Suggestion: Easy Button to De-Spam

Dave Bean · Post by **Dave Bean** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 10:01 pm

Currently, I think it might take longer to for me to remove spam made by real people (I have the visual verify and register on), than for the Spammers to post. When logged on as administrator, we have an IP button and a delete button on each post. How about having an "Easy De-Spam" button?

The Easy De-Spam Button would:
(1) Delete all posts for the poster
(2) Delete the poster's username
(3) Optionally ban the poster's IP
(4) Optionally ban the poster's username

See a spam offender? Press the Easy De-Spam Button and be done with them!

quick5pnt0 · Post by **quick5pnt0** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 10:22 pm

I like that idea alot. It would be great to be able to push a button wiping out all of a spammers posts, ban their ip, and possibly (if registered) ban their username. If i was skilled enough to make a full mod i'd be working on this already. Hopefully somebody will take it up.

dsdarling · Post by **dsdarling** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 10:43 pm

quick5pnt0 wrote: I like that idea alot. It would be great to be able to push a button wiping out all of a spammers posts, ban their ip, and possibly (if registered) ban their username. If i was skilled enough to make a full mod i'd be working on this already. Hopefully somebody will take it up.

Something like this maybe? phpBB toolkit

See if that is what you are looking for....

Dave Bean · Post by **Dave Bean** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 11:29 pm

Similar idea with the toolkit, but with the button right on the post.

dsdarling · Post by **dsdarling** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 11:56 pm

Dave Bean wrote: Similar idea with the toolkit, but with the button right on the post.

Sounds like you need to make a MOD request.

Nephrus · Post by **Nephrus** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 2:13 am

To do something like this, you have to setup some sort of algorithm to look at each submitted post and match it against a list of what you would consider spam. Now, if you did have this, there is a chance legitimate posts would be affected too and if you delete to posts/topics/users/etc without previewing it, that will be gone for good.

Moving to MOD Requests.

Dave Bean · Post by **Dave Bean** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 6:15 pm

I'm not really sure how to do the Easy De-Spam, but starting to think:

Deleting a user:
admin/admin_users.php needs:
sid=
id= this might be the user id number being deleted

Deleting a post:
modcp.php
t=topic id
mode=delete

Finding all posts from a user:
search.php
search_author=

.... wonder how to link these together and only give the power to the administrator and / or perhaps the moderator
===========

I found these mods which may be useful by themselves or parts to perform some of the above:
http://www.phpbb.com/phpBB/catdb.php?cat=52

MOD Name: Admin Userlist
MOD Description: This MOD lets you view all of you members and various information about them in the Admin Control Panel. From the list, you can perform various actions on multiple users.
=========
MOD Name: Prune User Posts
Author: R45
MOD Description: This is an admin module for your Administration Panel. It is a very Advanced version of the pruning tool available in phpBB. You can prune forums based on users (all or individuals), groups, IPs (ranges, specific, banned), Guests and more.
=========
MOD Name: Easy Admin Topic Notifier
Author: StefanKausL
MOD Description: This simple MOD notifies admins by email of new topics.
===========

romans1423 · Post by **romans1423** » Mon May 08, 2006 6:33 pm

Using the Admin Toolkit add-on, you can delete users + all their posts in one step, and I think you can delete multiple users (+ posts) at once, if needed. From it you can also easily ban as well.

igorw · Post by **igorw** » Mon May 08, 2006 7:08 pm

imo spam needs to be fought where it begins. Wich is the registration process. I'm not willing to clean out spam users and posts every day.

Dave Bean · Post by **Dave Bean** » Tue May 09, 2006 4:54 pm

imo spam needs to be fought where it begins. Which is the registration process. I'm not willing to clean out spam users and posts every day.

I totally agree that all that can be done should be done automatically and as early in the process as possible.

However, realistically, some spam will make it through - perhaps by bots, perhaps by people and we need a way to get rid of it efficiently - thus the one-clilck Easy De-Spam button request

Admin Toolkit add-on, you can delete users + all their posts

Certainly sounds like similar thinking. Hoping for a button right on the post (like the move / delete buttons) , but maybe the two approaches could be combined. We will be on the post when the spam issue becomes noticed.

Lots of discussion in this other thread about how to keep our fingers from being worn out using the Easy De-Spam button:
http://www.phpbb.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=389196

igorw · Post by **igorw** » Tue May 09, 2006 5:13 pm

I have taken a few of those steps, and i don't get any spam registrations at all. So that may be an attack on just that site, or something...

Kellanved · Post by **Kellanved** » Sat May 27, 2006 9:38 am

Allowing to ban users on the normal board does not fit in well with the general phpBB design.

A "Mark as Spammer" button with a corresponding page for deletion in the ACP shouldn't be too hard to do, though.

Dave Bean · Post by **Dave Bean** » Sat May 27, 2006 2:13 pm

Allowing to ban users on the normal board does not fit in well with the general phpBB design

I'm not sure what that means, but I totally agree that phpBB and other message boards need to make adjustments to catch up to spammers and boards need to become much more aggressive in proactively providing anti-spam tools.

Is there an issue at the present time that is more important for message board applications than dealing with spam?

Ramon Fincken · Post by **Ramon Fincken** » Sat May 27, 2006 2:22 pm

Dave, I've seen several requests and suggestions for anti spam tips and tools.

Feel free to contact me and discuss your matter.
I might be able to analyse your board and reduce spammers.

Ramon

Dave Bean · Post by **Dave Bean** » Sat May 27, 2006 4:13 pm

Thanks - I started a discussion on your board in the general chat section with my 4 suggestions to minimize spam.

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