WikiIndex:Spam control policy: Difference between revisions

For some thoughts about spambot hunting see [[WikiProject:Junking bots]] <small>...didn't know where to lonk it --[[Wolf Peuker|Wolf]] | <small>[[User talk:Peu|talk]]</small> 07:05, 13 October 2007 (EDT)</small>

==Proposed Spam Control Policy==

Comments and Corrections Welcome

There are three levels of spam control now in play, and this policy will address how each of them should be used.

There is a regex filter in the LocalSettings.php file that is under the control of the [[WikiIndex:Bureaucrats|site bureaucrats]].  This level blocks specific words, phrases, and html fragments – that are commonly used by link spammers and vandals.  It contains common curse words, sex acts and symbols, body parts, most of the major drug names and html fragments that are used to hide and/or mask link spam and graffiti.

These are the common denominators of 90% of spam and graffiti.  The regex will match any of these items and block the save of a page that has any one of these items anywhere on it.  

#If it is link spam or graffiti that contains a word that should be in the level 1 list, submit it to the [[:Category:Active administrators of this wiki|site administrators]] via a new message on the talk page.

#If it is a link that you think should be banned at all wikis, submit it to '''[[MetaWiki:Talk:Spam blacklist|Wikimedia Meta-Wiki]]'''

#If it is a link that you think should be banned from just WikiIndex, go to Level 3

===Level 3 - Local Blacklist===

*Periods "." - Periods have a special meaning in the regex syntax, and can cause the list to malfunction.

*Tlds "com, org, net" - These appear in all URLs, so provide no value to the blocking mechanism.

*"http://www." - The regex only checks valid URLs, so this is not necessary.

If you want to block linking to http://www.mybadwordsite.com you should only enter "mybadwordsite"

If Level 1 or Level 2 already contain the "badword" – then the link would be blocked already, and no entry would be necessary, and you would not be able to save the list.

*New user registration

*Anonymous edits that contain new external links

*Brute-force password cracking

===Level 4 - Login to Edit===

#Require a login to edit, and '''request''' an email confirmation.

#Require a login to edit, and '''require''' an email confirmation before editing is allowed.

[[Ward Cunningham]] gave me this advice for spam fighting and keeping your sanity, "do the absolute minimum required to block each attack and the spammer will grow tired and leave" (I'm paraphrasing).  This is so true, because you can drive yourself crazy trying to think of a way to defeat all attacks in advance of their actually happening!

*Everything from a "#" character to the end of the line is a comment

*Every non-blank line is a regex fragment which will '''only match inside URLs'''

A few notes about this format.  It's not necessary to add www to the start of hostnames, the regex is designed to match any subdomain.  Don't add patterns to your file which may run off the end of the URL, e.g. anything containing ".*".  Unlike in some similar systems, the line-end metacharacter "$" will not assert the end of the hostname, it'll assert the end of the page.

Please delete any spam that slips through the automated systems, and add the <code>{{template|spammer}}</code> tag on the spammers user page.  If a new page has been created with purely spam, edit the page by deleting said spam, and highlight the page for deletion by adding the <code>{{template|delete}}</code> tag, ideally by using <tt><nowiki>{{delete|spam}}</nowiki></tt>.  If you are a [[:Category:Active administrators of this wiki|SysOp]], please block the spammer in accordance with the [[WikiIndex:Blocking Policy]].