Recurring captcha from Google.

Altoid · 2026-09-17 12:08:08

Hello:

Box running on Devuan Daedalus and [Librewolf 148.0-1] as the browser of choice.
Have [firefox-esr 140.14.0esr] installed/pinned but do not use it.

For the last month or so and at least once a day I am getting taken to a page from Google requiring a captcha to continue browsing / a search.

Google wrote:

About this page
Our systems have detected unusual traffic from your computer network. This page checks to see if it's really you sending the requests, and not a robot. Why did this happen?
IP address: xxx.xx.xx.xxx
Time: 2026-09-17T12:26:45Z
URL: https://www.google.com/search?q=recurri … sQP9Nuq6Ak

Why did this happen? wrote:

This page appears when Google automatically detects requests coming from your computer network which appear to be in violation of the Terms of Service. The block will expire shortly after those requests stop. In the meantime, solving the above CAPTCHA will let you continue to use our services.
This traffic may have been sent by malicious software, a browser plug-in, or a script that sends automated requests. If you share your network connection, ask your administrator for help — a different computer using the same IP address may be responsible. Learn more
Sometimes you may be asked to solve the CAPTCHA if you are using advanced terms that robots are known to use, or sending requests very quickly.

If I solve it, I can continue but if ignore it, sometimes I can also continue.
I looked like I could continue because it on retry it was with the default search engine, [duckduckgo].

But I cannot recall this happening before.
Could it be due to my having [webext-ublock-origin-firefox] installed?

Anyone know why it happens and how to avoid* this?
* besides not using the Google search engine. 8^°

Best,

A.

Last edited by Altoid (2026-09-17 12:37:28)

kapqa · 2026-09-17 12:45:59

it just seems everyzone wants to read out our open tabs list ~ maybe famous player in the market I A I getting more gritty ~ but then , he should already be in the know.

i have tried to change DNS for some time, ~~to no avail~~. My solution will be to no longer consult the pages that are "too agressive" on this.

Last edited by kapqa (2026-09-17 14:45:19)

rbit · 2026-09-17 14:51:32

This isn't "how to avoid the problem" - but if you have difficulty with their picture captchas, this may be of help.
After spending about a half hour clicking on buses, traffic lights, crosswalks, bicycles, stairs, fire hydrants, cars, bridges (and probably more!), in a never-ending cycle, eventually I tried the audio captcha instead. This took only about 5 tries to get it right, and then I could proceed. All the sound samples had static, most were entirely unintelligible to me. Just load a new one until you get one that you can understand.

dzz · 2026-09-17 15:32:45

Well imagine that! Google doesn't like a secure browser because their tracking and surveillance mechanisms don't work as expected.

If you really must, you can turn off ublock-origin for selected sites, maybe that works for some.

Possibly related:

I suspect they don't like the dbus machine-id changing either, as it does on a Devuan system.

https://linux.slashdot.org/story/19/11/ … n-fixed-it

My gmail account is now non-functional (goodbye and good riddance). And if I use ebay I get email warnings like "A new device has logged into your account.." even though I keep a separate firefox profile for that.

My fix: minimise google use as much as possible, starting with a secure search engine. And +1 for librewolf.

Calamity · 2026-09-17 15:37:57

You can try a search engine proxy like https://4get.ca/ . It has a one-page image captcha, which it's usually trivial to solve once you get the hang of it. For every solution you get 100 requests, and the results it gives out are usually quite good because it proxies from the G and other big boys minus their bullying.

blackhole · 2026-09-17 17:21:26

If you use google services, you will always be fighting this kind of thing, unless you allow their scripts, etc.

Your script / ad blocking triggers this and google tries to make it such a pain in the arse that you give up and disable it, to allow their content.

Google are in the advertising / profiling / data mining business. If you use their "free" services, then google want to capture that data. This is why those services are "free".

Last edited by blackhole (2026-09-17 17:22:36)

golinux · 2026-09-17 18:00:32

I gave up using "GooGoo" for web browsing over a decade ago. I do have a few email accounts which I keep archived for historical purposes and for other functions which would be a PITA to switch to elsewhere.

dzz · 2026-09-17 19:42:36

a search engine proxy like https://4get.ca/

Thanks Calamity but.. the captcha here, presented as an "IQ test", is: "Pick 6 images from minecraft" with no choice to load an alternative.

WTF is minecraft? (Is it a game?) My intelligence must be sub standard after all.

Anyway, point is, there are others e.g. searx instances.

tux_99 · 2026-09-17 19:56:06

Just use https://startpage.com which is based on google search but provides you with a layer of anonymity, and I have never experienced captchas with startpage.com.

Last edited by tux_99 (2026-09-17 19:56:21)

Calamity · 2026-09-17 20:10:38

The captcha on 4get.ca is ... idiosyncratic. As someone said on AlternativeTo, it is "based on the owner's interests". Minecraft is a very popular 3d block building game with pixel graphics (that's nowhere as good today as it used to be - use ClassiCube instead)... apparently the owner of 4get is a big fan of it. Actually, I have more questions about the fumo plushies part. The 'IQ Test' caption is, evidently, a joke.

Well, take it or leave it. Behind the slight insanity, I found that it is a reliable service after all. Can't say the same about searx unfortunately, just when you think you found a good working instance it suddenly stops operating correctly and one is forced to find a new one, only for the same cycle to repeat itself soon after.

fsmithred · 2026-09-17 20:39:20

I got that yesterday on a youtu.be link. After going through several screens of bicycles and busses (and clicking on every box that did NOT have what they asked me to identify) I clicked on boxes to form letters, one for each screen. Total of 7 letters, two words, to tell them how I felt about it.

Then I switched from firefox-esr to tor-browser and got right to the page I wanted.

Altoid · 2026-09-17 21:26:11

Hello:

rbit wrote:

... difficulty with their picture captchas ...

Thanks, but the difficulty is putting up with them when there is no reason.
I do not mind captchas when a site needs to use them to filter out bots and such.

blackhole wrote:

If you use google services ...

No, I don't use any of that.

blackhole wrote:

... that you give up and disable it, to allow their content.

Not until hell freezes over.
Twice. 8^°

tux_99 wrote:

Just use https://startpage.com ...

Thanks, I'll have a look at that one.

fsmithred wrote:

... switched from firefox-esr to tor-browser and got right to the page I wanted.

Interesting, thanks.

Many years ago (2009/10?), when Tor was a new-ish thing, I downloaded it and had the bright idea to use it to log into my bank account from my netbook+office network, just like I did with my ministry issued PC.

Not a thing anyone was allowed to do but I could because I was in charge of 1st. tier TS for 60+ PCs. 8^°

Next morning I received a severely worded email from the bank summoning me to see my account officer -no option to decline the invitation- and when I got there the very annoyed chap told me that my PC had malware and that I had to sign this long waiver full of legalese because otherwise I would lose my account.

He did not have a clue so explaining all the protections my PC had in detail made no difference whatsoever.
So I signed the waiver and never used Tor again.
I recall that at that time it was rather slow to fetch pages.
But I will check it out.

The problem is that Google seems to have better/more complete search returns, or at least, more of them.
You (obviously) have to filter out the crap and this captcha thing is just the new recipe/texture/flavour available crap.
Unfortunately, I have the feelng that it will only get worse.

BTW:
Looking at the [about:config] from my LibreWolf I found these entries when I did a search for the term [captcha]:

captchadetection.actor.enabled        true		
captchadetection.hasUnsubmittedData   true		
captchadetection.lastSubmission       1789597		
captchadetection.loglevel             Warn

Any idea as to what these do?
The first and the fourth are default settings.
But the second and third are probably modified during each (?) session as they are in bold letters.

Thanks to all.

Best,

A.

Calamity · 2026-09-17 21:39:02

If I recall correctly, Startpage now offers little anonymity over Google, if at all. They sold out to some advertizing company a few years ago.

kapqa · 2026-09-17 21:42:45

forgot to add, if you use dual-boot, need to check the tiem is "correct" this someit prevents things from happening in browserland.

and yes, different browser behave differently. am using satellite internet since few years and it has helped me solved quite some problems that otherwise would have taken me down the "vpn" route which is just cumbersome, not to speak of TOR, where does the captcha thing much more easily happen.
(it used to be difficult to achieve, now its just one click only solution, so probably not the big problem solver it is portrayed, but not in the know):

tux_99 · 2026-09-17 23:15:02

@Calamity do you have a source for that?
They always had ads, but their aren't personalized as they don't track their users.

dzz · Yesterday 02:13:52

Re startpage (not necessarily trusted sources nor up-to-date):

https://factually.co/fact-checks/techno … ive-930c63
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System1
https://cyberinsider.com/startpage-syst … one-group/

greenjeans · Yesterday 02:22:35

Srsly, some of you are using google for things?

Calamity · Yesterday 07:10:36

Yes, System1 is the company that acquired Startpage circa 2018 (also Waterfox but their contract seems void now). Just look it up, it's quite out there in the open. I actually was using it for a bit before that date, once I found out they sold out I abandoned it. You'll probably end up leaking more data with Startpage now compared with bare Google.

I don't know why anyone would want to use G's services either, least of all directly. It's the same G as the one between the square and compass, if you know what I mean. There are still very decent alternatives out there for email, browsing etc. But a lot of traps as well.

blackhole · Yesterday 07:15:41

Startpage was acquired by System1 (an ad company) via a company it registered for that purpose called "Privacy One". System1 also acquired Waterfox. Both of these moves sparked some controversy and Waterfox was eventually independent again.

In my view, selling out privacy focused software projects to an ad company was not a smart move - and in the case of startpage, registering a deceptively named company for that purpose, hoping no one would notice, reveals the intent.

Last edited by blackhole (Yesterday 07:33:36)

tux_99 · Yesterday 11:02:45

Well wikipedia writes the following about the startpage aquisition:

In October 2019, Privacy One Group, owned by adtech company System1, acquired a majority stake in Startpage. An initial lack of transparency surrounding the deal caused some concern among privacy researchers, leading to its removal from the PrivacyTools review website.
After responding to questions from PrivacyTools team members, Startpage was able to clarify that the acquisition would not impact their privacy-focused mission, and its recommendation was ultimately restored.
According to the company, its "founders may unilaterally reject any potential technical change that could negatively affect user privacy".
By maintaining its headquarters and operations in the Netherlands, Startpage continues to be protected by Dutch and European Union (EU) privacy laws.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Startpage

so it still seems a good choice, definitely better than google search and duckduckgo (which I already wouldn't use because it's a US company and therefore subject to the Patriot act).

Last edited by tux_99 (Yesterday 11:10:44)

Calamity · Yesterday 11:30:30

Advertizing companies are not exactly known for their honesty. They often make sure there's enough reports and articles in their favor on the web. It still sounds fishy and much like whitewashing to me. Privacy and adtech just don't mix together. But since Altoid's primary concern is avoiding ReCaptcha, I guess Startpage may fulfill that purpose.

DuckDuckGo is not very trustworthy either, though it seems to have a good search index. But like any other big project on the Internet, its ownership is very questionable and leaves much to be desired ethically.

Last edited by Calamity (Yesterday 11:31:34)

kapqa · Yesterday 18:28:23

it may be irrelevant with the task at hand , but with captcha i normally click once twice forwared to get to the section where it asks me to pick from the 9 quadrants all several those that match the [requested] until finished.
i may be stupid but those other quesits where it asks me to select the quadrants where is a say a bike from a whole picture of 9 quadrants, i quite always dont succeed, it must be just too technical for me. (or i dont get the whole picture on those)

Last edited by kapqa (Yesterday 18:30:06)

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#1 2026-09-17 12:08:08

Recurring captcha from Google.

#2 2026-09-17 12:45:59

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#3 2026-09-17 14:51:32

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#4 2026-09-17 15:32:45

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#5 2026-09-17 15:37:57

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#6 2026-09-17 17:21:26

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#7 2026-09-17 18:00:32

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#8 2026-09-17 19:42:36

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#9 2026-09-17 19:56:06

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#10 2026-09-17 20:10:38

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#11 2026-09-17 20:39:20

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#12 2026-09-17 21:26:11

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#13 2026-09-17 21:39:02

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#14 2026-09-17 21:42:45

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#15 2026-09-17 23:15:02

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#16 Yesterday 02:13:52

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#17 Yesterday 02:22:35

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#18 Yesterday 07:10:36

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#19 Yesterday 07:15:41

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#20 Yesterday 11:02:45

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#21 Yesterday 11:30:30

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

#22 Yesterday 18:28:23

Re: Recurring captcha from Google.

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