The effect is a denial of service. Service is denied because the server is overloaded. The intent is at best callous indifference and at worst is copyright infringement.
It’s comparable to broadcasting radio interference as a side effect of some industrial process. If a company were to do that they’d be slapped down hard by the FCC. The unfortunate reality we live in is that we have no equivalent regulation on the internet. Thus the situation has become a tragedy of the commons: small websites suffer denial of service due to unsustainable and unwanted bot traffic.
It’s comparable to broadcasting radio interference as a side effect of some industrial process. If a company were to do that they’d be slapped down hard by the FCC. The unfortunate reality we live in is that we have no equivalent regulation on the internet. Thus the situation has become a tragedy of the commons: small websites suffer denial of service due to unsustainable and unwanted bot traffic.