Are you locked out for 60 seconds? 3 reasons our system flags you as a bot and how to fix it

You tried to read a page, and a wall popped up. Many readers face the same hurdle, often without warning.

A growing share of readers now meet a gatekeeper before a headline. Publishers deploy tougher checks to stop automated harvesting of articles. The same filters sometimes catch genuine people. Here is what sits behind the screen, why it happens, and how to get back in quickly.

Why you see a verification page

Major news sites run protection that watches for robotic patterns. The goal is simple: keep human access open and stop automated scraping. The system monitors speed, volume and fingerprints tied to each visit. A single unusual session can trigger a brief block. Multiple triggers raise a stronger challenge.

The signals that trigger a block

• Very fast clicks or scrolls that no person can sustain.
• Dozens of article requests within seconds from one connection.
• Requests from data centre IP ranges or known proxy hubs.
• Disabled cookies or JavaScript that breaks standard page flows.
• Browser extensions that rewrite requests or mask identity.
• Frequent tab preloading by aggressive prefetch settings.
• Shared networks where many devices hit the same site at once.

News publishers state in their terms that automated access, collection, or text/data mining is not permitted, including for AI, machine learning or large language models.

That stance reflects rising costs. Scrapers burn bandwidth, degrade performance and can erode the value of original reporting. Rights also matter. Many outlets license content. They protect it from bulk copying by robots with technical blocks and legal notices.

What News Group Newspapers says

The message you saw came from News Group Newspapers, which publishes popular UK titles. It warns that automated access and content mining breach its terms. It also acknowledges a blunt truth: systems sometimes misread a human as a bot. The notice directs genuine readers to customer support and provides a dedicated channel for companies that want paid permission to crawl content at scale.

If you are a genuine reader who hit a block, the company asks you to get in touch with support. Commercial users must request crawl permission before attempting any automated collection.

How to prove you are human in minutes

You can usually clear the roadblock with a few simple steps. Most checks reset after a short cool-down window. Aim to look like one person using one browser on one device.

• Wait 60–120 seconds, then reload the page slowly.
• Disable your VPN or proxy for this site and try your home connection.
• Turn off aggressive extensions, especially those that block scripts or rewrite headers.
• Enable cookies and JavaScript for the domain.
• Close extra tabs hammering the same site.
• Switch to a standard browser profile without automation tools.
• If the block persists, contact support with your IP address and timestamp of the issue.

Why publishers fight bots in 2025

Automated traffic grows each year. Data centres spin up thousands of headless browsers. Some target paywalled investigations. Others scrape entire archives to train AI systems. That activity drains infrastructure budgets and can breach licensing terms. It also creates risks for advertisers and readers. Fraudulent impressions skew metrics. Bad bots can inject malware through compromised ad slots. Real readers end up behind challenges more often when filters tighten.

Publishers now deploy layered defences. They look at device features, timing patterns, IP reputation and mouse movement. They score risk and deliver a test only when needed. Most readers pass through without friction. The small fraction that spike risk thresholds see a block or a short quiz.

Legal footing and your rights

Terms of service set the rules for access. By loading a page, you accept those rules. Many publishers explicitly forbid automated collection and text or data mining. That includes collection for AI training. Contract law backs those terms. Computer misuse laws may also apply when access bypasses controls. Readers still hold privacy rights. These sites must process data under a lawful basis and provide transparency. Risk scoring should stay proportionate to the threat.

Terms apply the moment you access the site: automated harvesting is off-limits, and repeat breaches can trigger stronger blocks.

How to reduce false flags next time

Keep your footprint simple. Use a mainstream browser. Avoid switching networks mid-session. Let pages load fully before scrolling. Do not open twenty stories at once. When you need privacy tools, tune them per site rather than bluntly blocking all scripts. If you work behind a corporate gateway, ask your IT team to assign a clean egress IP for news sites. That reduces the chance of your office neighbours triggering a block for everyone.

For researchers and businesses

Legitimate large-scale use does exist. Brands monitor how their names appear in the press. Academics study media bias. These users should not run scrapers without permission. Most publishers offer licensing, APIs, or paid programmes for compliant access. That route comes with rate limits, usage terms and support contacts. It also avoids sudden IP bans that derail projects.

The wider picture for readers

Verification flows will not vanish. AI systems keep crawling the public web. Publishers respond by tightening gates. Expect smarter checks that watch behaviour rather than simple CAPTCHAs. Expect shorter delays for well-behaved sessions and sharper blocks for clear automation. Your experience improves when you browse cleanly and signal that a person sits at the keyboard.

Practical example you can try

Create a fresh browser profile without extensions. Visit the site from your home Wi‑Fi. Read one page, then another after ten seconds. Note the difference versus a session with a VPN and a script blocker. The clean profile usually glides through. The modified setup often draws a challenge. This side‑by‑side test shows what risk engines detect.

Key terms, risks and advantages

• Behavioural fingerprinting: a risk score from speed, input patterns and device traits.
• Cooldown window: a brief period, often under two minutes, before the system resets your score.
• Risk: persistent blocks if you reuse flagged IPs or automated tools.
• Advantage: a cleaner, faster site when bots get filtered out.
• Cumulative effect: repeated high‑risk signals stack, so small changes deliver big improvements.

If you rely on assistive tech or unusual setups, add the site to your allow list. Send details like your IP, browser version and the exact time of the block when you contact support. That information helps teams locate the event in their logs and lift the barrier faster. Businesses that need large‑scale access should use the publisher’s stated commercial channels to request permission before any automated activity begins.