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I have been banned

Being Banned​

Banning is a process in which a user is denied the ability to access or participate on a forum. While the majority of bans are deliberate, it is possible to be unintentionally banned.

Types of Bans​

There are two basic types of bans:

  • Forum Initiated
  • Cloudflare

Forum Initiated Ban​

A forum Admin (or appropriate staff) can ban a user from accessing or participating on their forum. The ban can be permanent or set as temporary with an expiration date.

  • Temporary bans will display the expiration date and time when attempting to directly log into the forum. Attempting to log in through the dashboard will only show the account as being banned.
Important

Forum Admins have the right to manage who can participate and access their forum. This includes the option to ban users - with or without a reason. ProBoards will not intervene.

Cloudflare Ban​

When Cloudflare interprets activity as possibly malicious, it will automatically impose a ban.

If you receive a Cloudflare ban message, create a thread on the Support Board of the ProBoards Support forum and include the complete message by text or screenshot. It is important your thread contains the IP address and Ray ID information that appears in the ban message. Also list your actions prior to the ban. A ProBoards Support Admin will investigate and advise whether or not the ban can be lifted.

Unintentional Bans​

A ban is unintentional when it affects a user not intended to be banned. The most common cause is when the user is assigned an IP address that has been previously banned.

The following explains some ways a user can be unintentionally banned:

Cellular / Mobile​

IP addresses used by cellular services are recycled (reused), so you may be assigned an IP address that has been banned. Enabling, then disabling the device's airplane mode (or turning the device off and on) should assign you a different IP address.

Internet Service Provider (ISP)​

Residential IP addresses can be either static or dynamic. While most are dynamic they do not change often, if at all. If you find yourself banned due to a changed IP address, you can contact your ISP to request a new IP address be assigned.

Non-Residential / Public​

Non-residential locations (e.g. schools, businesses, libraries, coffee shops) generally use a single external IP address. If a user on the network is banned, then it applies to the entire institution.

VPN / Proxy​

Due to the anonymity offered by using a VPN or proxy, they are often the choice for malicious behavior. It would not be uncommon to be assigned a banned IP address. If you are unable to change the IP address, then you may need to disable the VPN or proxy while using our service.

info

For additional questions regarding bans, create a thread on the Support Board of the ProBoards Support forum and a ProBoards Support Admin will assist you.