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by xoac 785 days ago
It’s not irony at all. There’s nothing inherent to the web that guarantees you free access to its content.
2 comments

But it's frustrating that search engines are able to index the whole page, so things I don't have access to are listed in search results and I can only find out when I've clicked.
Well, you could change your user agent string.
This hasn't worked well in a decade or more.

I used to pretend to be Googlebot a lot to bypass paywalls but I think these days there is either IP range filtering or more advanced fingerprinting.

This sentence does not make sence because it is applicable to everything

> There’s nothing inherent to the X that guarantees you free access to its content.

Libraries, public transport? Taxes. Love of your parents? Depends on them.

Give me something for which I can say use the phrase and it will be true.

Well it does make sense in the context where it comes from: it's an explanation for why the author of that quote thinks that it is not irony. And you are free to disagree with that opinion, but I wouldn't say that the sentence makes no sense.

I could do the same with you: this sentence does not make sense:

> Taxes.