The library’s PC was blocked from a Cloudflare site. This was not the CAPTCHA style block but a hard and fast absolute block. I tested another site which I know is Cloudflared, and no block (but that was the type of site that pushes CAPTCHAs rather than absolute blocks).
So I’m wondering how common this is. Cloudflare is generally hostile toward any shared IP address. Are many libraries experiencing Cloudfare blockades?
Cloudflare exposes to website owners the ability to block or serve captchas to users with low IP reputation, but it’s up to the website owner how they have their site configured.
Now why your library computers have a low reputation is probably the question you should be asking?
Try going to https://projecthoneypot.org/search_ip.php and see if they have any record of your library IP doing malicious actions.
I might query the honeypot site but then what? I’m not sure it would answer the question.
I’m looking for patterns. All Tor exit nodes get hostile treatment by Cloudlfare, no exceptions. I once started using a new exit node the moment it was deployed and it immediately got blocked by CF. That means CF is targeting and that IP reputation is not necessarily earned. People whose ISPs use CGNAT also get blocked by Cloudflare because IP addresses are shared (to save money). Other non-Tor users have complained about CF exclusion. Cloudflare is non-transparent about who they block.
So I’m specifically interested in libraries. Is there a systemic pattern of libraries getting blocked, or is this a one-off case where a library user did something bad and got the library blocked.