Cracking WIRED’S paywall in two seconds | by Avi Parshan | From Androids to AI | Medium


This article describes a method to bypass WIRED's paywall using a Chrome extension to block specific cookies.
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Update 6/3/2021: I found this sweet extension which also works https://github.com/nathan-149/hover-paywalls-browser-extension

WIRED has set up a paywall that allows users to read 4 articles a month for free, and then get blocked by their paywall from reading any additional content for free.

Using Google Chrome, you can get the EditThisCookie extension, and then open an article from WIRED in your browser.

Now, open the extension menu and find the cookie “visitedCount_jwt”

EditThisCookie in action

Now that we found our culprit, you can block this specific cookie from being sent. Open the extension, click on the wrench to open settings, and go to the blocked cookies section. Now, add the wired domain and the name of the cookie. Alternatively, you can open a private/incognito browser tab and open the wired articles there.

Now you should be all set until WIRED smartens up and changes their paywall strategy.

My Recommendation to WIRED: have free users make an account before being granted access to read articles. Then you can track article views more easily.

🧠 Pro Tip

Skip the extension — just come straight here.

We’ve built a fast, permanent tool you can bookmark and use anytime.

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