Access Denied, or the robot check won't let you through

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The short answer: these screens judge your browser and your connection, not your account. Cloudflare, which runs many of the "Verify you are human" checks, tells visitors to try four things: update your browser, turn off ad blockers and privacy extensions for a moment, switch networks if you're on a VPN or a work network, and don't use Internet Explorer. On an iPhone, Apple says its Private Relay can make some sites ask for extra steps. Still stuck? Most sites have a way in that doesn't need the website, below, and PJ sits down and does it with you.

A government website saying Access Denied (the DMV, Social Security, Medicare.gov, the County): try the four steps above once, then use the agency's phone line or office from the table below. It's the same service without the website, and it doesn't judge your browser.

Text PJ which site

Cloudflare's own list for visitors whose check won't pass:

1. Update your browser. "Ensure your web browser is updated to the latest stable version."
2. Turn off extensions for a moment. Ad blockers and privacy tools "may block standard browser headers or the necessary challenge scripts."
3. Change networks. A shared VPN or a work network can have a poor reputation: "try switching to a different, trusted network connection." Our tip, not Cloudflare's: on a phone, that can be as simple as turning Wi-Fi off and using cellular, or the other way around.
4. Not Internet Explorer. "Challenges are not supported by Microsoft Internet Explorer." Use Chrome, Safari or Firefox.

From Cloudflare, Troubleshooting challenges (updated May 5, 2026). Read October 22, 2026.

If you use iCloud Private Relay, Apple says "some websites may require extra steps to sign in or access content." Apple's ways to let one site or one network through:

• One website, in Safari: tap the Page Menu button, then Show IP Address.
• Your Wi-Fi: Settings, Wi-Fi, the More Info button next to your network, then Limit IP Address Tracking (turn it off).
• Cellular: Settings, Cellular, your phone number, then Limit IP Address Tracking (turn it off).

From Apple: About iCloud Private Relay and Manage iCloud Private Relay for specific websites, networks, or system settings.

Google's own steps: open its reCAPTCHA test page. If a normal check shows up there, your computer is fine and the website you were on may have a setup problem, so contact that website. If the error stays, Google points to its unusual traffic help page.

From Google reCAPTCHA Help.

my Social Security signs in through Login.gov, and the two do different jobs. Login.gov says it "is for secure sign in only" and has no information about your card, number or benefits. So: a code that won't arrive or an account you can't create is a Login.gov question; your benefits, your card or your number is Social Security's.

• Old username? Login.gov: "If you created a Social Security username more than 3 years ago, you will need to transition to a new or existing Login.gov account."
• Still stuck after the steps above? Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday (TTY 1-800-325-0778).
• The code or ID check is the problem: Login.gov and ID.me sign-in help.

From Login.gov, Social Security Administration, read October 18, 2026. Social Security's own site turns away automated readers, so we quote Login.gov's page about it.

We couldn't read a help page from the company behind that check (its pages turned away our reader on October 18), so we don't quote any advice for it. The Cloudflare and Apple steps above are those companies' advice for their own checks; if the page still won't open after trying them, use the other way in below.

• Apple ID, Google or Microsoft account: each company's own recovery steps.
• Venmo: Forgot Password, the new-phone option, and Venmo's real support hours.
• Facebook or Instagram: the hacked-account routes and what to try first.
• Spotify: the reset page, and what to do when the old email is gone.
• Netflix: the email reset, card recovery, and the too-many-devices fix.

Never call a "support" number from a search ad or a text; use the one on the company's own help page.

Our daily check (October 21) found these sites turn away automated tools, which also means an AI assistant can't open them for you. Each still has a way in:

We only check whether a site answers automated readers; that doesn't mean it's down for you. Phone numbers come from the agencies' own pages, as quoted on our pages linked here. More sites, one at a time: the North County portal help desk.

Still stuck? Hand it to PJ. PJ, a local in Solana Beach, sits down with you in Solana Beach, Del Mar, Cardiff or Encinitas and gets through it together, on your phone or computer. He never asks for or keeps your passwords. Text PJ which site.

Once you're unstuck, there's usually more. While he's there, PJ can look at the rest with you: a bill that might be lower, a benefit nobody claimed, a phone that needs its settings fixed. Make your fix plan · Senior benefits checkup · Lower your SDG&E bill.

Need a human?

This page is built every morning from public data by SideGuy, run by PJ, a local in Solana Beach. If something looks off, or you want a hand with your plans, text PJ at 858-461-8054. A real person answers.

Local help, free to read: make your fix plan · senior benefits checkup · lower your SDG&E bill · Medicare Extra Help · every 2027 Medicare plan · is my medication recalled? · the next 90 days. Plans start as low as $25. Your parent lives here and you don't? The Parent Check-In Plan, $25 a month.