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Title: Is gamingonlinux.com blocked?
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ageres 25 Sep 2016
Hello. Few days ago I lost access to gamingonlinux.com and now I have to use Tor Browser or Opera 40 VPN.
![](https://img-fotki.yandex.ru/get/62627/250756801.0/0_163054_5c1ea1e5_orig)

If I use http in the url (not https), the site looks like this:
![](https://img-fotki.yandex.ru/get/29815/250756801.0/0_163050_5e97330d_orig)

When I ping the site, it responds:
![](https://img-fotki.yandex.ru/get/53301/250756801.0/0_163053_39b545ff_orig)

And it looks like GoL server shares IP with some sites those are blocked in Russia (where I live) for hosting illegal TV series, hentai images or just without a reason. Our government blocks IPs, not domain names, and they don't give a damn if there are other sites affected.
![](https://img-fotki.yandex.ru/get/143188/250756801.0/0_163052_17e4acca_orig)

Then I discovered GoL got moved to a different server recently:
![](https://img-fotki.yandex.ru/get/3416/250756801.0/0_163051_dc09e19e_orig)

So I think, that's when this problem appeared.
Liam Dawe 25 Sep 2016
We use cloudflare, so it's likely you will have this issue with a number of websites.

Also, that second to last picture is not our IP, it has "31" where as ours is "30".

Does your ISP or country block certain types of sites?
badber 25 Sep 2016
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Didn't know GOL uses Cloudflare. Thank you Liam & others if there are any behind the decision to allow Tor exit nodes to access GOL without Cloudflare's idiotic forced captchas. Those have single handedly made the web completely impractical to browse through Tor during the past year. Not many companies can make the claim of making something as important as that almost useless.
ageres 26 Sep 2016
Quoting: liamdaweAlso, that second to last picture is not our IP, it has "31" where as ours is "30".
I know, but when I type "gamingonlinux.com" there, that's what I see. "+1" means there's another IP related to a blocked domain, but it isn't shown for some reason. There are many sites dedicated to finding if a domain blocked, but all of them are unofficial and don't update regularly, and there's no full catalogue and no way to know for sure what is blocked and what is not. ALso, there is [https://eais.rkn.gov.ru/en/](https://eais.rkn.gov.ru/en/), but it's usefull.

There are many blocked web-sites, and if any law court or Roskomnadzor itself decides to ban one more, every ISP in Russia is forced to block access to it.
Quoting: liamdaweWe use cloudflare, so it's likely you will have this issue with a number of websites.
So, no more gaming on Linux without Tor/VPN? :(
m2mg2 26 Sep 2016
Quoting: badberDidn't know GOL uses Cloudflare. Thank you Liam & others if there are any behind the decision to allow Tor exit nodes to access GOL without Cloudflare's idiotic forced captchas. Those have single handedly made the web completely impractical to browse through Tor during the past year. Not many companies can make the claim of making something as important as that almost useless.
I despise Cloudfare for this reason, I would never choose to use something that creates so much breakage for no good reason. They should be able fix this, yet they choose not to.
Liam Dawe 26 Sep 2016
Quoting: badberDidn't know GOL uses Cloudflare. Thank you Liam & others if there are any behind the decision to allow Tor exit nodes to access GOL without Cloudflare's idiotic forced captchas. Those have single handedly made the web completely impractical to browse through Tor during the past year. Not many companies can make the claim of making something as important as that almost useless.
I'm only on the free plan, so none of that should be needed.
Samsai 26 Sep 2016
User Avatar
Quoting: ageresI know, but when I type "gamingonlinux.com" there, that's what I see. "+1" means there's another IP related to a blocked domain, but it isn't shown for some reason. There are many sites dedicated to finding if a domain blocked, but all of them are unofficial and don't update regularly, and there's no full catalogue and no way to know for sure what is blocked and what is not. ALso, there is [https://eais.rkn.gov.ru/en/](https://eais.rkn.gov.ru/en/), but it's usefull.

There are many blocked web-sites, and if any law court or Roskomnadzor itself decides to ban one more, every ISP in Russia is forced to block access to it.
In normal circumstances I'd recommend you change your ISP but in this case I recommend you change your country.
Liam Dawe 27 Sep 2016
I have adjusted the security level a bit lower through Cloudflare, could you let me know now? The security is now set to "Essentially off: Challenges only the most grievous offenders", so if you still have to enter a captcha you may want to speak to your ISP.
m2mg2 28 Sep 2016
The captcha's aren't a problem with settings, it is a problem with Cloudfare itself. Cloudfare acts as if anonymous viewers are somehow malicious. If it can't monitor you, you must not be real right? I'm pretty sure all sites using Cloudfare generate captcha's for viewers on TOR. I went to the site in TOR and can confirm it requests captcha's, and not nice ones but all kinds of crazy garbage. I've had to sit through ~1 minute of captcha screens to get to a Cloudfare site.
Liam Dawe 28 Sep 2016
Quoting: m2mg2The captcha's aren't a problem with settings, it is a problem with Cloudfare itself. Cloudfare acts as if anonymous viewers are somehow malicious. If it can't monitor you, you must not be real right? I'm pretty sure all sites using Cloudfare generate captcha's for viewers on TOR. I went to the site in TOR and can confirm it requests captcha's, and not nice ones but all kinds of crazy garbage. I've had to sit through ~1 minute of captcha screens to get to a Cloudfare site.
Someone on reddit said it was solved after I changed the settings.

I just checked myself using TOR, no captcha for me.
MadVillain 28 Sep 2016
Also had to use Tor to reach this website and I'm also from Russia.
I don't think that this website was blocked by the government. When it happens you get redirected to the page that says "This website is blocked blah blah...", but it's just gives me timeout error after very long wait.
ageres 28 Sep 2016
Quoting: MadVillainbut it's just gives me timeout error after very long wait.
I get an error instantly. I suppose, it depends on an ISP.
badber 28 Sep 2016
User Avatar
It's possible to configure Cloudflare to allow Tor but by default I think users from Tor get blocked (or forced to solve captchas on every Cloudflare site they visit). [See here for details on the configuration](https://support.cloudflare.com/hc/en-us/articles/203306930-Does-CloudFlare-block-Tor-).
I assumed GOL had made that configuration change since I hadn't been served a CAPTCHA while visiting through Tor.
badber 28 Sep 2016
User Avatar
Sorry, managed to accidentally repost once again...
m2mg2 29 Sep 2016
Quoting: liamdawe
Quoting: m2mg2The captcha's aren't a problem with settings, it is a problem with Cloudfare itself. Cloudfare acts as if anonymous viewers are somehow malicious. If it can't monitor you, you must not be real right? I'm pretty sure all sites using Cloudfare generate captcha's for viewers on TOR. I went to the site in TOR and can confirm it requests captcha's, and not nice ones but all kinds of crazy garbage. I've had to sit through ~1 minute of captcha screens to get to a Cloudfare site.
Someone on reddit said it was solved after I changed the settings.

I just checked myself using TOR, no captcha for me.
I suppose it may have something to do with my ISP or region as well, I get captcha's on all cloudfare sites I go to in TOR.
badber 29 Sep 2016
User Avatar
Quoting: m2mg2
Quoting: liamdawe
Quoting: m2mg2The captcha's aren't a problem with settings, it is a problem with Cloudfare itself. Cloudfare acts as if anonymous viewers are somehow malicious. If it can't monitor you, you must not be real right? I'm pretty sure all sites using Cloudfare generate captcha's for viewers on TOR. I went to the site in TOR and can confirm it requests captcha's, and not nice ones but all kinds of crazy garbage. I've had to sit through ~1 minute of captcha screens to get to a Cloudfare site.
Someone on reddit said it was solved after I changed the settings.

I just checked myself using TOR, no captcha for me.
I suppose it may have something to do with my ISP or region as well, I get captcha's on all cloudfare sites I go to in TOR.
I absolutely get them on countless Cloudflare sites as well, but I don't get them on GOL. Your ISP and region definitely should have nothing to do with it if you're using TOR.
m2mg2 29 Sep 2016
Quoting: badber
Quoting: m2mg2
Quoting: liamdawe
Quoting: m2mg2The captcha's aren't a problem with settings, it is a problem with Cloudfare itself. Cloudfare acts as if anonymous viewers are somehow malicious. If it can't monitor you, you must not be real right? I'm pretty sure all sites using Cloudfare generate captcha's for viewers on TOR. I went to the site in TOR and can confirm it requests captcha's, and not nice ones but all kinds of crazy garbage. I've had to sit through ~1 minute of captcha screens to get to a Cloudfare site.
Someone on reddit said it was solved after I changed the settings.

I just checked myself using TOR, no captcha for me.
I suppose it may have something to do with my ISP or region as well, I get captcha's on all cloudfare sites I go to in TOR.
I absolutely get them on countless Cloudflare sites as well, but I don't get them on GOL. Your ISP and region definitely should have nothing to do with it if you're using TOR.
Maybe the security changes took a while to propagate changes across regions. I'll try again when I get back to the command center.
badber 29 Sep 2016
User Avatar
Quoting: m2mg2
Quoting: badber
Quoting: m2mg2
Quoting: liamdawe
Quoting: m2mg2The captcha's aren't a problem with settings, it is a problem with Cloudfare itself. Cloudfare acts as if anonymous viewers are somehow malicious. If it can't monitor you, you must not be real right? I'm pretty sure all sites using Cloudfare generate captcha's for viewers on TOR. I went to the site in TOR and can confirm it requests captcha's, and not nice ones but all kinds of crazy garbage. I've had to sit through ~1 minute of captcha screens to get to a Cloudfare site.
Someone on reddit said it was solved after I changed the settings.

I just checked myself using TOR, no captcha for me.
I suppose it may have something to do with my ISP or region as well, I get captcha's on all cloudfare sites I go to in TOR.
I absolutely get them on countless Cloudflare sites as well, but I don't get them on GOL. Your ISP and region definitely should have nothing to do with it if you're using TOR.
Maybe the security changes took a while to propagate changes across regions. I'll try again when I get back to the command center.
Maybe, but I wasn't getting CAPTCHAs on GOL via TOR (heh) even before Liam adjusted the settings.

While multiple TOR exits do not seem to be blocked by Cloudflare for GOL I'm sure a TOR exit could get blocked for reasons not directly connected to TOR as well. You might have tried connecting through one of those when you did see the captchas. Almost none of the sites using Cloudflare bother configuring it to be TOR-friendly (and I guess stick to defaults) so that's why you still get CAPTCHAed by them.
m2mg2 29 Sep 2016
Update: It worked without a capture for the first time just now!
Roses 1 Oct 2016
It's not your ISP. It's cloudflare being a uninformed pain in the butt.

[https://blog.torproject.org/category/tags/cloudflare](https://blog.torproject.org/category/tags/cloudflare)
Liam Dawe 1 Oct 2016
Since it's causing more issues than it has helped with, as of now I have moved away from Cloudflare to our own nameservers.

It may take up to 48 hours for some of you to be fully refreshed with your ISP.
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