Talk:Spam blacklist
- Proposed additions
- Please provide evidence of spamming on several wikis. Spam that only affects a single project should go to that project's local blacklist. Exceptions include malicious domains and URL redirector/shortener services. Please follow this format. Please check back after submitting your report, there could be questions regarding your request.
- Proposed removals
- Please check our list of requests which repeatedly get declined. Typically, we do not remove domains from the spam blacklist in response to site-owners' requests. Instead, we de-blacklist sites when trusted, high-volume editors request the use of blacklisted links because of their value in support of our projects. Please consider whether requesting whitelisting on a specific wiki for a specific use is more appropriate - that is very often the case.
- Other discussion
- Troubleshooting and problems - If there is an error in the blacklist (i.e. a regex error) which is causing problems, please raise the issue here.
- Discussion - Meta-discussion concerning the operation of the blacklist and related pages, and communication among the spam blacklist team.
- #wikimedia-external-linksconnect - Real-time IRC chat for co-ordination of activities related to maintenance of the blacklist.
- Whitelists
There is no global whitelist, so if you are seeking a whitelisting of a url at a wiki then please address such matters via use of the respectiveMediawiki talk:Spam-whitelistpage at that wiki, and you should consider the use of the template {{edit protected}} or its local equivalent to get attention to your edit.
Please sign your posts with ~~~~ after your comment. This leaves a signature and timestamp so conversations are easier to follow.
Completed requests are marked as {{added}}/{{removed}} or {{declined}}, and are generally archived quickly. Additions and removals are logged · current log 2024/07.
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Proposed additions
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This section is for proposing that a website be blacklisted; add new entries at the bottom of the section, using the basic URL so that there is no link (example.com, not http://www.example.com). Provide links demonstrating widespread spamming by multiple users on multiple wikis. Completed requests will be marked as {{added}} or {{declined}} and archived. |
cineteck.net
cineteck.net
A redirect service used by spambots through url redirects and not a link on any of our wikis. — billinghurst sDrewth 07:19, 8 January 2023 (UTC)
- @Billinghurst:
Added to Spam blacklist. -- — billinghurst sDrewth 07:19, 8 January 2023 (UTC)
about.com
about.com
This site has now been taken over and is solely marketing and full of redirects to a whole range of sites and will never be a valid reliable site whilst this is occurring. — billinghurst sDrewth 07:45, 7 January 2023 (UTC)
- @Billinghurst:
- @Billinghurst your addition seems to cause multiple issues at dewiki [1] & enwiki [2] and likely in other projects as well, judging by the large number of about.com-links in major content wikis [3]. Should all of these links be removed? Johannnes89 (talk) 16:00, 16 January 2023 (UTC)
- @Johannnes89: We should be having no new links to about.com, the domain is basically a full redirect service for which there is no overt control. That is what my action does, it does not impact existing links. As such there is no need for new legitimate users to be adding those links as there is no clear external source of that data, users should add the target actual domain if it is relevant. So the domain clearly meets our criteria for blacklisting with all the recent spam activity.
With regard to resolution of existing links these wikis can easily whitelist these domains to alleviate immediate issues, and then make their own programs to resolution with their local consensus. I made the recommendation on User talk:InternetArchiveBot to have their bot do it. I informed enWP of the issue directly and had a conversation with them with regard to moving to archived links, temporarily removed the blacklisting for them to act, then reimposed following the completion of the conversation. If they are going to run bots through to resolve we can again temporarily remove the listing.
What are you suggesting is a better way to act? Leave in a redirecting domain? One that is run by a marketing company that generates articles for the purpose of advertising around the outside and through it? Their target sites are available for diligent use, their redirecting services is now gone. Happy to hear a productive solution rather than hearing that the WPs have got themselves into a pickle. — billinghurst sDrewth 21:51, 16 January 2023 (UTC)
- I think I've misinterpreted some of the spam log entries I saw. Given the scope of this redirect spam I understand the need for blacklisting. I will then suggest removing all links at dewiki (where community members complained to me about being blocked by the blacklist). Johannnes89 (talk) 22:37, 16 January 2023 (UTC)
- gudn tach!
- one problem is: if there is a link to a about.com webpage which has recently changed, then it's not always possible for the users to replace the link with an archived version, because that could be interpreted by the SBL as adding a new link to the blacklisted website.
- normally it's better to first replace all links and then add the domain to the spam-blacklist. in local wikipedias that's sometimes feasible and sometimes complicated. globally that's way more difficult and time-consuming. so basically i understand the blacklisting.
- but blacklisting only is useful, if people try to add new links to that domain. if that's not the case (i.e. if there is no new spamming), the blacklisting won't help, but it would just bother some people (and bots) who want to help.
- so: is there any new spamming? if not, i don't see the need for urgent blacklisting. -- seth (talk) 22:56, 16 January 2023 (UTC)
- i've read w:en:Wikipedia:Link_rot/URL_change_requests#about.com_usurped_and_wiki_blacklisted now. ok, so if there is current spamming, then i understand the blacklisting again. :-)
- at least at dewiki we can try to unblacklist the domain temporarily until the links are replaced (or spamming starts at dewiki, too). -- seth (talk) 23:06, 16 January 2023 (UTC)
- @Lustiger seth: It was an oversight by me to not ping you as this impacted deWP. My apologies to you and your community. — billinghurst sDrewth 11:46, 17 January 2023 (UTC)
- I think I've misinterpreted some of the spam log entries I saw. Given the scope of this redirect spam I understand the need for blacklisting. I will then suggest removing all links at dewiki (where community members complained to me about being blocked by the blacklist). Johannnes89 (talk) 22:37, 16 January 2023 (UTC)
- @Johannnes89: We should be having no new links to about.com, the domain is basically a full redirect service for which there is no overt control. That is what my action does, it does not impact existing links. As such there is no need for new legitimate users to be adding those links as there is no clear external source of that data, users should add the target actual domain if it is relevant. So the domain clearly meets our criteria for blacklisting with all the recent spam activity.
- @Billinghurst your addition seems to cause multiple issues at dewiki [1] & enwiki [2] and likely in other projects as well, judging by the large number of about.com-links in major content wikis [3]. Should all of these links be removed? Johannnes89 (talk) 16:00, 16 January 2023 (UTC)
@Billinghurst, Lustiger seth, and Johannnes89:I have on en.wikipedia whitelisted 'archive\.org.*?http:\/\/.*?\babout.com\b', which now allows for about.com archive links but not for about.com links themselves. Maybe better would be to have a negative lookbefore in our regex here? --Dirk Beetstra T C (en: U, T) 05:47, 23 January 2023 (UTC)
thepsp.in
thepsp.in
Added to irrelevant articles as external link or in-text: [4], [5], [6], [7] etc. Also any GS can see the nonsense content on these pages: [8], [9]. Reverting more right now. ~StyyxTalk? 18:00, 11 January 2023 (UTC)
- @Styyx:
revengeofficialclothing.com
revengeofficialclothing.com
Added as external link to singers cross-wiki, sometimes misleading as "official website": [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21]. [22]. Most come from 2404:3100:1800::/45. ~StyyxTalk? 20:28, 19 January 2023 (UTC)
- @Styyx:
vistaloaded.com
vistaloaded.com
Cross-wiki spam by Donsmart221 --Superpes15 (talk) 18:52, 21 January 2023 (UTC)
- @Superpes15:
celebnob.com
celebnob.com
Spam by Donsmart221. Apparently it's a site for download of copyrighted songs. --Superpes15 (talk) 19:13, 21 January 2023 (UTC)
- @Superpes15:
netspecial.com.ng
netspecial.com.ng
Spam by Donsmart221. Blog with could seems official by content but it's only a newly created blog. --Superpes15 (talk) 19:13, 21 January 2023 (UTC)
- @Superpes15:
obasanjo-campaign.com.ng
obasanjo-campaign.com.ng
Cross-wiki spam by Donsmart221. Redirect to vistaloaded.com. --Superpes15 (talk) 19:13, 21 January 2023 (UTC)
- @Superpes15:
Proposed additions (Bot reported)
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This section is for domains which have been added to multiple wikis as observed by a bot.
These are automated reports, please check the records and the link thoroughly, it may report good links! For some more info, see Spam blacklist/Help#COIBot_reports. Reports will automatically be archived by the bot when they get stale (less than 5 links reported, which have not been edited in the last 7 days, and where the last editor is COIBot).
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COIBot
The LinkWatchers report domains meeting the following criteria:
- When a user mainly adds this link, and the link has not been used too much, and this user adds the link to more than 2 wikis
- When a user mainly adds links on one server, and links on the server have not been used too much, and this user adds the links to more than 2 wikis
- If ALL links are added by IPs, and the link is added to more than 1 wiki
- If a small range of IPs have a preference for this link (but it may also have been added by other users), and the link is added to more than 1 wiki.
COIBot's currently open XWiki reports
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Proposed removals
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This section is for proposing that a website be unlisted; please add new entries at the bottom of the section. Use a suitable 3rd level heading and display the domain name as per this example {{LinkSummary|targetdomain.com}}.
Remember to provide the specific domain blacklisted, links to the articles they are used in or useful to, and arguments in favour of unlisting. Completed requests will be marked as See also recurring requests for repeatedly proposed (and refused) removals. Notes:
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Troubleshooting and problems
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This section is for comments related to problems with the blacklist (such as incorrect syntax or entries not being blocked), or problems saving a page because of a blacklisted link. This is not the section to request that an entry be unlisted (see Proposed removals above). |
Discussion
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This section is for discussion of Spam blacklist issues among other users. |
Massmessage for significant impact changes?
Following on from #about.com discussion where we made a change that has significant flow ons to the wikis. These are changes that we consider justifiable, based on the evidence and our traditional approach to management, they still have that impact elsewhere so may inhibit our actions, or delay our actions, or may need us to inform them of the impacts of our change, or to seek broader consultation prior to us acting.
I am wondering whether we should create a massmessage list for the very occasional usage, and as an initial point of reference, we can utilise the list at Project:Administrators' noticeboard (Q4580256) to populate. I would love to hear thoughts of everyone of the usefulness of that approach. — billinghurst sDrewth 11:52, 17 January 2023 (UTC)
- @Billinghurst I don't think we should maintain a special list just for this, using one of the noticeboards (the one you linked) should be enough; the immediate use would likely be for any project wanting to whitelist something they disagree with. — xaosflux Talk 14:26, 17 January 2023 (UTC)
- Xaosflux that is just the WD item with the list of the respective AN through the projects, it isn't an actual place to post messages. — billinghurst sDrewth 21:36, 17 January 2023 (UTC)
- I don't think mass message is needed, administrators will usually know to look at Meta if global blacklisting causes some questions. But we should make sure to offer detailed information on this page (perhaps even recommendations on how to deal with the links) when blacklisting links which are used many times across different projects. Johannnes89 (talk) 15:15, 17 January 2023 (UTC)
- Except that is completely reactive and doesn't give those communities the opportunity for us to consult ahead of time with regard to actions, or to timetable things. With the current approach, which you suggest is okay, it basically is a bit of "read this" / "deal with it". I am not talking high use, I would think that we would have a maximum of 2 or 3 times a year that this would occur. — billinghurst sDrewth 21:33, 17 January 2023 (UTC)