Cloudflare Backs PACT Web Security Protocol to Protect AI Agents

As AI agents increasingly log into websites, access content and perform tasks on users' behalf, traditional CAPTCHAs can disrupt automated workflows. Allowing agents unrestricted access, however, could expose websites to crawler abuse. PACT, or Private Access Control Tokens, uses anonymous tokens to verify access eligibility, seeking to balance privacy, abuse prevention and agent accessibility. The initiative could therefore play a key role in future web security standards.

Cloudflare has now joined Microsoft, Google and Mozilla in supporting the standardization of PACT, bringing together at least four major internet and browser companies. The proposed protocol would replace traditional verification codes in login processes with anonymous tokens, allowing compliant AI agents to continue performing automated tasks while helping websites restrict malicious bot traffic. No investment amount, announcement date or formal launch timetable has been disclosed.