Comments on: Stopping the blog spammers

Question: Stopping the blog spammers

bamassippi — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 13:08:24 -0800

I want to start a Wikipedia page featuring the domains of blog spammers. Does one already exist?

By: bamassippi

bamassippi — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 13:12:15 -0800

CORRECTION: I want to start a list of their IP addresses. Does a Wikipedia entry such as this exist?

If not, what would you recommend naming it?

By: Steven C. Den Beste

Steven C. Den Beste — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 13:16:49 -0800

Are you aware that most of that is being done through zombies and open proxies? In other words, the IP you see isn't the actual IP of the spammer. Rather, it's the IP of some poor schmuck whose computer has been compromised by a worm or trojan.

And there are tens of thousands of them, and they change constantly. A list such as the one you're proposing would be terribly difficult to maintain, and wouldn't be of any use in stopping spam.

By: thanotopsis

thanotopsis — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 13:18:17 -0800

Even if you do get the IP of the actual spammer, it's on a throwaway dial-up account most likely paid for through the use of stolen credit cards.

Or, you've tracked them back to Chinese or Brazilian "bullet-proof" servers.

By: tastybrains

tastybrains — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 13:18:25 -0800

If you did find them, why give them publicity? That's what they want. You're not going to shame them out of selling cheap-penis-enlarging-low-interest-rate-mortgages. If they had shame, they wouldn't have sold their soul to the devil.

By: unSane

unSane — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 13:18:52 -0800

Please don't do this. It's a dumb idea. IP addresses change and/or are spoofed. Not only that, but it isn't remotely an appropriate use of a Wikipedia page IMO.

By: mbrubeck

mbrubeck — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 13:19:51 -0800

Don't do this on Wikipedia. It violates several Wikipedia policies and guidelines: no original research; all material must be verifiable through an external, published source; "Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information."

By: mbrubeck

mbrubeck — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 13:23:12 -0800

chongqed.org has a database of spammers' domains. (Spammers' domains change less frequently than their IP addresses.)

Jay Allen explains why he didn't include an IP blacklist in his popular anti-comment-spam plugin for Movable Type.

By: Mwongozi

Mwongozi — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 13:27:39 -0800

If you really want to do this, don't make a Wikipedia page, make a DNSBL.

But you probably don't want to do it at all, for the reasons listed above.

By: beerbajay

beerbajay — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 13:34:31 -0800

Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information.

By: justgary

justgary — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 13:46:17 -0800

A really bad idea. If someone gave you this idea, tell them it's really a bad idea.

By: DevilsAdvocate

DevilsAdvocate — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 14:06:48 -0800

I agree with everyone else that it's a bad idea and violates Wikipedia policies. But I also wanted to point out that there are several places on Wikipedia itself where you can ask questions and get answers from helpful Wikipedians. (Not that you can't ask them here too. This is just a pointer, not a callout.)

By: crypticgeek

crypticgeek — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 16:47:23 -0800

I agree, this is NOT something that should be done. Please review Wikipedia's pages on policy to see how best to contribute.