Spam
I've noticed that python-list gets significantly more spam than the other lists I subscribe to. There's an example below. I'm wondering how the list is managed. Can anyone post, or only members? I've picked the email addresses of the list managers out of the list info page, but I wonder if you guys have enough time to skim the list and boot offending members. If not, is there someone who is active on the list that you could delegate administration privileges to? Maybe someone who has been an active member for a long time? I'm willing, but probably not qualified. I've been lurking on the list for a while, but I don't contribute much because I'm not very proficient with Python. Thank you. -- Ghodmode http://www.ghodmode.com/blog -- Forwarded message -- From: Ashraf Ali Date: Mon, Aug 1, 2011 at 10:54 AM Subject: Hello My Sweet Friends. To: [email protected] Hello Friends. How are you all? Please Visit the following link if you know about Pakistan and what happening in the world. http://bollywoodactresseshotpictures.blogspot.com/ http://jobopportunitiesinpakistan.blogspot.com/ http://hotfemaletennisplayershotphotos.blogspot.com/ http://watchonlineindianmovies.blogspot.com/ -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: Spam
On Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 3:17 AM, harrismh777 wrote: > Steven D'Aprano wrote: > >> I've noticed that python-list gets significantly more spam than the >>> > other lists I subscribe to. There's an example below. >>> >> Thanks for that! I missed it the first time, so it is very helpful for you >> to forward it. It's especially helpful that you included all the spammer's >> URLs, as that will help improve their Google page ranks. I'm sure the >> spammer will thank you for your assistance. >> > > Yeah, a couple of good rules to follow for well intentioned citizens: > 1) don't feed the trolls > 2) don't repackage spam > I hope it's clear that reading an email doesn't constitute visiting all of the sites linked in the email and therefore doesn't improve Google page ranks or provide any other tracking information. Also note that the original email didn't have anything like a tracking pixel. Even the urls were just text. They only became links if the readers' email client turned them into links. My email wasn't dangerous or helpful to the spammer in any way. Having said that, either because I was tired or because I dropped my > defensive posture, I have messed up on those two little rules more than > once. > > It is possible to filter spam very effectively. My mail client has a > spam-can based on a multitude of trial and guess rules that with almost oh > 97 percent rate puts the right stuff into the can and saves me the trouble > of manually filtering it. Granted, I still need to quickly peek through the > can files... but this is pretty easy to do... because non spam shows up like > a rose among thorns in a spam-can. > > The trouble is that this group does like to debate off-topic stuff > frequently (usually its at least edge related to Python) and so who is to > tell (as a moderator) what is spam? Well, your example is fairly obvious, > but other stuff (even like this note) may not be. I don't consider this > spam, because its related to this list and because I am interested in the > same issue as your OP complaint. But, I am absolutely sure that others will > view your note, and mine, as spam... see the problem? > I think we have a generally accepted idea of what spam is, and it's much different from off-topic threads. An automated system might not be able to identify the differences as easily, but a person could. Especially if that person is an active member of the community and reads all of the threads anyway. > -- > m harris > > FSF ...free as in freedom/ > http://webpages.charter.net/**harrismh777/gnulinux/gnulinux.**htm<http://webpages.charter.net/harrismh777/gnulinux/gnulinux.htm> > > -- > http://mail.python.org/**mailman/listinfo/python-list<http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list> > My intentions were constructive and helpful, but it has gotten a little out of hand. Based on some of the information provided, my idea might not be technically feasible anyway. So, I won't be reading or commenting on this thread further. I am truly sorry for any misunderstandings or time lost. -- Ghodmode http://www.ghodmode.com/blog -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: List spam
On Thu, Aug 18, 2011 at 9:30 PM, Tim Golden wrote: > On 18/08/2011 13:58, Jason Staudenmayer wrote: >> >> I really like this list as part of my learning tools but the amount >> of spam that I've been getting from it is CRAZY. Doesn't anything get >> scanned before it sent to the list? > > I haven't seen any significant quantity of spam on the list for ages. (The > occasional one does get through although I can't remember the last). Maybe your email client is filtering it out for you. This list gets A LOT of spam. I'm lurking on over 25 different mailing lists and most of them don't seem to get any spam. On the others, it's only occasional and the list admins are quick to pounce on it. Here, it's like the floodgates are wide open. > I always access it as a mailing list, and I seem to recall that > the newsgroup feed isn't filtered the same way as the mailing list is. The last time I brought up the topic, I offered to do the work of filtering and banning spammers. The consensus seemed to be that it wasn't possible because the newsgroup IS filtered the same way as the mailing list. > TJG -- Ghodmode http://www.ghodmode.com/blog -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: List spam
On Thu, Aug 18, 2011 at 9:39 PM, Philip Semanchuk wrote: > > On Aug 18, 2011, at 8:58 AM, Jason Staudenmayer wrote: > >> I really like this list as part of my learning tools but the amount of spam >> that I've been getting from it is CRAZY. Doesn't anything get scanned before >> it sent to the list? > > This has been discussed on the list a number of times before, so I'll refer > you to the archives for details. > > Basically, the mailing list receives postings from Google Groups and vice > versa. Most of the spam comes from Google Groups. If you add a mail filter > that deletes anything with the "Organization" header set to > "http://groups.google.com";, you won't see much spam anymore. In my > experience, you'll also miss a number of legitimate postings. You are absolutely right, it has been brought up before. But I'm glad it's been brought up again. It's such a problem that it degrades the usefulness of the list and the community. Most of the mailing lists I'm on are managed using Google Groups and many of them are on mailman, like this list. I don't see spam on them, so I don't know what's going on here. It's not really filtering at all. Most lists only allow members to post and the admins are quick to boot offenders. For the most part, I'm just a lurker, so my suggestion shouldn't carry as much weight, but here it is anyway... Make an effort to curb the spam even if it means killing the newsgroup availability. Choose mailman or Google Groups, or another single solution. Make it members only, but allow anyone to register with an automated confirmation email and a CAPTCHA. Appoint a list admin who has a few minutes each day to scan subjects of emails for spammers and remove them from the members list. ... problem solved. Yes. I'm saying we should abandon those who only follow the list via newsgroups. Yes. I'm willing to do the work, but I'm not the right choice. > HTH > Philip -- Ghodmode http://www.ghodmode.com/blog -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: List spam
On Thu, Aug 18, 2011 at 10:58 PM, Alain Ketterlin wrote: > Ghodmode writes: > > [...] >> Make an effort to curb the spam even if it means killing the newsgroup >> availability. Choose mailman or Google Groups, or another single >> solution. Make it members only, but allow anyone to register with an >> automated confirmation email and a CAPTCHA. Appoint a list admin who >> has a few minutes each day to scan subjects of emails for spammers and >> remove them from the members list. > > Or save work and find a public nntp server (or setup one, or ask your > provider), and use a news reader to follow the list (even thunderbird > can do this). No spam, no need to store messages on your machine, > auto-purge after a configurable delay, etc. > > Problem solved. Is that easier than just checking your email? I guess it's a matter of perspective... Newsgroups aren't inherently spam-free. They're filtered. At least that's the case with Gmane (http://gmane.org/spam.php). My own ISP doesn't provide a news server and, although there are many links for free open news servers, most of them don't seem to work. I did check, though. I found a free, open news server with comp.lang.python after 6 that didn't work. Unfortunately, the one I found is read-only. I'll have to do some more looking if I want to participate in the newsgroup. I set it up in Thunderbird. I waited for a few minutes while it loaded the available newsgroups, then filtered the list for comp.lang.python and subscribed. I noticed that, when clicking on a message, there is another delay while I wait for the content of the message to load. I was happy to see significantly less spam in the newsgroup than in the mailing list, but there was still more than I see in other mailing lists. For me, this is much more difficult, although I'm sure that this is a matter of perspective. Also, I have something that's tied to this computer. I can't read it on my laptop, my mobile device, or at a cyber-cafe. I have to sit in front of this computer if I want to read the newsgroup and, until I find another news server that isn't read-only, I can't even post messages. For me, I'll stick with email. > -- Alain. -- Ghodmode http://www.ghodmode.com/blog -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: List spam
On Fri, Aug 19, 2011 at 12:37 AM, Ned Deily wrote: > 4. gmane (various formats) > http://dir.gmane.org/gmane.comp.python.general > a. gmane.comp.python.general (non-Usenet group via NNTP) > All of the above allow both reading and posting. gmane does spam > filtering so, if you read and post through it, you will avoid most of > the spam (a little bit gets through). The gmane nntp server (which is > for gmane groups only, not regular Usenet groups) is free to use. Unfortunately, Gmane's version of this newsgroup (gmane.comp.python.general) has all of the offensive spam. I'm kinda surprised considering the detailed information that they put on their site about spam filtering. These are the ones I got to work: - textnews.news.cambrium.nl - mail.tsu.ru ... They're light on the spam, but they're read-only. Ironically, the Google Groups version (https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/comp.lang.python) has almost none of the spam, although I did see one message that said "This topic has been hidden because it was flagged for abuse". I can't join that Google Group, though. I guess that's because it's just a viewer for the newsgroup. > -- > Ned Deily, > [email protected] -- Ghodmode http://www.ghodmode.com/blog -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
