Email scraping tools allow users to extract email addresses from Facebook for marketing and outreach purposes. With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook is a goldmine for finding new leads and prospects to grow your business. However, scraping emails from Facebook comes with some major legal and ethical concerns that users should consider before using these tools.
What is Email Scraping?
Email scraping is the process of extracting email addresses from websites and public internet sources through automated software or bots. The software searches through and copies publicly viewable email addresses into a list that can be used for marketing purposes.
Some key things to know about email scraping:
- Email scrapers work by crawling through websites and profiles looking for email address patterns.
- Scraped emails are often low quality since they are pulled without consent.
- Email scraping is often against website terms of service.
- The CAN-SPAM Act sets laws on email marketing using scraped addresses.
Many businesses look to email scraping as a quick way to build marketing lists and contacts. However, the practice comes with significant downsides around deliverability, spam complaints, and legal compliance.
Is Email Scraping Legal?
The legality of email scraping tends to exist in a gray area. Here are some key legal considerations:
- Scraping emails from Facebook violates the platform’s Terms of Service.
- The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act bans accessing computers/accounts without authorization.
- Scraped emails may violate the CAN-SPAM Act if recipients don’t consent.
- The GDPR gives EU citizens the right to opt-out of data collection.
- Individual states may also have anti-scraping and data privacy laws.
While scraping tools remain easily available, the practice brings legal risks for businesses. It’s recommended to build marketing lists through consent-based methods instead.
Why Do People Scrape Emails from Facebook?
Here are some of the primary reasons people attempt to scrape emails from Facebook:
- To quickly build large email lists for sales and marketing purposes.
- To tap into Facebook’s large user base with over 2 billion monthly active users.
- To potentially find contacts relevant to their target demographics and interests.
- Belief that it is a free strategy compared to paid advertising.
- Lack of understanding on the legal and ethical implications.
However, while email scraping may seem like an easy way to find leads, it comes with significant downsides that deteriorate marketing performance and may violate laws.
Risks and Downsides of Facebook Email Scraping
Despite perceived benefits, email scraping carries many problems:
- Excessively high spam and complaint rates from lack of consent.
- Low engagement and conversion levels on scraped lists.
- Potential blacklisting by ISPs due to spam complaints.
- Bans from Facebook and loss of account.
- Violates Facebook Terms of Service.
- Skirts CAN-SPAM and GDPR requirements.
- Damages sender reputation and IP address.
Scraped emails often have spam complaint rates over 50%. Rather than helping marketing efforts, scraping typically harms deliverability, engagement, and compliance for a business.
Email Scraping Alternatives
Instead of scraping, there are many viable alternatives to build marketing lists legally and ethically:
- Consent Surveys: Survey users to explicitly opt-in for emails.
- Website Signups: Offer a call-to-action to subscribe on your website and landing pages.
- Facebook Ads: Run compliant lead gen ads that respect permissions.
- Facebook Groups: Engage and provide value to relevant Facebook Groups.
- Retargeting Ads: Remarket to existing customers and site traffic.
- Field Events: Collect emails at conferences, tradeshows, and events.
These alternatives focus on building emails from engaged users in a legal, ethical, and sustainable way. The overall quality and performance of resulting lists will be substantially higher.
Top Email Scraping Tools for Facebook
While email scraping ultimately damages performance and compliance, here are some tools that claim to scrape emails from Facebook:
Octopus Eight
Octopus Eight is a web-based tool that scrapes emails, phone numbers, and social media profiles from Facebook. It claims to pull data using AI and machine learning. It offers browser extensions, email verfication, and integration with email platforms.
Mailshake
Mailshake scrapes emails and contact info right within Facebook’s UI. It copies profile data, finds email patterns, and exports results. Mailshake also integrates with email tools and templates for outreach campaigns.
Snovio
Snovio scrapes emails, phones, and social profiles from Facebook and other sites. It offers filtering by keywords, demographics, job titles, and other criteria. Snovio charges per record scraped starting at $30 per month.
ContactOut
ContactOut claims to scrape emails from Facebook in compliance with TOCs and laws. However it likely skirts opt-in requirements under CAN-SPAM and GDPR. The tool exports emails and associated names, job titles, and employer.
RocketReach
RocketReach searches across sites to find email addresses associated with people’s names and profiles. It uses searching algorithms rather than scraping, but users should verify proper opt-in consent on emails.
Should You Use Email Scrapers for Facebook?
In summary, email scrapers may seem appealing but bring significant downsides:
- High spam complaints and low engagement.
- Violates Facebook Terms of Service.
- BYoes legal and compliance risks.
- Damages sender reputation and deliverability.
You are almost always better served through legal consent-based email list building. Consider more sustainable alternatives that build more engaged subscribers who actually want to hear from you.
Conclusion
Email scraping tools like Octopus Eight, Mailshake, and Snovio claim to easily extract email lists from Facebook. However, this practice typically violates platform terms, skirts laws like CAN-SPAM and GDPR, and leads to high spam complaints.
It’s far better for marketers to take the time build their lists through legal consent-based methods. Furthermore, even if you could scrape emails without getting caught, you will have poor quality lists with low engagement. Focus your efforts instead on alternatives like surveys, promotions, retargeting ads, and community engagement.
In closing, avoid the allure of quick fix email scraping for Facebook. Building your list sustainably and legally may take more effort upfront, but will yield far better results in the long run.