Blacklisted TorGuard ip addresses?

[David Bryant]

I was trying to access a web site today (http://www.videolan.org/support/faq.html), and the site would not respond. I'm running Ubuntu 20.04 and Firefox 78.0.2. I'm also running the Torguard VPN extension v 1.50, last updated 7/10/2020.

On a hunch I disconnected from the vpn server (it was in Miami ... I don't remember the exact ip address that had been assigned to me). The videolan.org web site started responding to my requests. I connected to TorGuard again, this time from San Francisco. videolan.org did not complain. It worked like a champ.

I've had a little bit of trouble using Wikipedia with the Torguard extension turned on. Wikipedia lets me log in (I've had a user page there since 2006), but I'm not allowed to edit Wikipedia pages that way ,,, I get a message telling me that my ip address is on a list of identified anonymization servers, and that I have to use my real ip address -- not a TorGuard proxy -- if I want to make the edit. I'm fine with that. I can disconnect from TorGuard for a little bit, make my edit, then hook up with the TorGuard server again. Simple enough.

The problem with the videolan.org site seems different. I suspect that they're using the same network software as Wikipedia, because most of their web content is organized as a wiki. But the way they just totally ignored my requests (I just got the blue circle of death when I tried to connect to their site ... I didn't wait for Firefox to time out, but I'm sure it would have) makes me think the ip address that had been assigned to me in Miami is on a blacklist somewhere or other.

So here's my question. Does TorGuard have a procedure for reporting problems like this? I'm putting this request out in the forum. But I'm thinking y'all probably have to get some of your ip addresses removed from blacklists on a fairly regular basis, so you probably have a procedure set up already. How do I participate when I encounter similar problems in the future?  Where should I report such a problem?

Thanks!

D. Bryant, Canyon Lake, Texas

 

 

[TDog]

Seriously welcome to the world of VPN. As time goes on you will find many sites block known VPN sites. They do it for security. Unfortunately VPNs are used for anonymous attacks on web sites. It's not the provider's doing, the black list IPs are assembled using a variety of means and it would be foolish to expect a provider to keep up.

Luckily this is the only site you have found that bans VPNs, promise it won't be the last. The good news is most sites that blacklist the IPs are harmless and revealing your IP to them presents minimal problems.