GoKawiilFirefox users report infinite reCAPTCHA loops on archive.is
A Hacker News poster described being stuck in a repeating Google reCAPTCHA challenge when trying to access archive.is using current Firefox on Linux with strict privacy settings enabled. Disabling Privacy Badger and switching to private browsing did not resolve the issue, prompting the user to ask whether other Firefox users are experiencing similar problems.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
reCAPTCHA is a near-ubiquitous gatekeeping tool across the web, and if it systematically fails for privacy-focused browser configurations, it effectively locks out users who value privacy protections. This feeds into longstanding suspicion that Google's verification systems disadvantage non-Chrome browsers and ad-blocking setups, whether intentionally or as a side effect of aggressive bot-detection heuristics.
- A Firefox user in strict privacy mode hit an unresolvable reCAPTCHA loop on archive.is.
- Common fixes like disabling extensions or using private browsing did not help.
- The report raises questions about whether Google's anti-bot systems inadvertently or deliberately penalize privacy-hardened and non-Chrome browsers.
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See YubiKey 5 NFC Security Key on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: news.ycombinator.com, 2026-09-03
Published there as: “Ask HN: Are others seeing Google's reCAPTCHA rejecting Firefox users?”
Read the original report → The summary and analysis above are GoKawiil's own, written from reporting by the source above. Facts and quotes belong to the original publisher.