New tools to fight the spam in Site Updates
- June 24, 2023, 10:08 p.m.
- |
- Public
Hey everyone,
First, I’ll acknowledge the elephant in the room. The spam the last few months has been completely insane, exhausting and inexcusable. I’m sorry. There were days that the entire front page was taken up by spam, and it made me sick to see. There’s only so much playing Whac-a-Mole with spammers can really solve, as these folks are always adjusting and becoming more sophisticated. Well, enough is enough.
Over the last two months two developers and I have been piloting a new set of tools under the hood to detect and remove the most egregious spammers automatically without any need for users to flag them or for anyone to manually review lists of users for deletion. I wanted whatever we built to be robust, easy to tweak on the fly, and not require much if any human interaction. I also wanted it to work as close to instantly as possible so most users never see any spam at all. And, most importantly, so that the front page is never taken over like that again.
Before I dig in, know that I won’t get too in the weeds on how all of these tools work under the hood, because we’re still refining them and because frankly I don’t want the spammers to know. I’m constantly tweaking to try and find the right balance between real-world users and the crazy spammers, and there are a bunch of safeguards in place to ensure normal users don’t get swept up. But things happen. If you get caught up in any of these, please reach out and I’ll get you sorted.
Big note up front:
All of the limitations I’m about to talk about about are limited to Public and Member’s Only entries. You wanna spam your friends or yourself? Yolo, I guess.
Alright, let’s go down the list:
New User Restrictions
New users are now unable to post Public entries for three weeks. This should eliminate the instant gratification these spammers have been getting. Might expand this to include Member’s Only as well, but historically that hasn’t been an issue. Limits on commenting coming soon.
Post Frequency Limits
If a user tries to post more than one entry per [very short time period], well.. they can’t anymore. Tough break. They’ll get a message telling them as much. If they’re human, ideally they’ll read it and chill out. If they don’t, and they try to post more than a certain number of times over a certain time period, they’ll get added to a “hmmmm” list. Not a big deal yet, we’re just keeping an eye on them. People make mistakes. But if they keep trying, even with the system politely yelling at them not to, they’ll need to complete a captcha before they can post again. If they keep trying to break the rule after that, they’re auto-banned from posting for two weeks, added to the “possible baddie” list, and their posts are hidden from the front page entirely. Poof, you’re in time out. They do this twice (as in, they’re banned for a full four weeks and still keep trying to break the rules), then their journal is deleted.
In addition to that, there is now a post frequency limit over a longer time period. This is the one that’s required the most careful tweaking, because the spammers are super crafty and we don’t want normal users caught up in the dragnet. I won’t get into specifics here, but just know that if you get close to exceeding this, you’ll get plenty of warnings letting you know about it before any repercussions happen. It’s pretty tough to get auto-banned unless you really really want it or, yaknow, have an automated script running.
I know the above all seems like a lot of steps before getting banned, but think of how quickly these jerks post. With any luck, they’ll trigger an auto-ban almost immediately and most users will never see them at all.
Keyword Auto-Flagging
I won’t get too into the nuts and bolts of this, but I’ve noticed (as I’m sure you all have) some commonalities between some of the spammers when it comes to usernames, entry titles, and book names. There’s still a big manual component to this one because there’s a delicate balance, but it’s already helping.
THE PURGE
One of the great things about having set policies in place around posting is that you can then go back retroactively and find users that violated them in the past. I’ve pulled those stats and used that information to put together lists I’m in the process of very carefully reviewing. To err on the safe side, I’m only looking at users that have joined in the last three years, and only egregious offenders. I’m treading really carefully here to make sure a user that, for example, was having a Sudden Life Situation and posting extremely frequently doesn’t get accidentally put on the naughty list. I also have a couple of community members helping me with the review to triple-check everything before pulling the trigger. Once we have this locked down, the purge begins.
[horn sound]
Alright, all that said, there’s still a TON of work to do in the war against spam. For some of these accounts, they’ve been lying dormant for two full years before switching on and posting a single entry.. per year. I do have some ideas for how to nail these suckers, but boy is that one tough. Just know that banning users does help me get a sense of who the true troublemakers are.
Alright, that’s it for now.
The lights continue to stay on, and we live to fight another day.
Mochi tax:
<3,
-J
thesunnyabyss ⋅ June 24, 2023
Thank you, your work is much appreciated.
GypsyWynd ⋅ June 24, 2023
Thank you! I don't understand all you do,but I really appreciate all the hard work.
Mochi looks so cool (literally and figuratively)
Deleted user ⋅ June 24, 2023
You sir are a very smart and GOOD dude I think. You love your dogs as much or more than I, my birds. Yeah, yer a good dude. Thanks for the site and for working so hard on it. Cheers.
EvequeFou ⋅ June 24, 2023
Delighted to hear that rescue is coming!
synapse ⋅ June 24, 2023
wonderful news, thank you for your hard work
kiss kitty bang! ⋅ June 24, 2023
Thank goodness!!!
And thank you!
NeonLady ⋅ June 24, 2023
I noticed all the spam on the front page was gone this morning and was relieved. Appreciate your hard work!
EchoSeven ⋅ June 24, 2023
Yay! Thank you and your team for all you guys are doing!
Shattered ⋅ June 24, 2023
THANK YOU!!
LordJunon 🧀🧀🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🧀🧀 ⋅ June 24, 2023
BUT I LIKED MR SPARKLE!
Park Row Fallout ⋅ June 25, 2023
YAY Mochi Tax! And thank you, honestly, for addressing this. I know I'm very ride or die for this site and will do what I can to keep it together (I can't do much) and defend it (to the point where, apparently, I've upset some?) but this is a big and helpful step. Thank you.
Meeks ⋅ June 25, 2023
Thank you!
Camdengirl ⋅ June 25, 2023
Look at him on his own little lilo! What an excellent canine he is!
sassafras ⋅ June 25, 2023
I appreciate you!
Lucretia ⋅ June 25, 2023
Thank you for all the work you do to keep PB running and a nice place to be. The Mochi pics are wonderful BTW!
Pennyworth's Ghost ⋅ June 25, 2023
It will be nice to be able to find new writers on the front page again. Thank you!
Curse or cure ⋅ June 25, 2023
I like what I'm reading here. Thanks for working toward what sounds like an intelligent solution here 👍
Kristi1971 ⋅ June 25, 2023
Thank you!
gattaca ⋅ June 25, 2023
Thank you! But I will miss all the organic sex toy-made-from-soybeans investment opportunities - the ones published in German, that is.
sadandlonelygirl gattaca ⋅ June 27, 2023
Funny!!! XD
Jigger ⋅ June 25, 2023
That is so much work, but I really appreciate you taking it all on. Thank you.
Deleted user ⋅ June 25, 2023
Thanks for this.
Jodie ⋅ June 25, 2023
Maybe another requirement should be that the profile is totally filled out and an entry be posted after that and if nothing else is posted for a week then they are deleted? I would think if anyone is a true member of this site that they would want to post something at least once a week say for a month? And what about having that "I am not a robot" option when posting then it will get posted?
Mr. Mofo ⋅ June 25, 2023
I thought of the horn sound the INSTANT I read, The Purge.
I've grown to like the spam....kinda like some sorta Stockholm Syndrome.
Look at Mochi living like a diva, spending days in her swimmin pool and demanding mimosas.
NorthernSeeker ⋅ June 25, 2023
It's good to know there is so much going on behind the scenes. Thank you for keeping those bastards out of this site.
rhizome ⋅ June 25, 2023
big thanks to you and the developers! i'm sure it'll require some tweaking, but it sounds like you've built some powerful tools back there. <3
The Gal Who Gets It ⋅ June 25, 2023
<3
BlueEyes418 ⋅ June 25, 2023
Spammers are inevitable but it’s possible to lessen the amount of spamming. Your ideas and plans sound great to me! Your efforts are deeply appreciated. Thank you.
Jinn ⋅ June 25, 2023
Thanks, Josh ! Hi to Mochi !
Deleted user ⋅ June 25, 2023
Thank you!
Adira ⋅ June 25, 2023
Can't see the Mochi pics (stupid work computer blocks them) but I appreciate all your hard work!
Eurynomus ⋅ June 25, 2023
Look at that, everyone afraid to be truthful out of fear you'll ban them
josh Eurynomus ⋅ June 25, 2023
Lol
Asenath Waite ⋅ June 25, 2023
Mochi is just the embodiment of happiness there. Off the charts adorable.
Vigorous applause for everything else.
toddslife ⋅ June 25, 2023
nice
A Pedestrian Wandering ⋅ June 25, 2023
The work is much appreciated as are Mochi pictures. Someone is living the life!
cricket_factor ⋅ June 26, 2023
I will gladly pay this tax. 🤗😍😘
Parallax. ⋅ June 26, 2023
One day I hope to be as chill as Mochi. No worries, just vibin'.
Silverstar46 ⋅ June 26, 2023
Thank you for your hard work and the adorable Mochi pics!
simple mind ⋅ June 26, 2023
Thank you and very nice work! Front page is looking great. :)
crystal butterfly ⋅ June 26, 2023
The Mochi tax is one of the best taxes ever. And thank you for the update. I always know when you have done something because I have to sign into my account again.
sadandlonelygirl ⋅ June 27, 2023
Those sound like creative, fantastic solutions. Thank you!!
WomanOfSteele ⋅ June 28, 2023
So thankful to hear there's been some action on the spam front! Thank you for working so hard to resolve this!!
Rocknroll Wife ⋅ June 28, 2023
Thank you!!! It was frustrating to see the entire front page full of spam and it was exhausting to block everything every day.
TactileFeedback ⋅ June 30, 2023
✨ That is some awesome news to come back to today! Thank you! 💖
Jodie ⋅ July 04, 2023
I thank yu for everything you do...much apprciated.
DE_KentuckyGirl ⋅ July 10, 2023
Monday July 8, 8:14am, a spammer on the front page by the name of Teeth Zone. Wasnt sure how to report it.
Nocturne DE_KentuckyGirl ⋅ July 22, 2023
Nice name (NOT!!) :o
Nocturne ⋅ July 22, 2023
Mochi is adorable! I'm new here, so I will wait my 3 weeks. :)
josh Nocturne ⋅ July 24, 2023
You can still post member's only, friends only and private entries during that time.
Welcome!
Nocturne josh ⋅ July 27, 2023
Oh really?? Th 😍😍😍
dm3 ⋅ July 23, 2023
Mochi is a good thing
Complicated Disaster ⋅ August 13, 2023
If this new system works to defeat the spammers, I'm all for it. But right now it's being a pain as I'm trying to catch up on entries and it's stopping me. My account has been active for 10 years - can't that be part of the algorithm?
Complicated Disaster ⋅ August 13, 2023
It's also saying " If you try to post a public or members only entry before 8:57 PM," but the time now is 19:03 so I assume that's a bug. I'm not sure when I can post again!!
Complicated Disaster ⋅ August 16, 2023
Or maybe it doesn't understand summer time?
BriannaHaynes ⋅ October 05, 2023
Very interesting articles, I can’t tear myself away from this site, it’s so useful for me.
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Shattered ⋅ November 03, 2023
I see spam is taking over the front page again….
Deleted user ⋅ November 28, 2023
This is ridiculous. it's been PAST three weeks and I still am not allowed to post!!!!