Why can’t I read Newsweek on my laptop?
December 19, 2015 1:42 PM Subscribe
I'm using a Mac Laptop running OS X Yosemite (though this is surely moot). Whenever I visit a Newsweek article, (e.g.) I’m told that I’ve already read five articles this month - despite never having visited before. This is true if I use Safari, Tor Browser, Firefox, or Chrome. I entirely believe this could be do to a particular add-on configuration, but my Safari set up is pretty vanilla, so I’m dubious. Thanks!
For what's it's worth I get the same message and I don't ever visit the newsweek website.
posted by eatcake at 1:51 PM on December 19, 2015
posted by eatcake at 1:51 PM on December 19, 2015
Response by poster: Does it do it if you open an incognito window?
Yep.
For what's it's worth I get the same message and I don't ever visit the newsweek website
To be clear, I essentially visit the newsweek website only when MetaFilter takes me there. So yeah, I’m in a similar boat.
posted by Going To Maine at 1:54 PM on December 19, 2015
Yep.
For what's it's worth I get the same message and I don't ever visit the newsweek website
To be clear, I essentially visit the newsweek website only when MetaFilter takes me there. So yeah, I’m in a similar boat.
posted by Going To Maine at 1:54 PM on December 19, 2015
I have never visited the Newsweek website (or at least never in recent memory, and I had no cookies related to it) and I got the same message upon clicking your link.
Usually with problems like this I just Google the URL or headline and click through from the Google result, since most news sites have a deal to allow search engine traffic through their blockades. For the article you linked to this worked fine.
posted by bcwinters at 1:55 PM on December 19, 2015
Usually with problems like this I just Google the URL or headline and click through from the Google result, since most news sites have a deal to allow search engine traffic through their blockades. For the article you linked to this worked fine.
posted by bcwinters at 1:55 PM on December 19, 2015
I think it's reacting to ad-block. I turned it off for that site and it showed me the article.
posted by FallowKing at 2:09 PM on December 19, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by FallowKing at 2:09 PM on December 19, 2015 [2 favorites]
I stripped off the noise after the number at the end of the url (i.e., instead of ... organization-406898?piano_t=1 I just put ... organization-406898) and it worked.
posted by clone boulevard at 2:16 PM on December 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by clone boulevard at 2:16 PM on December 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
Sounds like people have a solution, but just FYI it does this to me too, including on a brand new computer with no browser extensions installed yet!
Even nuttier, we actually HAVE a digital subscription (in laws keep buying it for us despite our protestations that we don't really want it) and even if we're signed in we get the message that we've exceeded out free articles for the month and must sign in to continue.
It is a super-buggy website.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 2:23 PM on December 19, 2015
Even nuttier, we actually HAVE a digital subscription (in laws keep buying it for us despite our protestations that we don't really want it) and even if we're signed in we get the message that we've exceeded out free articles for the month and must sign in to continue.
It is a super-buggy website.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 2:23 PM on December 19, 2015
Newsweek is the first mainstream site I've seen that tracked me through to an incognito window. That suggests they're doing some browser fingerprinting, something I've never seen a legitimate company do. It blocks me in Chrome/Incognito with no ad blocking of any sort loaded.
For me, while Chrome was blocked Safari worked on the same computer. At least the first time, I haven't tried again.
posted by Nelson at 2:25 PM on December 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
For me, while Chrome was blocked Safari worked on the same computer. At least the first time, I haven't tried again.
posted by Nelson at 2:25 PM on December 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Mo Nickels at 1:48 PM on December 19, 2015