educational

Cloaking META Tags

This short tutorial will cover the cloaking of web page META tags, which follows a different procedure than the IP delivery and full page cloaking method commonly employed for high grade Web page and serach engine stealthing.

Server Requirements
To take advantage of this procedure you must be able to make use of Server Side Includes (SSI) on your web server. Note IIS/4.0 users: The code presented here is an extended SSI expression which is not supported under IIS/4.0.

META tag cloaking is effected by excluding browsers from viewing certain parts of a web page, specifically the header where META tags are positioned by default. Browsers are determined by their UserAgent variable. Once properly cloaked, it won't make any difference whether you read the source code online or whether you download it for viewing offline – the META tag code will remain hidden, the browser will not be able to read it and will therefore not download it either. Here is a list of UserAgents as used by popular browsers:

- "Lynx": Lynx text browser
- "Mozilla": Netscape browsers
- "MSIE": Microsoft Internet Explorer
- "NCSA Mosaic": Mosaic technology based browsers like Spry, Spyglass, etc.
- "Opera": Opera browser
- "WebTV" - WebTV's proprietary browser

Activating SSI via .htaccess
If your web server is not configured for SSI by default, you will need to upload a file named ".htaccess" (please note the period/dot at the beginning of the file name!) to your server directory. This can be done by Telnet or FTP. The .htaccess file should have the following content:

Options Includes +ExecCGI
AddType text/x-server-parsed-html .html

Note that many web servers will not require the specfication "Includes", meaning you can omit it altogether. However, since it won't do any harm to keep it in your file, we suggest you do not change the above entry. Thus, should you switch servers some day, you will not have to readjust your .htaccess file. After you have uploaded the modified .htaccess file (MUST be in Ascii mode!), you're ready to go.

In the HEAD section of the web page whose META tags you wish to protect, place the following:

<!--# if expr="\"$HTTP_USER_AGENT\"
!= /Mozilla|MSIE|Opera|Lynx|WebTV|NCSA Mosaic/" -->

VERY IMPORTANT: The above should actually be in one SINGLE line! Page formatting tends to word wrap lines which are too long for display, but make no mistakes: The code above MUST be free from line wraps, or it won't work! Under this first header entry, you may now add the actual META tags you wish to protect. When you are done, you must close the protected section with the last header entry, or the rest of your page won't be displayed either!

<!--# endif -->

VERY IMPORTANT: If you have other entries in your page header (e.g. for an external CSS style sheet, an external JavaScript applet, etc.) you MUST place these OUTSIDE the protected area (but WITHIN the header tags) or they will not work unless you are operating with a browser sporting a UserAgent not included in the code above.

So What Does It Do?
The SSI code outlined above will determine the accessing browser by its UserAgent variable. If it is recognized, the system will skip the content within the exclusion tags, effectively preventing the META tags from being displayed. Search engine spiders not using common browser UserAgent variables (most don't) will still get to read the META tags nevertheless, which is, of course, what you want them to do.

The method outlined above may well qualify for "poor man's cloaking" - it is NOT an industrial-strength protection against code snoops, the more so as UserAgents can easily be forged ("spoofed"), but it will cover about 95% of all ordinary browsers and their users without putting an undue strain on server load and, hence, system performance. Bear in mind, too, that META tags are gradually losing in importance as many search engines have stopped indexing them because of massive abuse by keyword spamming ("spamdexing") and irrelevant description tags in the past.

This technique can also be used to prevent email harvester bots (address extractors) from culling email addresses from textarea fields. You can read more about protecting textarea fields from email harvesters here.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

profile

WIA Profile: Lexi Morin

Lexi Morin’s journey into the adult industry began with a Craigslist ad and a leap of faith. In 2011, fresh-faced and ambitious, she was scrolling through job ads on Craigslist when she stumbled upon a listing for an assistant makeup artist.

Women In Adult ·
profile

Still Rocking: The Hun Celebrates 30 Years in the Game

In the ever-changing landscape of adult entertainment, The Hun’s Yellow Pages stands out for its endurance. As one of the internet’s original fixtures, literally nearly as old as the web itself, The Hun has functioned as a living archive for online adult content, quietly maintaining its relevance with an interface that feels more nostalgic than flashy.

Jackie Backman ·
opinion

Digital Desires: AI's Emerging Role in Adult Entertainment

The adult industry has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to embracing new technology. From the early days of dial-up internet and grainy video clips to today’s polished social media platforms and streaming services, our industry has never been afraid to innovate. But now, artificial intelligence (AI) is shaking things up in ways that are exciting but also daunting.

Steve Lightspeed ·
opinion

More Than Money: Why Donating Time Matters for Nonprofits

The adult industry faces constant legal battles, societal stigma and workplace challenges. Fortunately, a number of nonprofit organizations work tirelessly to protect the rights and well-being of adult performers, producers and industry workers. When folks in the industry think about supporting these groups, donating money is naturally the first solution that comes to mind.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

Consent Guardrails: How to Protect Your Content Platform

The adult industry takes a strong and definite stance against the creation or publication of nonconsensual materials. Adult industry creators, producers, processors, banks and hosts all share a vested interest in ensuring that the recording and publication of sexually explicit content is supported by informed consent.

Lawrence G. Walters ·
opinion

Payment Systems: Facilitator vs. Gateway Explained

Understanding and selecting the right payment platform can be confusing for anyone. Recently, Segpay launched its payment gateway. Since then, we’ve received numerous questions about the difference between a payment facilitator and a payment gateway. Most merchants want to know which type of platform best meets their business needs.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

Reinventing Intimacy: A Look at AI's Implications for Adult Platforms

The adult industry has long revolved around delivering pleasure and entertainment, but now it’s moving into new territory: intimacy, connection and emotional fulfillment. And AI companions are at the forefront of that shift.

Daniel Keating ·
profile

WIA: Sara Edwards on Evolving Clip Culture and Creator Empowerment

Though she works behind the scenes, Sara Edwards has had a front-row seat to the evolution of adult content creation. Having been immersed in the sector since 1995, she has a unique perspective on the industry.

Jackie Backman ·
profile

Segpay Marks 20 Years of High-Risk Triumphs

Payment processors are behind-the-scenes players in the world of ecommerce, yet their role is critical. Ensuring secure, seamless transactions while navigating a rapidly changing regulatory landscape requires both technological expertise and business acumen.

Jackie Backman ·
opinion

The SCREEN Test: How to Prepare for Federal Age Verification

For those who are counting, there are now 20 enacted state laws in the United States requiring age verification for viewing online adult content, plus numerous proposed laws in the works. This ongoing barrage has been exhausting for many in the adult industry — and it may be about to escalate in the form of a potential new AV law, this time at the federal level.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
Show More