Report User button in the profile? (for non-spammy SPAM bots)

[lilalurl]

Would it be possible to have a "report user" button on the user profile?

This way, it would be easy to report SPAM bots which don't make posts but put a dubious link in their signature.

I guess they don't harm the board much anyway.
But sometimes when I check who's online I see some new names and out of curiosity check the profile (and I am sometimes ashamed when I see the person is an actual user, registered for a long time and with lot of posts ).

Often, it is some sort of bot with an html link in the signature, such as this one who registered just a few minutes ago and that I saw listed in the active users:
http://eab.abime.net/member.php?u=30130


Also, sometimes I happen to look for one user name in the members list and see some users with silly names and/or "fake" real life pictures and they always turn out to be bots.
Example:
http://eab.abime.net/member.php?u=17253


Since they don't make posts there is obviously no way to report them via their posts.
I don't seem to find any way to report the user itself from the profile.

As I said, they are not really harmful so this is not a priority.
But I believe it would be nice to have a way to quickly report them so that a GM can take a quick look (0 posts + dodgy link in the sig) when they have a bit of time.

[TCD]

I started to sort out a few of them, but there are far too many RCK should make a '0 posts after 1 month = autoban' cron job or something. He was online during the last days on IRC, so I'll give him a nudge and send him over here

[lilalurl]

The thing is that there are probably some legit users among the 0-post users, who for instance only registered to access the zone.

I guess it would not hurt them much to re-register and post a quick introduction, but still, deleting their accounts might not seem the nicest gesture.


Not sure if the spam bots check the mail addresses they used but as they probably don't, perhaps a mail (and/or PM) asking the "0 post after 1 month" users to re-validate their account (with something like a 2-month delay to do so) or be banned would be a moderate method to do some preliminary cleaning up.

Most legit 0-posters would probably manage to re-validate.



Otherwise, I don't know how easy it is for GMs to ban an account.

The way I envisioned things was to share the load among normal users who would report a few SPAM accounts each time they have a few minutes to waste or notice one registering, with a quick justification (probably most of the time "commercial link in signature").
Then GMs could quickly double check (here too, when they have a bit of time to waste on that matter. No hurry anyway since they don't actively SPAM the board) and then ban accordingly.


Well, let's see what RCK think is technically possible.
Perhaps he actually wants to keep them to have the Amiga board with the highest number of members. Perhaps he is even the one registering those SPAM accounts

[Graham Humphrey]

It's not hard to ban accounts but it's quite time-consuming. If they've posted then we have a 'Delete posts as spam' option which deletes all their posts and then bans them which is easy enough. For the 'users' you talk about though, we have to go to the moderator control panel and enter their names manually to ban them. I did quite a number in one go a couple of years back (I think) and it was a total nightmare as it took such a long time, and of course loads more registered in the meantime anyway so it is akin to rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.

Not sure there's really a viable way round it as they keep coming back, and there's loads of 'em. I do a few every now and then if I see some online, and of course all of the ones that post get dealt with. I think they're just a nuisance more than anything but if there was a way to stop it then that would be great.

[TCD]

Originally Posted by Graham Humphrey

For the 'users' you talk about though, we have to go to the moderator control panel and enter their names manually to ban them. I did quite a number in one go a couple of years back (I think) and it was a total nightmare as it took such a long time, and of course loads more registered in the meantime anyway so it is akin to rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.

Same here.
It's not too much to ask for at least 1 post if you're just leeching from the zone I'd say and it would make the whole thing a lot easier.

[cosmicfrog]

Signing up just to use the zone is a bit unpolite , ppl should at least say Hi or Ribbits

[Graham Humphrey]

I don't have any problem if people decide they only want to sign up to use the Zone. No-one is forced to contribute, or even say hello. As long as no rules are being broken and they aren't spambots I'm not bothered by it.

[cosmicfrog]

Fair point Graham