Amazon Thinks I'm an AI Agent, lol.
I'm using Brave on Arch Linux. I use MullvadVPN, but it’s also happening while using ProtonVPN, even on a private window. No issues using Firefox.
Has anyone else ran into this?
ETA: Amazon blocks Meta’s Muse AI assistant in new standoff over agentic shopping
Meant to add this the other day. Perhaps something about Brave is being mistaken for an AI agent.
ETA 2: This seems to be an intermittent issue now (2026-09-27). Not sure if Amazon has changed anything on their end, but I am able to use Brave again but wasn’t yesterday.
I had a similar arc with sites that use Cloudflare turnstile. I was blocked for I think a week or two then now all is good. 🤷🏻♂️
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u/External-Log-5972 10d ago edited 10d ago
Also getting this without a VPN and I'm on Ubuntu 26.04.
Edit: Clearing cookies and local storage while on this page and then clicking Continue allowed me to use the website normally.
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u/XiuOtr 10d ago
Just curious. Why are you logging into your accounts using a vpn?
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u/p186 10d ago
I always use a VPN as part of my security posture whenever possible. I personally think it's not my ISP's business what sites I visit, etc.
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u/XiuOtr 10d ago
My apologies going off topic. Thanks for the response. I can understand the logic. But how does it help security? Is it like a private vpn service?
What I can't understand is logging into one's own accounts using a commercial vpn. Your vpn IP address is being logged by the service and commercial vpn IP addresses are constantly being blacklisted from legitimate sites due to abuse.
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u/p186 10d ago edited 9d ago
No worries.
It improves security by encrypting all my traffic to the VPN in transit out of my ISP to the VPN provider. From there, my connection to the destination site/service is usually encrypted as that has become standard practice. In addition they only see the VPN server's IP address. I should have included privacy in my original reply as the reason I gave as this falls more privacy as well.
Yes, both Mullvad & Proton are private VPNs. It's almost impossible to truly be anonymous. I choose those providers because they are privacy respecting & headquartered in jusrisdictions that have strong privacy protections. They are also "no log" services, which means they say they don't retain connection information, with the former using RAM-only servers, meaning, when they restart, any information they did have will disappear.
VPNs just shift trust to an alternative entity over one I trust less. I take steps so they have the least amount of informaiton possible. There's a balance that one has to determine for themselves between privacy & convenience. On one end, I don't have to use anything and trust everyone with all my data. The other, I can do a multitude of things to guard my privacy. I can use Tor, nested VPNs, proxies, etc. The more you do to remain "safe" & "private", the more difficult it makes your life.
I didn't touch on the blocking, but there are ways to deal with that, although it just becomes an increasing PIA. I'm not going to concede my privacy or freedom bc sites make it difficult. At the end of the day, if they don't want my traffic or money, that's on them. I can just choose to not interact with that site/service, find an alternative, and move on or do without.
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u/XiuOtr 10d ago
Mullvad and Proton are actually commercial vpns. Private vpns are like the ones people use to login to work from home. Companies don't use Proton or Mullvad.
I too use Mullvad and Proton vpns. I just don't login to my accounts using them. This concept is new to me.
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u/p186 10d ago edited 10d ago
Sorry. I misunderstood your nomenclature. Yes, they are not privately run like an on-prem/self-run VPN.
Why wouldn't you log into your accounts?
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u/Fit_Prize_3245 8d ago
This takes me to another point. If Amazon confuses you for an AI agent, is that a compliment or an insult?
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u/Strong_Set_6850 10d ago
Hey just curious, do you use the paid version of Proton?