Jan 01, 2022 20:00:00

Browser extension 'Bypass Paywalls Clean' that deletes cookies and cancels paywalls

Some paywalls that block content from unpaid users have a mechanism to detect past access with cookies, and there are cases where it

can be avoided by deleting cookies or accessing in secret mode. The 'Bypass Paywalls Clean ' extension for Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome automates this 'site cookie removal'.

magnolia1234 / Bypass Paywalls Firefox Clean · GitLab
https://gitlab.com/magnolia1234/bypass-paywalls-firefox-clean

Bypass Paywalls Clean – Get extensions for Firefox (ja)
https://addons.mozilla.org/ja/firefox/addon/bypass-paywalls-clean/

To install 'Bypass Paywalls Clean' in Firefox, open the extension distribution page and click 'Add to Firefox'.

The following pop-up will be displayed, so click 'Add'.

Click 'OK' to complete the installation.

Some websites have adopted a 'meter-based paywall' that can only be accessed by member service registrants after browsing a certain number of contents on the site.

For example, the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post , which is under the umbrella of Alibaba Group, which owns Alibaba.com, one of the world's largest mail-order sites, will display a dialog recommending subscription as follows after reading a certain number of articles. ..

However, if you re-access in the secret mode installed in the browser or delete the cookie of the site stored in the browser, you will be able to read the article again as if you first accessed it. 'Bypass Paywalls Clean' will do this work in the background when it is installed.

Since we are only deleting cookies, we cannot avoid the 'hard paywall' that is set so that it cannot be read without registering as a member.

Bypass Paywalls Clean can also be deployed on Google Chrome, but it is not available on the Chrome Web Store due to Google policy. Therefore, to install it in Chrome, first

click 'ZIP-file from GitLab' on the distribution page of GitLab and download the compressed file to any location.

Next, decompress the compressed file

using Explzh or the like.

Next, enter 'chrome: // extensions' in the URL field of Chrome to display the extensions, and click the button on the upper right to enable developer mode.

All you have to do now is drag and drop the folder created by decompressing the compressed file to any location in Chrome. If you delete this folder, you will not be able to use the extension, so you need to put the folder in a place where you cannot delete it by mistake.

The author of Bypass Paywalls Clean said on the extension's distribution page, 'Some users can't afford to pay dues to a number of news sites, even if they want to read articles they see on Twitter, but this add-on on the same site. If you use it on a regular basis, consider paying a membership fee. Please remember that 'free press is unsustainable without funding.'