(2026-01-17 14:48:00) – A system alert regarding potential automated access to content was triggered on News Group Newspapers LimitedS website, prompting a message to users.
News Group Newspapers Limited’s system flagged user behavior as potentially automated, restricting access and citing terms and conditions.
- News Group Newspapers Limited prohibits automated access to its content.
- the system identified user behavior as potentially automated.
- Users are directed to contact support or request commercial use permissions.
News Group Newspapers Limited’s system detected activity it identified as potentially automated, according to a message displayed on its website.
The message states that the company does not permit access, collection, or data mining of content through automated means, directly or via intermediary services, as outlined in its terms and conditions.
Did you know? – News Group Newspapers Limited owns several major UK publications, including The Sun, The Times, and The Sunday Times. Their digital content is heavily protected against unauthorized automated access.
Users receiving the alert are offered options to contact customer support at [email protected] or inquire about commercial use of the content by emailing [email protected].
The message explains that the system sometimes misinterprets human behavior as automated.
Pro tip – If you encounter this message while legitimately browsing, clearing your browser’s cache and cookies may resolve the issue.Some browser extensions can also trigger false positives.
“News Group Newspapers prohibits automated access, collection, or text/data mining of its content, including for AI, machine learning, or LLMs, as per its terms,” the message states.
The alert also specifies that the prohibition extends to the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and large language models (LLMs).
News Group Newspapers Limited (NGN) detected and blocked potential automated access to its website on January 17, 2026. The system flagged user activity as potentially originating from bots or automated scripts, triggering an alert message to those affected. Why did this happen? NGN actively protects its content from unauthorized scraping and data mining, especially by artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
Who was affected? Users whose browsing behavior was identified as potentially automated received the alert. The system sometimes incorrectly flags legitimate users,leading to temporary access restrictions. What did the alert say? The message informed users that NGN prohibits automated access, collection, or data mining of its content, as outlined in its terms and conditions. It specifically mentioned restrictions on the use of AI,machine learning,and large language models (LLMs).
How did it end? NGN provided affected users with contact information for customer support ([email protected]) and a separate email address (Related
