Real visitor or bot: could you be among 1 in 8 readers flagged today — and 7 ways to get back?

” message is confronting readers, stirring anxiety about AI, privacy, and who gets to reach the news.

Across major news sites, protective systems now challenge people who look suspicious to a machine. You might browse normally, then face a block. The prompt hints at automation, even when you only opened a few tabs. The concern is growing as publishers push back against scraping by bots, AI tools, and high-speed crawlers.

Why you’re seeing the “prove you’re human” wall

News organisations deploy filters that spot patterns which resemble bots. These checks run continuously. They weigh speed, page counts, unusual clicks, and signals from your browser. When the system sees risk, it halts access and asks for verification. Sometimes it misfires. You feel accused, even when you only scrolled quickly or refreshed during a train ride.

News Group Newspapers says it does not permit automated access, collection, or text/data mining of its content, including for AI, machine learning, or LLMs.

The company states this policy in its terms and conditions. It offers a route for commercial licences via [email protected]. It also acknowledges that human behaviour can be misread as automation. If you are a legitimate reader, The Sun says you can contact [email protected] for support.

The rules behind the warning

Publishers argue that automated harvesting undermines their journalism. They pay reporters, editors, and photographers. They host servers and pay for bandwidth. Bots can copy headlines, images, and articles at speed, then republish insights or train models. Limits are a defensive move. Terms of service spell out the boundaries. Breaches can trigger legal steps or technical blocks.

Automated text or data mining remains off-limits on many news sites unless you hold an explicit licence.

That stance now includes AI developers and LLM operators. The message many readers see reflects that line: no access by automated means, no intermediaries, and no scraping pipelines.

Seven common triggers that flag real people by mistake

• Using a VPN, corporate proxy, or shared IP that other users abused earlier in the day.
• Loading many pages in bursts, such as opening 15 tabs from a homepage within seconds.
• Blocking cookies or key scripts that verification tools rely on to confirm a normal browser.
• Browser extensions that rotate fingerprints or strip headers aggressively.
• Network jitter on public Wi‑Fi that looks like a scripted fetch pattern.
• Automated refresh settings in tab managers or productivity tools.
• Headless-like behaviour from privacy modes on niche browsers.

None of these proves bad intent. They simply look odd to a machine. Combine two or three factors and your risk score climbs fast.

What to do if you’re blocked and you are human

Start with simple checks. Slow down. Close excess tabs. Disable auto-refresh. Allow essential scripts for the site. Accept first-party cookies for the session. If you use a VPN, try your normal connection. If you use privacy extensions, whitelist the news domain and reload.

Still stuck? Try a different browser or a mobile network. If the message persists, gather details and write to the support address shown. For The Sun, the contact is [email protected]. Brief, clear messages get faster results.

What to include when you email support

• Time and date of the block, including your time zone.
• Your device type, browser version, and whether you used a VPN.
• A screenshot of the full error message.
• Any request or incident ID shown on the page.
• Steps you already tried, such as changing networks or disabling extensions.

The tech behind the checks

Anti-bot systems blend rate limits, JavaScript challenges, and behavioural signals. They test whether your browser can run code like a normal device. They measure timing of clicks and scrolls. They compare your pattern to known automation frameworks. If your setup blocks those tests, the system struggles to trust you.

The legal backdrop in the UK and Europe

In the UK, there is no broad licence-free right to mine news sites for commercial AI. Proposals for wider text and data mining allowances stalled. Research exceptions exist, but they sit within narrow contexts. In the EU, the Digital Single Market directive allows certain text and data mining, yet it lets rights holders opt out. Many publishers now exercise that opt-out. They back it up with technical barriers and clear terms.

For businesses that want structured access, the route is a commercial agreement. News Group Newspapers points such requests to [email protected]. That address is for licensing, not reader support. Keep those channels distinct to avoid delays.

What this means for your daily reading

Expect more checks, not fewer. AI training demand still climbs. Publishers now treat traffic quality as a core defense. Readers sit in the middle. You want privacy and speed. They need accountability and control. Both aims can live together if tools strike a balance.

Legitimate readers can reduce false flags by keeping one browser profile clean, allowing core site scripts, and avoiding rapid-fire tab sprees.

That does not mean surrendering your privacy. It means tuning settings so verification can run and then step aside. Many privacy tools offer per-site rules. Use them to keep protections on while letting the news site function.

Extra tips that save time

• Create a “news profile” in your browser with fewer extensions and no VPN. Use it only for reading.
• On mobile, prefer your carrier’s network when challenged. Carrier IPs often carry cleaner reputations than hotel Wi‑Fi.
• If you read at work behind a proxy, ask IT whether your egress IP is shared by many sites. Shared IPs trip reputations quickly.
• If you need programmatic access for research, seek a licence early. Running a crawler first and asking later invites a hard block.

If you need commercial access

Define your scope and your refresh rate. Publishers care about frequency and reuse. Prepare to state which endpoints you want, how often you will fetch, and how you will store data. If you operate an AI or LLM pipeline, be ready to discuss model inputs, retention, and redress processes. That level of detail speeds up approvals and keeps systems stable for everyone.

Risks, trade-offs, and a quick self-check

Strong bot defence protects journalism and keeps costs in check. Overzealous filters frustrate loyal readers. You can reduce the chance of a lockout with a 30-second self-check before a reading session: turn off auto-refresh, open tabs slowly, and allow core scripts. If the wall appears anyway, take a breath, try one fix at a time, and keep the support email handy. For The Sun, that address is [email protected]. For licences, use [email protected]. One is for readers. The other handles commercial use.