Some of you may have redirected here, after trying to access earlier posts that are no longer available.
I have published more than over 40 posts how to circumvent paywalls tips in this blog before.
Not just the tools and methods, but together with a list of websites, where you can read their content for free
Sorry, I have removed them to avoid violating Google's terms of service and Adsense Program policies.
But the archived versions of those posts probably can still be found at: archive.ph/kRKiy and archive.ph/jeD2T
In today's digital era, accessing quality online content is essential for staying well informed.
Unfortunately, many established publications websites, they set their articles behind paywalls.
As a result, many people seek alternative ways and means to circumvent their paywalls.
In fact you can find all these usual methods in Reddit, Quora or Hacker News:
Clear browsing history, private browsing, Reader View/Reading Mode, disable JavaScript, disable CSS, add a dot after the top-level domain, press the "Esc" key, Archive. Today, 12ft. Ladder, Bypass Paywall Clean extension, etc.
Can you get in trouble for bypassing a paywall?
Generally they may considered as illegal in many jurisdictions due to various legal frameworks and ethical concerns.
However breaching a website's terms and conditions is not correct to called it illegal, but instead a civil wrong.
But it can lead to legal action (like a lawsuit).
The act itself is not necessarily illegal; it's a civil matter, not a criminal one.
Potentially you could violate both the copyright law the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), which is a U.S. federal law that prohibits unauthorized access to computer systems.
Besides a lawsuit, they can terminate your account if you have one, or they block your IP address or browser fingerprint.
To access articles fully, respect a website's terms of use and either pay for the content or subscribe to the publication.
The legality of bypassing paywalls is indeed a nuanced and complex issue.
But they often operate in a legal gray area, and can lead to unintended legal consequences.
They could work with most soft paywalls, but then be aware of the legal and ethical implications.
Those ways of circumventing paywalls can potentially infringe upon copyright laws and violate terms of service agreements.
In November 2023, 12ft.io aka 12ft Ladder was taken offline by its hosting provider, Vercel, due to alleged violations of their Terms of Service.
The popular Bypass Paywalls Clean extension has encountered multiple Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notices due to its circumvention of technological protection measures.
In August 2024, GitHub and Firefox Add-on removed the Bypass Paywalls Clean extension after a complaint from the News Media Alliance.
It claimed that it violated Section 1201 of the DMCA by circumventing paywalls.
Furthermore, using tools to get past paywalls can expose users to security risks, including malware and data breaches.
Legal and ethical ways to access paywalled web articles
Anyway, it is best to avoid any legal risks and respect the rights of content creators.
It's most advisable to use legitimate alternatives to access online content.
Here’s a list of definitely legit and ethical methods to read paywalled web articles, academic and research paper, etc.
Table of Contents:
- Find paywalled articles in Google Search
- Libraries and institutions
- Free trials
- Social media links
- News aggregators
- Google Scholar
- Unpaywall and CORE Discovery extension
- Open Access Button
- Preprint Servers
- Contact the author /publisher
1. Find paywalled articles in Google Search
You can get quite a handful of blocked web articles readily available in full in Google search results page.
To find any of these random paywalled articles, copy out the title of the article.
Paste it in the Google Search box and press the "Enter" key.
2. Libraries and institutions
Public libraries offer access to many paywalled articles through their subscriptions to academic databases and journals.
You can read them by using your library card and logging into the library's website or using designated library resources on the computer.
So do many universities and research institutions, where students, faculty, and staff can access to a wide range of paywalled resources.
3. Free Trials
Several news publications offer free trials to potential subscribers.
Try them out and if you are happy with their content, then sign up a proper paid subscription.
These include: The Atlantic, Bloomberg, The Boston Globe, The Economist, Daily Mail and others.
The free trials can range from one month to multiple weeks or even 60 days.
4. Social media links
It is not reliable, but occasionally, publishers share full articles on their social media platforms, like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Following these accounts, at times you get to read without encountering paywalls.
5. News aggregators
Similarly, at times you can find articles behind paywalls in services like Apple News or Google.
6. Google Scholar
Google Scholar is a search engine which you can find scholarly literature, including academic articles, theses, books, research paper and other content.
You can still access paywalled articles through your institution's library, other library options, or by searching for open-access versions on the publisher's website.
Lazy Scholar: Lazy Scholar is a browser extension that finds free full-text scholarly material in open repositories, including Google Scholar and PubMed.
7. Unpaywall and CORE Discovery extension
You can use either of these two browser extensions, Unpaywall and CORE Discovery to find free, open access versions of research articles, circumventing paywalls.
They scan the web for publicly available versions of articles, including those hosted on university websites, open-access repositories, and databases like PubMed Central.
8. Open Access Button
This is another great tool for finding and accessing free, legal copies of scholarly articles.
Open access Button primarily sources from legal database of articles from institutional and subject repositories.
9. Preprint Servers
Preprint servers allow researchers to share their work online before formal publication.
Platforms like arXiv, bioRxiv, medRxiv and SSRN have early versions of research papers, before they undergo peer review.
Typically these versions are freely.
Check out the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) which host a big collection of free journals.
Here is a list of preprint servers with searchable information about their policies and practices.
Try using the EndNote Click extension.
It can help you find free academic articles in PDF format.
10. Contact the author /publisher
If you find a paywalled academic article that you is essential for your research or interest, try contacting the author or publisher directly.
Many authors/publishers are willing to share their work upon request.
These are really legal ways to access paywalled web articles, without the risk of violating the circumventing laws and copyright infringements.
FAQ: Paywall
What is a paywall?
What are the 4 types of paywall?
Types of paywalls: