
Is semanticscholar.org Safe? Security Analysis for The Allen Institute for AI (Ai2)
Check if semanticscholar.org is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

AI Summary
Semantic Scholar is a leading AI-powered research tool developed by the Allen Institute for AI (Ai2), designed to facilitate discovery and understanding of scientific literature. The platform offers advanced semantic search capabilities, an augmented reading experience via Semantic Reader, and a public API for developers, positioning itself as a critical resource for researchers and scholars worldwide. The website reflects a mature digital presence with professional design, clear navigation, and comprehensive content tailored to its academic audience. Technically, the site leverages modern web technologies including React, Google Analytics, HubSpot, and Appcues, hosted likely on AWS infrastructure with strong performance and mobile optimization. The presence of multiple security headers and enforced HTTPS indicates a robust security posture, although explicit security policies and incident response contacts are not publicly detailed. Privacy compliance is well addressed with clear privacy and cookie policies and consent mechanisms. From a security perspective, the site demonstrates good practices with no detected vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data. The WHOIS data is privacy protected, which is typical for institutional domains, and does not detract from the site's legitimacy given its affiliation with Ai2. Overall, Semantic Scholar presents a trustworthy, professional, and secure platform with strong business credibility in the technology and education sectors. Strategic recommendations include publishing a dedicated security policy and incident response information, establishing a vulnerability disclosure program, and enhancing direct contact options for security and support to further strengthen trust and compliance.
Detected Technologies
🧠AI Business Intelligence
Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.
Business Intelligence
Market & Strategic Analysis
Semantic Scholar operates as a free AI-driven academic research platform under the Allen Institute for AI, targeting researchers, scholars, and developers. Its competitive advantage lies in its advanced semantic understanding of scientific literature and developer-friendly API offerings. The business model focuses on providing open access to scholarly data while fostering developer engagement through API enhancements. Partnerships with platforms like Medium for blogging and integration with HubSpot for marketing indicate a mature ecosystem. The platform's growth is supported by continuous feature development such as Semantic Reader and Scholar's Hub, reinforcing its market position as a leader in AI-powered research tools.
Security Posture Analysis
Comprehensive Security Assessment
The website exhibits a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, comprehensive security headers, and cookie consent mechanisms. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive information were detected. However, the absence of a publicly available security policy, incident response contacts, or vulnerability disclosure program suggests room for improvement in transparency and readiness. Compliance with GDPR is indicated through privacy policy content and consent banners. The use of third-party analytics and marketing tools is balanced with privacy considerations. Overall, the security culture appears strong but could benefit from enhanced communication and formalized security processes.
Strategic Recommendations
Priority Actions for Security Improvement
Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response plan on the website.
✨Observations
AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.
AI-Enhanced Website Analysis
Business Insights
The Allen Institute for AI (Ai2)
Semantic Scholar is a free, AI-powered research tool for scientific literature, based at Ai2. It uses AI and engineering to understand scientific literature semantics to help scholars discover relevant research.
excellent
consistent
Technical Stack
fast
excellent
good
good
Security Assessment
- HTTPS enforced
- Security headers present
- Cookie consent banner implemented
- No exposed sensitive data detected
Analytics & Tracking
Advertising & Marketing
Website Quality Assessment
Key Observations
Website is fully accessible with no blocking or WAF challenge.
🛡️Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.
Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis
Missing Strict-Transport-Security header
HIGHForces HTTPS connections
Missing X-Content-Type-Options header
MEDIUMPrevents MIME type sniffing
Missing Content-Security-Policy header
HIGHControls resources the browser is allowed to load
Missing X-XSS-Protection header
MEDIUMLegacy XSS protection (deprecated but still recommended)
Missing Referrer-Policy header
LOWControls referrer information sent with requests
Missing Permissions-Policy header
MEDIUMControls browser features and APIs
👤GDPR Compliance
Privacy and data protection assessment under GDPR regulations.
GDPR Compliance
Privacy and data protection assessment
No Cookie Policy found
HIGHGDPR requires clear information about cookie usage
Privacy policy may not be GDPR compliant
MEDIUMPrivacy policy lacks explicit GDPR compliance elements
GDPR Compliance Analysis
🛡️NIS2 Compliance
Network & Information Security Directive compliance assessment.
NIS2 Compliance
Network & Information Security Directive
No information security framework found
HIGHNIS2 requires documented cybersecurity and information security measures
No vulnerability disclosure policy
MEDIUMNIS2 encourages coordinated vulnerability disclosure
No security policy documentation found
HIGHNIS2 requires documented cybersecurity governance and risk management
No incident response procedures found
HIGHNIS2 requires documented incident response and business continuity plans
No business continuity planning found
MEDIUMNIS2 emphasizes operational resilience and business continuity
No security contact information
HIGHNIS2 requires clear incident reporting channels
No vulnerability reporting mechanism
MEDIUMClear vulnerability reporting supports coordinated disclosure
No NIS2 reference found
LOWConsider explicitly mentioning NIS2 compliance efforts
📧Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.
Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation
No BIMI Record
LOWBIMI displays brand logos in email clients
No MTA-STS Policy
MEDIUMMTA-STS enforces TLS for email delivery
No TLS-RPT Record
LOWTLS-RPT provides reporting for email TLS issues
SPF Details
DKIM Selectors Found
DMARC Details
🏆SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis.
SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis
Mixed Content Detected
MEDIUM3 resources loaded over insecure HTTP
Partial SSL/TLS Assessment
LOWCompleted 2 of 4 security checks due to time constraints
Certificate Details
OCSP Status
📊DNS Health
DNS configuration and security assessment.
DNS Health
DNS configuration and security assessment
DNSSEC Not Enabled
MEDIUMDNSSEC is not configured for this domain
Domain Registration Details
DNS Records
DNSSEC Status
DNS Performance
SPF Analysis
⚡Network Security
Port scanning and network exposure analysis.
Network Security
Port scanning and network exposure analysis
Good Network Security Posture
LOWNo unnecessary services detected on common risky ports
🔧Technical Analysis
Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.
Technical Analysis
Comprehensive security assessment findings