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Yet another closed access post on HN. My last complaint about this got flagged, but I really don't care. The HN community needs to stand behind open internet,

Yet another closed access post on HN. My last complaint about this got flagged, but I really don't care. The HN community needs to stand behind open internet, not contribute to an increasingly closed one. "Access Denied You don't have permission to access "http://www.verifythis.com/article/news/verify/weather-verify/warming-up-your-car-in-cold-weather-winter-can-cause-engine-damage-fact-check/536-8bf406d7-194c-4ca0-a06d-d1d56006e5d9 http://www.verifythis.com/article/news/verify/weather-verify..." on this server. Reference #18.6dc31302.1671993353.baa1f4a "

minusf 4y ago
isnt that akamai cdn blocking vpn ips?
- NikkiA 4y ago
  It's a flask routing error, iirc.
aidos 4y ago
That was caused by changing the original url.
- michaelteter 4y ago
  I merely clicked the link. I am on a VPN at the moment as I am traveling in Asia. Even so, while paywalls are my #1 complaint, US-based sites who stonewall EU visitors is my #2. All they have to do is not collect data and then they don't have to worry about GDPR. Blocking EU visitors is a cop-out, and one that hurts them more. We can probably live without their "news". They're just losing eyes and traffic.
soared 4y ago
Works fine for me, is that not just a temporary 403 error?
rahimnathwani 4y ago
The site is free to access. There's no paywall. I was able to reproduce the error you got by accessing it through a browser in the UK. I guess the site blocks access from countries that require compliance with GDPR. I don't think people should be required to test that the site is available in every country, before posting or upvoting.
- michaelteter 4y ago
  No, it's not a paywall. But yes, it is still "closed". Blocking EU visitors using GDPR as an excuse is a cop-out. All they have to do is _not collect data_ on visitors. Then there is no worry. And realistically, they don't need to worry anyway. They could simply add a statement at the footer saying EU visitors do so in agreement of US-based rules regarding data collection. I do agree that submitters should not be required to test the site from origins they do not live in. But once it is known that the content is region limited, we should be able to mark it as such so HN can indicate that. If we take this to the logical conclusion, the current state left unmanaged will become a HackerNews which most of us abandon like we abandoned Digg and Slashdot because of their missteps in the past. Of course, HN doesn't derive any revenue (as far as I know?), so maybe they do not care if their readership drops way off.
  - rahimnathwani 4y ago
    "They could simply add a statement at the footer saying EU visitors do so in agreement of US-based rules regarding data collection." They could, but are you 100% sure this would comply with the law and eliminate the risk of penalties? I don't know which entity runs the site, whether it has assets or operations in EU countries etc. I'm also not a lawyer. I can't say for sure what is the right business decision for them. I'm curious (as I'm not in the EU and don't notice) roughly what proportion of HN front page stories are unavailable in the EU?
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weissbier 4y ago
I've experienced this also many times, especially US-centric sites seem to block access from EU countries. I guess because of the GDPR. I also can't access this site from Germany.

minusf 4y ago

isnt that akamai cdn blocking vpn ips?

NikkiA 4y ago
It's a flask routing error, iirc.

aidos 4y ago

That was caused by changing the original url.

michaelteter 4y ago
I merely clicked the link. I am on a VPN at the moment as I am traveling in Asia. Even so, while paywalls are my #1 complaint, US-based sites who stonewall EU visitors is my #2. All they have to do is not collect data and then they don't have to worry about GDPR. Blocking EU visitors is a cop-out, and one that hurts them more. We can probably live without their "news". They're just losing eyes and traffic.

soared 4y ago

Works fine for me, is that not just a temporary 403 error?

rahimnathwani 4y ago

The site is free to access. There's no paywall. I was able to reproduce the error you got by accessing it through a browser in the UK. I guess the site blocks access from countries that require compliance with GDPR. I don't think people should be required to test that the site is available in every country, before posting or upvoting.

michaelteter 4y ago
No, it's not a paywall. But yes, it is still "closed". Blocking EU visitors using GDPR as an excuse is a cop-out. All they have to do is _not collect data_ on visitors. Then there is no worry. And realistically, they don't need to worry anyway. They could simply add a statement at the footer saying EU visitors do so in agreement of US-based rules regarding data collection. I do agree that submitters should not be required to test the site from origins they do not live in. But once it is known that the content is region limited, we should be able to mark it as such so HN can indicate that. If we take this to the logical conclusion, the current state left unmanaged will become a HackerNews which most of us abandon like we abandoned Digg and Slashdot because of their missteps in the past. Of course, HN doesn't derive any revenue (as far as I know?), so maybe they do not care if their readership drops way off.
- rahimnathwani 4y ago
  "They could simply add a statement at the footer saying EU visitors do so in agreement of US-based rules regarding data collection." They could, but are you 100% sure this would comply with the law and eliminate the risk of penalties? I don't know which entity runs the site, whether it has assets or operations in EU countries etc. I'm also not a lawyer. I can't say for sure what is the right business decision for them. I'm curious (as I'm not in the EU and don't notice) roughly what proportion of HN front page stories are unavailable in the EU?

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weissbier 4y ago

I've experienced this also many times, especially US-centric sites seem to block access from EU countries. I guess because of the GDPR. I also can't access this site from Germany.