[tor-relays] BBC iPlayer blocked for UK middle relay operators?

Sat Jun 28 15:54:12 UTC 2014

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_issues/

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 at 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 at 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 at 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 at 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
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
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>> > tor-relays at lists.torproject.org
>> > https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays
>>
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>
>
>
> --
> *Dr Chris Whittleston 栗主*
> Department of Chemistry
> University of Cambridge
> Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW
> Email: csw34 at cam.ac.uk
> Tel: +44 (0)1223 336423
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-- 
*Dr Chris Whittleston 栗主*
Department of Chemistry
University of Cambridge
Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW
Email: csw34 at cam.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1223 336423
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