[anti-abuse-wg] RIPE WHOIS blocked

On Mon, 17 Nov 2014, Ronald F. Guilmette wrote:


Use the -r flag for your queries to avoid beeing blocked, you have
requested to many person-objects probably.





>
>
> Apparently, somebody @ RIPE NCC thinks that I have been too curious of late.
>
> How long should it take for this error to go away?
>
> =============================================================================
> % This is the RIPE Database query service.
> % The objects are in RPSL format.
> %
> % The RIPE Database is subject to Terms and Conditions.
> % See http://www.ripe.net/db/support/db-terms-conditions.pdf
>
> %ERROR:201: access denied for 69.62.255.118
> %
> % Queries from your IP address have passed the daily limit of controlled objects.
> % Access from your host has been temporarily denied.
> % For more information, see
> % http://www.ripe.net/data-tools/db/faq/faq-db/why-did-you-receive-the-error-201-access-denied
>
> % This query was served by the RIPE Database Query Service version 1.76 (DB-2)
> =============================================================================
>
>
> I have already written to ripe-dbm at ripe.net asking about this and have
> received no reply.
>
> And anyway, can anyone here explain to me what the point is of limiting
> WHOIS queries based on the source IP address?
>
> As far as I can see, this only has the effect of slowing down or blocking
> the work of legitimate researchers, such as myself.  Anybody who knows
> anything about the Internet should know that an IP-address based throttling
> system would be almost entirely ineffective against anyone who was seriously
> determined to perform bulk harvesting of the RIPE data base via port 43
> (or via port 80 for that matter).
>
> It seems that I am being slowed down, blocked, and penalized for the sin
> of having a static IP address, even while any other fool on the planet
> who has a dynamically-assigned broadband IP, or even a dial-up line,
> and who knows how to disconnect an reconnect can easily slurp all of
> the RIPE data they want, with no real limits.
>
> In what universe is this non-stupid?
>
> More to the point, who is it, specifically, within RIPE NCC, that has
> the authority to fix this?
>
>
> Regards,
> rfg
>
>
> P.S.  More stupidity:  Based on the text at the URL provided in the
> error mesage (see above) the goal of the rate limiting seems to be to
> prevent harvesters from collecting too much "contact information".
> OK.  Fine.  But the text on that web page also says that using the
> -r option with the WHOIS queries will prevent such contact information
> from being returned, thus eliminating the issue... or so one would
> think.
>
> But why then is it the case that once my IP address has hit its head
> against this daily limit, I am not even allowed anymore to even make
> any more ``safe'' queries with the -r option?  I am now locked out
> completely.  Why?
>
> Sigh.  I guess that I need to go and drag my old 96Kb modem down out
> of the closet, dust it off, and get myself a free dial-up AOL account
> so that I can work around all of this stupidity.
>
>
>

-- 

Mvh

 	Fredrik Widell Resilans AB http://www.resilans.se/
 	mail:   info at resilans.se , fredrik at resilans.se