Tackling spam on build.o.o
Hi, In response to growing numbers of spam accounts and comments (see mailing list threads, progress.o.o), perhaps it is time — for lack of a better solution at present — that some restrictions on new users be imposed. I suggest not allowing new users to comment unless they have a commit or before 30 days from creating their account, whichever comes earlier. The OBS is a packager's workspace after all and we should not have users creating accounts just to comment on others' work in the first place.¹ Best wishes, ¹ There are also some accounts that just go around posting comments saying 'update this or that', and for all intents and purposes those should be treated as spam as well. In my view, anyway. -- Atri Bhattacharya Sent from openSUSE Tumbleweed 20230910 on my laptop.
Hi Atri Bhattacharya, just me few cent for this:
In response to growing numbers of spam accounts and comments (see mailing list threads, progress.o.o), perhaps it is time -- for lack of a better solution at present -- that some restrictions on new users be imposed. I suggest not allowing new users to comment unless they have a commit or before 30 days from creating their account, whichever comes earlier.
I personally don't like such restrictions much and would use them only as a last resort. I think fast removal of SPAM is a much better option for the beginning. Add an option to mark a comment as SPAM (for normal users and also people who can remove the comments on removal) - best with a short note if possible. Make an admin feature to review such markings, show the comments and other comments by the same user and allow fast removal of some or all comments and ban the user. When that's only a few clicks for reporters and admins, then SPAM will be gone fast and OBS no longer is an attractive target for spam. The "update this or that" comment users. Well, that's not very helpful, but not real spam. I'd tolerate this as long as the users don't overdo it. For JOSM webpage (based on Trac) I implemented such a feature in the spamfilter plugin and it helps to get rid of the little spam passing the filters really fast (few hours usually). For each admin there is a red notice box when there is a report. So if you login and see the box the first thing is to resolve the issue. This discourages the manual working spammers (and these are the ones which usually pass the filters), so it happens seldom. For Freedom In Peace -- http://www.dstoecker.eu/ (PGP key available)
On Tue, 2023-09-12 at 17:36 +0200, Dirk Stöcker wrote:
Hi Atri Bhattacharya,
just me few cent for this:
In response to growing numbers of spam accounts and comments (see mailing list threads, progress.o.o), perhaps it is time -- for lack of a better solution at present -- that some restrictions on new users be imposed. I suggest not allowing new users to comment unless they have a commit or before 30 days from creating their account, whichever comes earlier.
I personally don't like such restrictions much and would use them only as a last resort. I think fast removal of SPAM is a much better option for the beginning.
My point in so far as it _only_ applies to build.o.o is that there should not really be any commenters-only accounts there. Comments on build.o.o serve a very specific purpose and unless one is a packager sending, receiving, reviewing, or otherwise involved with a submit request, no one else should have any business commenting on anything.
Add an option to mark a comment as SPAM (for normal users and also people who can remove the comments on removal) - best with a short note if possible.
Make an admin feature to review such markings, show the comments and other comments by the same user and allow fast removal of some or all comments and ban the user.
When that's only a few clicks for reporters and admins, then SPAM will be gone fast and OBS no longer is an attractive target for spam.
If something like that works out, that would be great, I agree. It still seems to be a few clicks too many for people actually working on something, but if that goes away eventually: awesome! Best wishes, -- Atri Bhattacharya Sent from openSUSE Tumbleweed 20230910 on my laptop.
Hey, On 12.09.23 16:47, Atri Bhattacharya wrote:
In response to growing numbers of spam accounts and comments (see mailing list threads, progress.o.o), perhaps it is time — for lack of a better solution at present...
We are currently working on a reporting feature (also for other abuse) https://trello.com/c/TswDwjVA I'm a bit reluctant to invent rules in every other app when this is a problem of the identity provider (the maintainers know) to make sure we see *less* spam. You know how many apps we have that have this problem? :) Henne -- Henne Vogelsang http://www.opensuse.org Everybody has a plan, until they get hit. - Mike Tyson
On Tue, 2023-09-12 at 18:57 +0200, Henne Vogelsang wrote:
Hey,
On 12.09.23 16:47, Atri Bhattacharya wrote:
In response to growing numbers of spam accounts and comments (see mailing list threads, progress.o.o), perhaps it is time — for lack of a better solution at present...
We are currently working on a reporting feature (also for other abuse)
Great to know, thanks to everyone involved.
I'm a bit reluctant to invent rules in every other app when this is a problem of the identity provider (the maintainers know) to make sure we see *less* spam.
You know how many apps we have that have this problem? :)
I would not know, having only used build.o.o and the mailing lists for openSUSE related work. The latter is surprisingly clean from spam btw. If the spamming issue on build.o.o is resolved soon with either the feature you mentioned above on or at the login level, that would be great. I would, OTOH, argue that build.o.o does need special handling, quite apart from forums and such, because it is primarily a packager's workspace and not a comment forum. So, users creating accounts simply to comment are either spammers or folks confused about the nature of the service. Thanks and best wishes, -- Atri Bhattacharya Sent from openSUSE Tumbleweed 20230910 on my laptop.
participants (3)
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Atri Bhattacharya -
Dirk Stöcker -
Henne Vogelsang