If you want to read the MIT technology Review articles for free, this post is for you. In this blog post, you will learn how to bypass the paywall on the MIT tech review’s website.
Subscription-based sites like MIT Technology Review generally let you access a handful of articles for free, but when you want to dive a bit deeper, they’ll often nudge you toward subscribing. This setup works well for frequent readers, but it can be annoying when all you want is to read one specific article that someone recommended.
How often have you found yourself absorbed in an article, only to get blocked by a paywall urging you to sign up or start a “free trial” that doesn’t really seem free?
I appreciate paying for quality journalism, but paying for a single article can feel a bit much. So, instead of giving up, I looked into ways to get around the paywall.
After trying a few methods, I found a quick and easy solution.
The trick? Just add 12ft.io/ in front of the site’s URL in your browser’s address bar.
Here’s how: click on your browser’s address bar (or press “Cmd + L” on Mac or “Ctrl + L” on Windows), type 12ft.io/ right before the https:// part of the URL, and hit enter. (If 12ft.io doesn’t do the trick, you can also try removepaywall.com as a backup by placing it before the site’s URL.)
Your address bar should look something like this: 12ft.io/https://technologyreview.com/…
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Your article should now be visible, and any additional pages you visit should also load through 12ft.io, bypassing any subscription popups. However, keep in mind that some page elements, like images, might not appear, and the formatting could look a little off, so you may need to adjust as you read.
⚠️ Heads up: Sites with paywalls are constantly updating their restrictions, so these workarounds might not last forever. Plus, 12ft.io might experience occasional downtime, so if it’s not working, you can check its status here.
Why and How Does This Work?
12ft.io is a free tool for bypassing paywalls, alongside similar options like removepaywall.com.
12ft.io takes its name from a “12-foot ladder,” symbolizing a way to see over or bypass the figurative walls that websites put up to block content. It’s a clever metaphor for overcoming paywalls or other access restrictions, letting users get a “view” beyond the barrier.
How Do Paywall Removers Work?
Sites like MIT Technology Review often load the full article onto your device just before the paywall kicks in to restrict access. This brief loading period means the content is already on your device, though it’s obscured by JavaScript that prompts you to subscribe.
Paywall bypass tools disable this JavaScript, letting you access the article seamlessly. This type of restriction is called a “soft paywall,” where the content is technically available but hidden by code.
In contrast, “hard paywalls,” such as those used by The New York Times and Medium.com, are more restrictive. These sites only load a brief preview or introduction to your browser, requiring a verified user ID and password to access the entire article since the complete content isn’t actually sent to your device.
Why Don’t All Websites Use Hard Paywalls?
You might wonder why some sites opt for soft paywalls if they’re easier to bypass. Often, this choice has to do with maintaining their presence on search engines.
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When content is completely locked behind a hard paywall that requires a login, even search engines like Google can’t index it. Without being visible on Google, that content is almost invisible to the broader web audience.
This situation forces websites to strike a balance—getting new subscribers while keeping their articles discoverable in search results. Soft paywalls provide a middle ground.
Typically, only sites with highly valuable content that readers are willing to pay for upfront will go for hard paywalls.
What About Ethics?
Accessing content without paying for it is, essentially, taking something without permission, and there’s not much of a moral argument to justify it. However, single articles can sometimes be pricey.
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More affordable options, like paying £0.99 for a bundle of articles, might seem fairer to occasional readers.
Wrapping Up
Now you know how to read MIT Technology Review articles without needing a subscription.
Keep in mind that these paywall bypass methods only work on soft paywalls. Hard paywalls can’t be bypassed as easily, except in some cases with tools like the Wayback Machine.