Updated: 12-14-2021

Bots, Scripts and Scrapes...
I mentioned these in earlier posts below and said I'd get back to it in order to further address the subject matter, so here goes an attempt at an explanation.

Bots: There are few (if any) for Gab. True bots in my opinion, come as a compiled executable and can traverse a targeted environment w/o the need of an actual web browser, script injection (tampermonkey etc). or database inclusions. They may include scripts, but they're not script 'based' for the most part.
* GabMon would be a good example of a true old school bot w/no script, database or custom control
component (.ocx/dll etc.) inclusions. It wasn't cross platform, but it was portable and required
no installation. It changed no data, automated no functions/processes on Gab and simply utilized public
API's for monitoring other users, which enabled it to catch them running automation scripts.
(for proof/source, head into the archives and check out the 'Plug-In' called 'GUAL' (Gab User Activity Logger)

**At the time, automation scripts weren't allowed and monitoring of other users actions on the
platform was allowed. According to TOS, this isn't the case today. (More on this later)

Scripts/Scrapes: There are several out there for Gab and many were made in the past and no longer function since Gab's switch to Mastodon after being de-platformed by Azure (MS) and GoDaddy registrar. However, some are currently functional.

Source examples:
https://github.com/ChrisStevens/garc
https://github.com/robcolbert/gablocked
https://codeberg.org/operator9/gab-user-scraper

These rely on a scripting language (Jscript, Python etc.) and are generally dependent upon a web-kit,
database, and/or web-app inclusions. They can do everything from auto-liking posts of usernames
contained in a list, to gathering and storing posts from a specific user. (dependent on privacy settings)
They can also run through a list of another users follows/followers and follow them all then another can
be run at a later time to un-follow them all and give the illusion of very few follows and a large follow base.
They can take a provided list of usernames to block and auto-block all the users on the list even.
'Scraper scripts' can collect and store data from a specific user or the entire platform user-base as a
whole. They are generally used for analysis of the user/base in some form or another.

There are also platforms/apps that specifically design browser automation, including the ability to solve
Captcha's on the fly. https://browserflow.app/pricing (includes an option for free version) There are even
some available for 'non-coders' as a simple browser extension.
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/automa/infppggnoaenmfagbfknfkancpbljcca
Source:  https://github.com/kholid060/automa

There are even paid services for automation on Gab: CaleMedia

Has Gab ever been scraped?
More than once, indeed it has. Archive Wired Article

Is all this shit controversial? Yup, pretty much... example