GitLab blocked the repository of the BPC (Bypass Paywalls Clean) project, which develops a browser add-on for organizing access to materials distributed by a paid subscription (Paywall). The reason for the removal was a complaint sent to GitLab about a violation of the Digital Copyright Act (DMCA) in force in the United States. Currently, the add-on developers are considering transferring the project to another Git hosting service. The previously mentioned add-on was removed from the Mozilla catalog for the same reason.
The Paywall method is used by many major English-language publications (forbes.com, independent.co.uk, newsweek.com, newyorker.com, nytimes.com, wsj.com etc.) for opening the full text of recent articles only by paid subscribers. Links to such articles are actively promoted in social networks and search engines, but after clicking on the published links, instead of opening the full text, the user is asked to sign up for a paid subscription if they want to see the details.
The wording on the basis of which the BPC repository was blocked is not reported, but, apparently,the project is charged with illegal circumvention of methods of technical protection of access to content that is subject to copyright. Violation of security in BPC is a controversial issue, since sites with Paywall usually open full access to search engines and social networks, due to the fact that publications are interested in indexing texts and attracting visitors who are interested in this material. Therefore, to bypass the access restriction, as a rule, just change the browser ID and pretend to be the search bot "Googlebot". Some sites may also need to clear the session cookie and block some scripts.
The Paywall method is used by many major English-language publications (forbes.com, independent.co.uk, newsweek.com, newyorker.com, nytimes.com, wsj.com etc.) for opening the full text of recent articles only by paid subscribers. Links to such articles are actively promoted in social networks and search engines, but after clicking on the published links, instead of opening the full text, the user is asked to sign up for a paid subscription if they want to see the details.
The wording on the basis of which the BPC repository was blocked is not reported, but, apparently,the project is charged with illegal circumvention of methods of technical protection of access to content that is subject to copyright. Violation of security in BPC is a controversial issue, since sites with Paywall usually open full access to search engines and social networks, due to the fact that publications are interested in indexing texts and attracting visitors who are interested in this material. Therefore, to bypass the access restriction, as a rule, just change the browser ID and pretend to be the search bot "Googlebot". Some sites may also need to clear the session cookie and block some scripts.
