Are you a real visitor? 4 signs our system checks, 2 emails you need, and what happens next

Glitches, speed and scripts can raise eyebrows for publishers. Here’s why some readers hit a wall while others pass through.

Publishers now police their pages with automated checks that sift human habits from scripted scrapes. A mistimed click, a browser add-on, or a burst of page requests can trigger a challenge screen. The process protects content from automated harvesting while giving genuine readers a route back in.

Why you are seeing the check

News Group Newspapers, the parent of The Sun, runs defences against automated access. The system looks for patterns that resemble bots, scrapers or text-and-data mining tools. It blocks suspicious traffic to protect articles, images and databases from being copied without permission.

False positives occur. A fast connection, an aggressive privacy extension, or a misconfigured VPN can push your footprint into the grey zone. When that happens, a message appears asking you to prove you are human or to contact support.

Automated access and text or data mining of this publisher’s content are not allowed without permission. Commercial users are directed to [email protected].

The policy in plain terms

The publisher bans automated access, collection, and text/data mining, including for AI training, machine learning or large language models. That rule sits in its terms and conditions. It applies whether you run scripts directly or use an intermediary service that fetches pages on your behalf.

Readers who get blocked but are acting in good faith are invited to get help. The message points legitimate users to a dedicated support inbox.

If you believe you were flagged by mistake, email [email protected] with details of the issue, your browser and the time it occurred.

What to do if you are blocked

First, stay calm. The system can misread normal behaviour. You can often clear the flag in minutes.

• Refresh the page and complete any on-screen verification.
• Disable aggressive browser extensions for this site and try again.
• Turn off your VPN or switch to a standard connection.
• Close background tabs running auto-refresh tools.
• If the block persists, contact [email protected] and include a screenshot of the message.

Two email addresses that matter

For reader support and false positives, use [email protected]. For companies seeking permission to crawl or license content, use [email protected]. Send only what is necessary and avoid attachments that look like scripts or executables.

The bigger picture: publishers vs bots

Major publishers face waves of automated scraping. Some operators copy entire sites to feed machine learning models or build shadow databases. Others run text-and-data mining at scale to extract names, prices, or story topics. This drains bandwidth, undermines subscriptions and risks copyright infringement.

Defensive tools measure signals such as timing, input patterns, headers, and device features. They also consult blocklists of known data centre IPs. The goal is to protect content while keeping the door open to ordinary readers.

Where AI fits in

Training large language models needs vast text corpora. That demand has pushed scrapers to target news sites, which produce well-edited, structured prose. Many publishers now spell out bans on AI training or large-scale mining in their terms. Some sell licences to commercial users who need lawful access at scale.

Legal context in the UK

Terms and conditions form a contract between the publisher and users. Breaching them can lead to civil action. Copyright protects original articles and images. Database rights can also apply where substantial investment went into obtaining, verifying, or presenting content.

UK law contains a limited exception for text-and-data mining for non-commercial research. That does not cover commercial AI training or broad scraping for profit. Publishers lean on contract terms, access controls and technical measures to enforce their rights.

How to prove you are human faster

Keep JavaScript enabled, as many checks rely on it. Allow cookies from the site, so your verification can persist. Avoid running multiple tabs that hit the same pages at high speed. When using corporate networks, ask your IT team whether outgoing traffic routes via flagged data centres.

What to send when emailing support

Support teams sort cases faster when they have context. Include the time the block appeared, your IP address at that moment, the browser and version, and a short description of what you were doing. Do not send logs that contain passwords or sensitive personal details.

To licence access at scale or to request crawling permission for commercial projects, write to [email protected] with your company details, use case, estimated volumes, and compliance plan.

For researchers and developers

Plan your data work with consent in mind. If you run a small, non-commercial project, check whether you qualify under the research exception and whether access controls still prohibit scraping. If you need scale, budget for licences. Build rate limiting into your tools. Respect robots directives and retry policies. Keep a contact email in your user agent string to help resolve issues quickly.

Consider alternatives that avoid scraping entirely. Many publishers offer paid APIs or data feeds. These routes deliver structured data, predictable uptime and clear usage rights. They also reduce the risk of being blocked mid-project.

Key terms to know

• Text and data mining: automated techniques to analyse large collections of content for patterns.
• Headless browser: a browser without a visible interface, often used for automation.
• Residential IP: an address assigned to a home connection, less likely to be blocked than data centre ranges.
• Rate limiting: a practice that caps requests per minute to avoid looking like a bot.

If you run into the verification wall today, take the simple steps above before writing in. Most people regain access after adjusting browser settings or toggling off their VPN. If you are building a tool, speak to the publisher early, set clear limits, and secure the rights you need. That saves time, protects your project, and keeps the newsroom’s work funded.