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Federal and state sites are blocked from loading, WHY

Edward Miller 0 Reputation points
2026-04-06T19:21:49.1133333+00:00

When I try to sign into sites like the VA and I.D. ME, I get a message that says- We couldn't verify your browser

This may happen if JavaScript is disabled or your browser blocked a security check. Please try again, or use a different browser.

It was fine until a week ago when the last 2 updates came in. JavaScript is on and I can't see where any security settings are changed. I have checked everything mentioned online including deleting the last 2 updates. What am I missing and how do I fix this? I am using 11 Pro.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Security and privacy
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  1. Ian Bondoc 15 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-04-06T21:13:51.2966667+00:00

    Hi Edward,

    Thank you for posting your question here.

    This happens because the sites’ security fingerprinting fails. VA.gov and ID.me require cookies, secure browser storage, cross‑site redirects, and clean HTTPS inspection to all work together.

    1. Extensions blocking ID.me. Even non‑security extensions can break identity verification scripts.

    Known blockers include:

    • Grammarly
    • Dark Reader
    • Privacy Badger
    • uBlock
    • Password managers
    • Script blockers

    What to do:

    • Create a temporary browser session or profile with ZERO extensions installed
    • Do not rely on “disabled” extensions

    Test ID.me again.

    1. Windows Time / TPM trust failure. Government and identity‑verification sites require exact system time synchronization.

    To fix this:

    • Open Settings → Time & Language → Date & Time
    • Enable:
    1. Set time automatically
    2. Set time zone automatically
    • Click Sync now
    • Restart

    Note: If the system time is off by even seconds, verification can fail.

    1. TLS / Internet Options reset. Windows updates can silently break TLS or Internet Options settings across all browsers.

    Fix:

    Press Win + R

    1. Type: inetcpl.cpl
    2. Go to the Advanced tab
    3. Click Reset…
    4. Restart

    This affects all browsers, not just Edge. For your reference, you may check these links:
    Troubleshoot-signing-in Internet Explorer help Internet Explorer 11 support ended

    Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add comment" or "Add answer" If you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thank you and I appreciate your effort.

    Best regards,
    Ian Patrick B.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-04-06T19:22:05.9266667+00:00

    The error indicates those government sites cannot complete their security and cookie checks in the current browser configuration. Similar issues are typically caused by:

    1. Required sites or endpoints being blocked by security software, firewall, or trusted-site settings.
    2. Cookies or third‑party cookies being blocked.
    3. Browser security zones or profiles causing cookies not to be shared correctly.

    Use the following checks and fixes in order:

    1. Check security software and firewall
      Since this started after recent changes, verify that security software (for example, antivirus, internet security suites, or filtering tools) is not blocking those sites or their security checks:
      • Open the security suite (for example, Norton, etc.).
      • Look for web protection / safe browsing / HTTPS scanning / firewall rules.
      • Temporarily turn off the web‑filtering or safe‑browsing component and retry the VA and ID.me sites.
      • If they work with the protection disabled, add those sites as allowed/whitelisted in that product and then re‑enable protection.
    2. Verify cookies and site data are allowed
      Those sign‑in systems rely on cookies and sometimes third‑party cookies.
      • In the browser settings, ensure cookies are allowed and third‑party cookies are not blocked for those sites.
      • If using Chrome or a Chromium‑based browser, under Sites that can always use cookies, explicitly add the sign‑in domains and ensure the equivalent of All cookies, on this site only is enabled, similar to how microsoft.com and microsoftonline.com are added in the documented steps.
    3. Check trusted sites / security zones behavior
      Misconfigured trusted sites or zones can prevent cookies from being shared correctly between identity providers and the main site.
      • Make sure the identity provider domains and the main site are either all in the same security zone or not in Trusted Sites at all.
      • If any of the sign‑in domains (for example, the main VA site and its login provider) are in Trusted Sites, ensure that all related sign‑in domains are also in Trusted Sites so cookies can be shared across them, as described for microsoft.com, support.microsoft.com, login.live.com, and login.microsoftonline.com.
    4. Check for enhanced protection / sandbox issues
      If using Internet Explorer mode or older IE settings, Enhanced Protected Mode or sandbox separation can block cookies between the identity provider and the main site.
      • Ensure the browser is fully updated.
      • If IE11 or IE mode is involved, install the latest cumulative security updates so cookie‑sharing issues between different sandboxes are resolved.
    5. Try a clean browser profile
      Corrupted or newly created profiles can change how settings are stored.
      • Create a new profile in the browser and test the sites.
      • If a second profile was created recently and is being used by default, switch back to the original profile or remove the extra profile so settings (including site permissions) are saved and applied correctly.
    6. Test with another browser
      As a diagnostic step, test the same sites in a different browser (for example, Edge vs. Chrome). If they work there, compare cookie, privacy, and security settings between the two and align them.

    If the problem persists after these steps, capture the exact text of any additional error messages from the VA or ID.me pages and review security software logs for blocked connections around the time of the failure.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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