Tell HN: MailChimp blacklists your IP if you open the browser's dev tools

Article summary

MailChimp allegedly blacklists IP addresses if the browser's developer tools are opened while editing an email. This has been observed and reproduced by some users. The exact mechanism of detection is unclear, but it may involve detecting a sudden viewport resize. This behavior can cause issues for users who need to access the developer tools for legitimate purposes.

Main themes

• MailChimp IP blacklist
• developer tools detection
• security measures
• copyright infringement
• anticompetitive behavior
• user experience issues

What commenters say

• Some users believe that MailChimp's behavior is an attempt to prevent users from copying their HTML templates, which could be seen as copyright infringement.
• Others think that this is an overzealous attempt to prevent security issues, such as account hijacking, by blocking access to the developer tools.
• A few commenters argue that this behavior is anticompetitive and can cause problems for users who need to switch to a different email service provider.
• Some users have found workarounds, such as opening the developer tools in a separate window, to avoid triggering the IP blacklist.
• There is disagreement about the effectiveness and legitimacy of MailChimp's approach, with some seeing it as a necessary security measure and others as an overly broad and user-hostile policy.
• A few commenters suggest that MailChimp's behavior may be motivated by a desire to prevent users from exporting their email content to other platforms.
• Some users are concerned that this behavior could lead to false positives, where legitimate users are blocked from accessing the service due to innocent actions, such as resizing the browser window.