content reflects each set of terms as checked on September 27, 2026. Terms are revised, so check the latest terms before you actually automate. This article is not legal advice.

Why check the terms of use

The terms of a service you log in to are part of the contract

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Interpretive Guidelines on Electronic Commerce and Information Property Trading frame the question of whether a website’s terms of use become part of a contract around whether the user can be said to have agreed while able to recognize the terms. For business services that you register as a member to use, it is common to agree to the terms at registration. Violating terms that prohibit automated operation may be treated as a breach of contract.

A violation can stop the work itself

Many terms state that the provider may restrict or suspend use without notice if the terms are violated. If the account for a service your work depends on is suspended, you cannot even do the work by hand, let alone automate it. Some terms, such as Maersk’s described below, state that the provider may charge fees for unauthorized use.

Depending on how you access it, you can cause trouble for the other party’s system

In 2010, a user who had been repeatedly accessing the Okazaki City Central Library’s catalog search site with a program was arrested after the library’s system had trouble responding (prosecutors later decided not to indict). Even where the terms allow automated access, you need to keep your access frequency low and take care not to put load on the other party’s system.

Case 1: REINS in real estate

REINS (Japan’s Real Estate Information Network System) is a web system in which licensed real estate brokers register and search property listings. It is operated by four regional real estate distribution organizations.

The usage guidelines published by Chubu REINS and Kinki REINS (revised January 1, 2025) do not allow tools that access REINS. The organizations state explicitly that they “do not permit” such tools “at all,” including REINS software provided by IT vendors. The Chubu REINS guidelines also prohibit using a program to search members exhaustively. A violation leads to a recommendation to correct it, and in some cases use is restricted or suspended without notice.

The guidelines for East Japan and West Japan are not published to the general public and are said to be viewable after logging in to REINS.

How to automate: The staff member in charge operates REINS. What gets automated is the surrounding work, such as managing the deadlines for registering with REINS and the schedule for reports to the seller, and drafting those reports. For an example, see Track exclusive listing and REINS deadlines.

Case 2: Shipping lines’ tracking sites

Freight forwarders and customs brokers check the movements of the containers and vessels they handle on shipping lines’ websites every day.

Maersk: Its digital services user terms (clause 3.3(d)) prohibit extracting content and explicitly do not permit web scraping and similar methods. Clause 3.5 states that Maersk may charge a fee of USD 20,000 or more per month for unauthorized use such as scraping
Ocean Network Express (ONE): Its website terms of use (section 4) list spiders, crawling, and scraping as prohibited acts

On the other hand, both provide official APIs for tracking. DCSA, a standards body for the shipping industry, publishes a standard for tracking APIs (Track & Trace), and DCSA’s member list shows that many shipping lines, including Maersk and ONE, have implemented this standard.

How to automate: Get vessel and container movements from the shipping lines’ official APIs, not from their screens. For an example, see Track vessels and tell shippers about ETA changes.

Case 3: Job boards

HR service companies post and update job postings in the admin screens of multiple job boards.

Indeed: Its terms of service (updated July 23, 2026) prohibit accessing the site with automated systems such as bots, scrapers, spiders, AI, and agentic AI without express written permission
Mynavi Tenshoku: The “MIWS Terms of Use,” part of its terms for companies, prohibit in Article 7 automatically accessing the system with a program or similar means. At the same time, Article 6 of the same terms sets out official integration with applicant tracking systems

How to automate: Post jobs and import applicants through the official integration methods each job board provides. AI handles drafting job postings in each board’s format from the details of the hiring request. For an example, see Write job postings for each job board.

Case 4: A document management service for construction

The service terms of Green Site (revised April 20, 2026), which manages labor and safety documents for construction sites, limit access to the service to methods that go through the interfaces the operator provides (Article 44, paragraph 4).

How to automate: The staff member in charge registers information in Green Site. AI handles reading the worker rosters and copies of qualification certificates received from subcontractors, and finding expired items and missing entries. For an example, see Check safety documents from subcontractors.

Examples with official integrations

When you look into the terms, you sometimes find an official method that does not require operating the screens.

Government Procurement Information Portal (官公需情報ポータルサイト): A site for searching bid information from national and local governments, operated by the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency. It provides an API for retrieving information automatically. When using the API, follow its terms of use, including crediting the source and observing the limits on access frequency
Insurers’ shared gateway (保険会社共同ゲートウェイ): A mechanism that lets insurance agencies contracted with multiple insurers use each insurer’s agency system with a single login. It is provided by NTT DATA and others. Operations in each insurer’s system are subject to the respective agency agreement and terms of use

How to check the terms of use

Find the terms: Look for terms of use, usage guidelines, membership terms, and API terms of use. Some can only be viewed after logging in
Search by keyword: Search the terms for words such as “automated,” “program,” “tool,” “bot,” “scraping,” “crawling,” and “mechanical”
Look for official integrations: Check whether there is an API, CSV download, or data integration service. If there is, prefer it over operating the screens
Ask when you cannot tell: If you cannot decide from the terms, ask the provider and keep a record of the answer
For business partners’ systems, check the contract too: For Web-EDI systems and supplier portals provided by business partners, also check the basic transaction agreement and terms of use, and confirm with the partner if needed
Even when allowed, avoid putting load on the system: Space out your access and open only the screens you need
Review regularly: Terms are revised. Keep checking them regularly after you start automating

How Kitewell approaches this

The use cases for Descarty’s Kitewell are written so that the staff member in charge operates services whose terms do not allow automated operation, and AI handles deadline management, drafting, and document checks. In use cases that involve external web services, “What a PoC checks” includes confirming that the target service’s terms allow automated operation.

For web operations in Kitewell, you can restrict which sites can be accessed. Kitewell does not bypass CAPTCHAs (image-based verification). If you want to consult with us starting from the decision of which tasks to automate and by what method, contact us.