My IP address is blacklisted. What should I do?

You’ve got your IP blocked, have’t you? If you can not use some forums, sites, chats, or even email, then, unfortunately, this is likely the case. The most probable reason for this is that your IP address is in some anti-spam database, or blacklist. Having a black IP may be an unpleasant experience, but there are ways to correct this.

There are numerous databases created for that purpose, they help to spot various online offenders and cyber-criminals who abuse the Internet services or use them for illegal purposes. They flag IP addresses, and then owners of these addresses may have problems in their online life since many email and other services perform IP blacklist check to block IP addresses of abusers.

If you suspect that your IP is blacklisted, it’s not enough to just type on Google.com, ‘Is my IP blacklisted?’ It won’t help you much. You need to visit online blacklist databases and do a lookup on your IP address. To know your IP, visit Whoer.net – a useful online tool that allows to determine your IP for free. It is shown instantly on the page as you open it in your browser.

Most databases give a list of reasons for blacklisting. Study these reasons and see if you comply. If you can find out why your IP was blacklisted, you may fix it. First, make sure that your network and all systems are configured correctly according to the blacklist rules. You or someone else may correct all DNS records, set up modems and/or routers securely, scan all your devices for viruses, install all the needed updates and patches, change all the passwords to more secure ones. Then, after some time, your IP address may be unblocked. However, some databases require manual removal, so make sure that you do all the steps accurately.

And, certainly, it’s not a very good idea to engage in spam or other illegal practices. All the previous steps won’t help you much if you really violate Internet rules.