Is anyone else running a relay in the UK having issues accessing BBC iPlayer from the same connection? For the last 6 weeks or so now I've been getting messages telling me I'm 'outside the UK' when I'm in London, and my IP address clearly resolves to show that.
Just wondering if the provider BBC use for iPlayer might have started just blocking all Tor IPs recently - including middle relays.
Chris
Chris
I have had several issues that appeared whilst running a Tor network. This has happened to me too even though I switched mine (relay) off several weeks ago… I have notified BBC (via supplied contact forms 3 times) and have had no resolve Other services affected have been nhs.uk & lovefilm.com although since switching my relay off these now work again.
My supplier is Virgin Media and I have spent *hours* on tech help support. Nobody can answer this. My dynamic WAN IP (assigned via DHCP) never changes and I’ve been told it "can’t & won’t ever change…”. It’s been the same IP address for years... Therefore if anybody wants to monitor or divert my traffic they can.
Who provides your service?
Thanks, Paul
On 28 Jun 2014, at 12:52, Chris Whittleston csw34@cam.ac.uk wrote:
Is anyone else running a relay in the UK having issues accessing BBC iPlayer from the same connection? For the last 6 weeks or so now I've been getting messages telling me I'm 'outside the UK' when I'm in London, and my IP address clearly resolves to show that.
Just wondering if the provider BBC use for iPlayer might have started just blocking all Tor IPs recently - including middle relays.
Chris
tor-relays mailing list tor-relays@lists.torproject.org https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays
On Sat, Jun 28, 2014 at 1:23 PM, Paul Blakeman blakeyman@mac.com wrote:
Chris
I have had several issues that appeared whilst running a Tor network. This has happened to me too even though I switched mine (relay) off several weeks ago… I have notified BBC (via supplied contact forms 3 times) and have had no resolve Other services affected have been nhs.uk & lovefilm.com although since switching my relay off these now work again.
My supplier is Virgin Media and I have spent *hours* on tech help support. Nobody can answer this. My dynamic WAN IP (assigned via DHCP) never changes and I’ve been told it "can’t & won’t ever change…”. It’s been the same IP address for years...
This isn't strictly true. If you are using a 'Super Hub' (Combined cable modem / router for those of you outside the UK) in modem mode with another router, if you change the MAC on the router and reboot the Super Hub, you will get a new IP. Obviously, this requires you swap your router, or have a router capable of changing it's MAC address...
Therefore if anybody wants to monitor or divert my traffic they can.
Who provides your service?
Thanks, Paul
On 28 Jun 2014, at 12:52, Chris Whittleston csw34@cam.ac.uk wrote:
Is anyone else running a relay in the UK having issues accessing BBC
iPlayer from the same connection? For the last 6 weeks or so now I've been getting messages telling me I'm 'outside the UK' when I'm in London, and my IP address clearly resolves to show that.
Just wondering if the provider BBC use for iPlayer might have started
just blocking all Tor IPs recently - including middle relays.
Chris
tor-relays mailing list tor-relays@lists.torproject.org https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays
tor-relays mailing list tor-relays@lists.torproject.org https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays
Paul,
I'm also with Virgin Media and have had a similar tech support conversation. I didn't mention I was running a Tor relay to them at the time (do you know anything about their policy regards Tor?), but they checked through all my 'Super Hub' settings including the port forwarding I have set up so I imagine they noticed. They couldn't explain it at all, and because it seems like a completely device agnostic issue (phones etc also don't work) - it is probably on the iPlayer provider's end. I also noticed that I was getting 'Forbidden' errors from the nhs.uk site a while ago and posted about it here - but right now I seem to be able to access everything there just fine so maybe they have reviewed their policy on Tor nodes.
Matthew - that's an interesting point about switching out the router MAC address. I'm not currently using a separate router, but might consider it in the future. I guess though that if this is the result of a provider blacklisting all Tor relay IPs, the new IP will just get added to the list as soon as it's published and it'll be blocked again.
I think I'm going to continue to harass BBC support about this under I get a response other than 'have you tried turning your router off and on' or 'check your IP is registered in the UK with your ISP' - ugh...
Thanks for the info all
On 28 June 2014 13:23, Paul Blakeman blakeyman@mac.com wrote:
Chris
I have had several issues that appeared whilst running a Tor network. This has happened to me too even though I switched mine (relay) off several weeks ago… I have notified BBC (via supplied contact forms 3 times) and have had no resolve Other services affected have been nhs.uk & lovefilm.com although since switching my relay off these now work again.
My supplier is Virgin Media and I have spent *hours* on tech help support. Nobody can answer this. My dynamic WAN IP (assigned via DHCP) never changes and I’ve been told it "can’t & won’t ever change…”. It’s been the same IP address for years... Therefore if anybody wants to monitor or divert my traffic they can.
Who provides your service?
Thanks, Paul
On 28 Jun 2014, at 12:52, Chris Whittleston csw34@cam.ac.uk wrote:
Is anyone else running a relay in the UK having issues accessing BBC
iPlayer from the same connection? For the last 6 weeks or so now I've been getting messages telling me I'm 'outside the UK' when I'm in London, and my IP address clearly resolves to show that.
Just wondering if the provider BBC use for iPlayer might have started
just blocking all Tor IPs recently - including middle relays.
Chris
tor-relays mailing list tor-relays@lists.torproject.org https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays
tor-relays mailing list tor-relays@lists.torproject.org https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays
Hi all
Matthew’s advice is correct. Switching to “modem only” DOES achieve getting a dynamic IP assigned. Not too sure why the normal WAN connection is not like this… (even though assigned via DHCP)
Chris - I have “harassed” the BBC 3 times but had NOTHING back from them…
I’m going to ditch Virgin Media…
Paul
On 28 Jun 2014, at 15:46, Chris Whittleston csw34@cam.ac.uk wrote:
Paul,
I'm also with Virgin Media and have had a similar tech support conversation. I didn't mention I was running a Tor relay to them at the time (do you know anything about their policy regards Tor?), but they checked through all my 'Super Hub' settings including the port forwarding I have set up so I imagine they noticed. They couldn't explain it at all, and because it seems like a completely device agnostic issue (phones etc also don't work) - it is probably on the iPlayer provider's end. I also noticed that I was getting 'Forbidden' errors from the nhs.uk site a while ago and posted about it here - but right now I seem to be able to access everything there just fine so maybe they have reviewed their policy on Tor nodes.
Matthew - that's an interesting point about switching out the router MAC address. I'm not currently using a separate router, but might consider it in the future. I guess though that if this is the result of a provider blacklisting all Tor relay IPs, the new IP will just get added to the list as soon as it's published and it'll be blocked again.
I think I'm going to continue to harass BBC support about this under I get a response other than 'have you tried turning your router off and on' or 'check your IP is registered in the UK with your ISP' - ugh...
Thanks for the info all
On 28 June 2014 13:23, Paul Blakeman blakeyman@mac.com wrote: Chris
I have had several issues that appeared whilst running a Tor network. This has happened to me too even though I switched mine (relay) off several weeks ago… I have notified BBC (via supplied contact forms 3 times) and have had no resolve Other services affected have been nhs.uk & lovefilm.com although since switching my relay off these now work again.
My supplier is Virgin Media and I have spent *hours* on tech help support. Nobody can answer this. My dynamic WAN IP (assigned via DHCP) never changes and I’ve been told it "can’t & won’t ever change…”. It’s been the same IP address for years... Therefore if anybody wants to monitor or divert my traffic they can.
Who provides your service?
Thanks, Paul
On 28 Jun 2014, at 12:52, Chris Whittleston csw34@cam.ac.uk wrote:
Is anyone else running a relay in the UK having issues accessing BBC iPlayer from the same connection? For the last 6 weeks or so now I've been getting messages telling me I'm 'outside the UK' when I'm in London, and my IP address clearly resolves to show that.
Just wondering if the provider BBC use for iPlayer might have started just blocking all Tor IPs recently - including middle relays.
Chris
tor-relays mailing list tor-relays@lists.torproject.org https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays
tor-relays mailing list tor-relays@lists.torproject.org https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays
-- Dr Chris Whittleston 栗主 Department of Chemistry University of Cambridge Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW Email: csw34@cam.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)1223 336423 _______________________________________________ tor-relays mailing list tor-relays@lists.torproject.org https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays
Paul
From what I've read, Virgin issue WAN IPs based on the router MAC address,
so for the super-hub which has two MAC addresses (one modem, one router) - it uses the router one. This is why you always get issued the same IP after rebooting or when the DHCP lease expires.
The only way around that would be to disconnect the hub, wait for your IP lease to expire (7 days max), then wait an unknown time till it was assigned to someone else, and plug the hub back in to get a fresh IP. Not exactly practical...
Did you mention that you were running a Tor relay in the messages you sent to the BBC via their web form? Just wondering if they might be unaware that this might be the issue. Also - I know they had an issue with their contact form not actually submitting data to them, so unless you got an email acknowledging the contact request - they definitely didn't receive it.
Here are the last couple of responses I've had from them - both seem somewhat auto-generated:
Latest: ------------------------------------------------- Thank you for contacting BBC iPlayer support.
We’ll update our help site with any new developments, including the latest programme issues that are currently under investigation, so please check back later.
The latest programme issues currently under investigation are available at:
http://iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co.uk/help/announcements/programme_latest_is...
If we haven’t updated the website, it could be that we can’t replicate your problem. In such instances, we’ll monitor for further reports before we investigate.
We will try to respond as quickly as possible, but due to the volume of enquiries we receive and the time required to look into technical matters, we’re not always able to reply as quickly as we’d like.
-------------------------------------------------
Previous:
-------------------------------------------------
Thanks for contacting the BBC iPlayer Support Team.
I understand you were experiencing technical issues accessing iPlayer as you have been incorrectly identified as living outside the UK. You mentioned you received an email from our team stating the issue was being investigated by our service partner.
If you’re in the UK but see a message saying you’re not, it’s because BBC iPlayer is recognising your IP address as being outside the UK. It could be because your computer is on a foreign-based network, or is being routed overseas. This sometimes happens if you’re at work and your employer isn’t based in the UK. Some programs, like web accelerators, can also make it look like your IP address is outside the UK.
Sometimes your internet service provider will allocate you a new IP address, perhaps if they’re carrying out maintenance work. In some cases this new IP address won’t yet be registered as being in the UK, so iPlayer will recognise you as being overseas.
It could also simply be a network error.
The first thing to try is closing and reopening your web browser. If this doesn’t work, you can try restarting your Wi-Fi router.
If you're using a public Wi-Fi network, this may route your connection overseas. Please try again later using a different network.
If this still doesn’t work, your best bet is to contact your internet service provider and ask if your IP address is registered in the UK.
We have also passed along the information you provided to our team who will investigate this fault. We do appreciate that technical faults affecting programmes on BBC iPlayer can be most frustrating and we try to correct these as quickly as possible.
We'd like to assure you that your comments were fully registered. This was included on feedback reports that are available to personnel responsible for maintaining and improving the BBC iPlayer service.
These reports are viewed as important documents that can help shape decisions on future aspects of BBC iPlayer across all platforms.
Once again, thanks for taking the time to contact us.
------------------------------------------------- Chris
On 28 June 2014 15:52, Paul Blakeman blakeyman@mac.com wrote:
Hi all
Matthew’s advice is correct. Switching to “modem only” DOES achieve getting a dynamic IP assigned. Not too sure why the normal WAN connection is not like this… (even though assigned via DHCP)
Chris - I have “harassed” the BBC 3 times but had NOTHING back from them…
I’m going to ditch Virgin Media…
Paul
On 28 Jun 2014, at 15:46, Chris Whittleston csw34@cam.ac.uk wrote:
Paul,
I'm also with Virgin Media and have had a similar tech support conversation. I didn't mention I was running a Tor relay to them at the time (do you know anything about their policy regards Tor?), but they checked through all my 'Super Hub' settings including the port forwarding I have set up so I imagine they noticed. They couldn't explain it at all, and because it seems like a completely device agnostic issue (phones etc also don't work) - it is probably on the iPlayer provider's end. I also noticed that I was getting 'Forbidden' errors from the nhs.uk site a while ago and posted about it here - but right now I seem to be able to access everything there just fine so maybe they have reviewed their policy on Tor nodes.
Matthew - that's an interesting point about switching out the router MAC address. I'm not currently using a separate router, but might consider it in the future. I guess though that if this is the result of a provider blacklisting all Tor relay IPs, the new IP will just get added to the list as soon as it's published and it'll be blocked again.
I think I'm going to continue to harass BBC support about this under I get a response other than 'have you tried turning your router off and on' or 'check your IP is registered in the UK with your ISP' - ugh...
Thanks for the info all
On 28 June 2014 13:23, Paul Blakeman blakeyman@mac.com wrote:
Chris
I have had several issues that appeared whilst running a Tor network. This has happened to me too even though I switched mine (relay) off several weeks ago… I have notified BBC (via supplied contact forms 3 times) and have had no resolve Other services affected have been nhs.uk & lovefilm.com although since switching my relay off these now work again.
My supplier is Virgin Media and I have spent *hours* on tech help support. Nobody can answer this. My dynamic WAN IP (assigned via DHCP) never changes and I’ve been told it "can’t & won’t ever change…”. It’s been the same IP address for years... Therefore if anybody wants to monitor or divert my traffic they can.
Who provides your service?
Thanks, Paul
On 28 Jun 2014, at 12:52, Chris Whittleston csw34@cam.ac.uk wrote:
Is anyone else running a relay in the UK having issues accessing BBC
iPlayer from the same connection? For the last 6 weeks or so now I've been getting messages telling me I'm 'outside the UK' when I'm in London, and my IP address clearly resolves to show that.
Just wondering if the provider BBC use for iPlayer might have started
just blocking all Tor IPs recently - including middle relays.
Chris
tor-relays mailing list tor-relays@lists.torproject.org https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays
tor-relays mailing list tor-relays@lists.torproject.org https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays
-- *Dr Chris Whittleston 栗主* Department of Chemistry University of Cambridge Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW Email: csw34@cam.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)1223 336423 _______________________________________________ tor-relays mailing list tor-relays@lists.torproject.org https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays
tor-relays mailing list tor-relays@lists.torproject.org https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays
FYI - I've just sent another email/contact form to them asking if running a Tor relay could be an issue and explaining in detail the differences between middle and exit relays etc. We shall see if this yields any more useful response from them.
I'll keep you posted.
On 28 June 2014 16:54, Chris Whittleston csw34@cam.ac.uk wrote:
Paul
From what I've read, Virgin issue WAN IPs based on the router MAC address, so for the super-hub which has two MAC addresses (one modem, one router) - it uses the router one. This is why you always get issued the same IP after rebooting or when the DHCP lease expires.
The only way around that would be to disconnect the hub, wait for your IP lease to expire (7 days max), then wait an unknown time till it was assigned to someone else, and plug the hub back in to get a fresh IP. Not exactly practical...
Did you mention that you were running a Tor relay in the messages you sent to the BBC via their web form? Just wondering if they might be unaware that this might be the issue. Also - I know they had an issue with their contact form not actually submitting data to them, so unless you got an email acknowledging the contact request - they definitely didn't receive it.
Here are the last couple of responses I've had from them - both seem somewhat auto-generated:
Latest:
Thank you for contacting BBC iPlayer support.
We’ll update our help site with any new developments, including the latest programme issues that are currently under investigation, so please check back later.
The latest programme issues currently under investigation are available at:
http://iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co.uk/help/announcements/programme_latest_is...
If we haven’t updated the website, it could be that we can’t replicate your problem. In such instances, we’ll monitor for further reports before we investigate.
We will try to respond as quickly as possible, but due to the volume of enquiries we receive and the time required to look into technical matters, we’re not always able to reply as quickly as we’d like.
Previous:
Thanks for contacting the BBC iPlayer Support Team.
I understand you were experiencing technical issues accessing iPlayer as you have been incorrectly identified as living outside the UK. You mentioned you received an email from our team stating the issue was being investigated by our service partner.
If you’re in the UK but see a message saying you’re not, it’s because BBC iPlayer is recognising your IP address as being outside the UK. It could be because your computer is on a foreign-based network, or is being routed overseas. This sometimes happens if you’re at work and your employer isn’t based in the UK. Some programs, like web accelerators, can also make it look like your IP address is outside the UK.
Sometimes your internet service provider will allocate you a new IP address, perhaps if they’re carrying out maintenance work. In some cases this new IP address won’t yet be registered as being in the UK, so iPlayer will recognise you as being overseas.
It could also simply be a network error.
The first thing to try is closing and reopening your web browser. If this doesn’t work, you can try restarting your Wi-Fi router.
If you're using a public Wi-Fi network, this may route your connection overseas. Please try again later using a different network.
If this still doesn’t work, your best bet is to contact your internet service provider and ask if your IP address is registered in the UK.
We have also passed along the information you provided to our team who will investigate this fault. We do appreciate that technical faults affecting programmes on BBC iPlayer can be most frustrating and we try to correct these as quickly as possible.
We'd like to assure you that your comments were fully registered. This was included on feedback reports that are available to personnel responsible for maintaining and improving the BBC iPlayer service.
These reports are viewed as important documents that can help shape decisions on future aspects of BBC iPlayer across all platforms.
Once again, thanks for taking the time to contact us.
Chris
On 28 June 2014 15:52, Paul Blakeman blakeyman@mac.com wrote:
Hi all
Matthew’s advice is correct. Switching to “modem only” DOES achieve getting a dynamic IP assigned. Not too sure why the normal WAN connection is not like this… (even though assigned via DHCP)
Chris - I have “harassed” the BBC 3 times but had NOTHING back from them…
I’m going to ditch Virgin Media…
Paul
On 28 Jun 2014, at 15:46, Chris Whittleston csw34@cam.ac.uk wrote:
Paul,
I'm also with Virgin Media and have had a similar tech support conversation. I didn't mention I was running a Tor relay to them at the time (do you know anything about their policy regards Tor?), but they checked through all my 'Super Hub' settings including the port forwarding I have set up so I imagine they noticed. They couldn't explain it at all, and because it seems like a completely device agnostic issue (phones etc also don't work) - it is probably on the iPlayer provider's end. I also noticed that I was getting 'Forbidden' errors from the nhs.uk site a while ago and posted about it here - but right now I seem to be able to access everything there just fine so maybe they have reviewed their policy on Tor nodes.
Matthew - that's an interesting point about switching out the router MAC address. I'm not currently using a separate router, but might consider it in the future. I guess though that if this is the result of a provider blacklisting all Tor relay IPs, the new IP will just get added to the list as soon as it's published and it'll be blocked again.
I think I'm going to continue to harass BBC support about this under I get a response other than 'have you tried turning your router off and on' or 'check your IP is registered in the UK with your ISP' - ugh...
Thanks for the info all
On 28 June 2014 13:23, Paul Blakeman blakeyman@mac.com wrote:
Chris
I have had several issues that appeared whilst running a Tor network. This has happened to me too even though I switched mine (relay) off several weeks ago… I have notified BBC (via supplied contact forms 3 times) and have had no resolve Other services affected have been nhs.uk & lovefilm.com although since switching my relay off these now work again.
My supplier is Virgin Media and I have spent *hours* on tech help support. Nobody can answer this. My dynamic WAN IP (assigned via DHCP) never changes and I’ve been told it "can’t & won’t ever change…”. It’s been the same IP address for years... Therefore if anybody wants to monitor or divert my traffic they can.
Who provides your service?
Thanks, Paul
On 28 Jun 2014, at 12:52, Chris Whittleston csw34@cam.ac.uk wrote:
Is anyone else running a relay in the UK having issues accessing BBC
iPlayer from the same connection? For the last 6 weeks or so now I've been getting messages telling me I'm 'outside the UK' when I'm in London, and my IP address clearly resolves to show that.
Just wondering if the provider BBC use for iPlayer might have started
just blocking all Tor IPs recently - including middle relays.
Chris
tor-relays mailing list tor-relays@lists.torproject.org https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays
tor-relays mailing list tor-relays@lists.torproject.org https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays
-- *Dr Chris Whittleston 栗主* Department of Chemistry University of Cambridge Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW Email: csw34@cam.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)1223 336423 _______________________________________________ tor-relays mailing list tor-relays@lists.torproject.org https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays
tor-relays mailing list tor-relays@lists.torproject.org https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays
-- *Dr Chris Whittleston 栗主* Department of Chemistry University of Cambridge Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW Email: csw34@cam.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)1223 336423
tor-relays@lists.torproject.org
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