Amidst the threats to open access, experts discuss potential solutions
Vilnius, Lithuania, October 16, 2025 — Growing tensions between the critical need for public web data and the increasing barriers to its access are changing the way we understand the open internet. This was the dominant topic at the latest edition of OxyCon, the premier conference for the public web data collection industry. Organized by Oxylabs, a leading web intelligence collection platform, the hybrid event attracted 4000 registrations to watch online, with topics covering all aspects of public web data gathering.
With 16 experts speaking in panels or giving presentations on stage and more than 200 participating on site, OxyCon provided a versatile look at the interconnected web scraping and AI industries. On-demand OxyCon videos are now available for free on the official website.
The major theme emerging at the conference was the tensions that threaten the future of open access to public information. While the opening market overview highlighted the growing demand for AI training data and real-time data access, as well as the need for public data to combat hybrid threats, the talks soon shifted to the challenges of fulfilling these needs.
"Walls are going up across the open web, and AI teams are among the first to feel it. However, while many restrictions are primarily being put in place to lock content away from AI companies, closing off the web will equally affect everyone in need of public data – from traditional businesses, to the public sector, and everyday users," said Julius Černiauskas, the CEO of Oxylabs, after the conference.
The experts at OxyCon discussed technological and legal aspects of these threats to open access. The growing usage and sophistication of anti-bot measures were singled out as the main technological threat. While experts predict that even more advanced blocking measures will emerge in the coming years, OxyCon attendees also discussed potential solutions and the role of AI in next-generation web data extraction.
On the legal front, panelists highlighted the irony of major data-scraping companies using the legal frameworks to prevent others from accessing their public data. The panel's consensus emphasized the need to find a fair balance in regulation that addresses the data demands of building responsible AI models while also providing incentives to continuously create content.
From the opening talk to the concluding discussion, OxyCon speakers reaffirmed two crucial points. Firstly, open access to data is as necessary as ever in the age of AI. Secondly, keeping this access open requires what can be summarized in the words of Fred de Villamil, Chief Technology Officer at NielsenIQ Digital Shelf. In his talk, de Villamil underscored that overcoming the obstacles to scraping requires the right people, the right technology, and the right processes.
Order on-demand OxyCon 2025 videos to explore solutions and insights about the future of internet openness and data accessibility.
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About Oxylabs
Established in 2015, Oxylabs is a web intelligence platform and premium proxy provider, enabling companies of all sizes to utilise the power of big data. Constant innovation, an extensive patent portfolio, and a focus on ethics have allowed Oxylabs to become a global leader in the web intelligence collection industry and forge close ties with dozens of Fortune Global 500 companies. Oxylabs was named Europe's fastest-growing web intelligence acquisition company in the Financial Times FT 1000 list for several consecutive years. For more information, please visit: https://oxylabs.io/
Media Contacts
Erika Jankevičė
Oxylabs.io
Email: press@oxylabs.io
