Why do websites think you are a robot when using a VPN?

But why does using a VPN trigger these tests so often? More importantly, is there any way to avoid them?

Why do websites think you are a robot?

Websites deploy protections, such as CAPTCHA tests, to protect themselves from various types of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and other cybersecurity threats. It's not that they want to stop you from using a VPN. The point is to protect the website, especially when using a VPN makes it more difficult to identify you or your intentions.

When you use a VPN, especially a free VPN, you will most likely share your IP address with many other concurrent users - some with good intentions and some with bad intentions. Imagine that you are also switching between VPN servers. Through session cookies, device fingerprinting and other technologies, websites can see your IP address change rapidly - similar to how bots work.

With a regular home IP address that you can easily find on your phone, websites can easily trust you unless your address has been flagged for wrongdoing. However, they become suspicious when you exhibit bot behavior and send simultaneous requests to many others from the same IP address. And some of these requests may actually be malicious or suspicious.

After all, bombarding a website with a large number of requests, also known as a DDoS attack, is a way to destroy websites. So, it is understandable why websites put in place defenses against such threats. Of course, not all sites deploy these defenses, and some have other ways of identifying and authenticating users. So you may get more checks on some sites than others.

You keep getting more and more CAPTCHAs, but the underlying website probably won't know that you're using a VPN. All they discovered was that multiple visitors allegedly shared the same range of IP addresses - a sign that something strange was going on.

7 ways to avoid multiple CAPTCHAs when using a VPN

Currently, encountering frequent CAPTCHAs is an unavoidable side effect of using a VPN. However, you can avoid this annoying test in a few ways.

1. Use reputable paid VPN services . Most VPN providers can limit or restrict simultaneous connections per IP address.
2. Try connecting to another VPN server . There may be fewer users on that server, leading to less monitoring and CAPTCHAs.
3. If it's a site you frequently visit, whitelist the site - if possible - to bypass the VPN even when the VPN is on.
4. Depending on your reason for using a VPN, another option may be to access the website using your verified account , such as signing in to Google before using Google services. You'll get fewer CAPTCHAs, and if they appear, they'll be easier to overcome.
5. Consider using sites or apps that are less likely to trigger CAPTCHAs - or require you to prove your identity. For example, you can use DuckDuckGo instead of Bing or Google.
6. Another option is to learn about automatic CAPTCHA solving extensions . However, the chance of success with these services is 50-50.
7. Clearing your browser data regularly so that websites cannot record your frequent IP changes can be effective, but is not guaranteed.

By understanding why websites suspect you are a robot when using a VPN, you can adopt strategies that meet the site's conditions and allow you to browse or stream without interruptions. custom.

Jessica Tanner

Update 27 July 2024