Steve and Wikipedia

[Steve Pavlina]

Sorry for the confusion. When I add a spammed URL to the censored word list (which I normally do for repeated spam attacks), I usually just use the root word of the domain, so the spammer doesn't return to try again with .net, .org, and other variants.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Sorry for the confusion. When I add a spammed URL to the censored word list (which I normally do for repeated spam attacks), I usually just use the root word of the domain, so the spammer doesn't return to try again with .net, .org, and other variants.

No problem, I understand it now. Thanks for the explanation.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by Brutha

The wikipedia article got deleted again.

I don't know much about wikipedia (obviously), but it seems odd to me that it can just be deleted like that.

So, if I understand, you go through the trouble of writing an article, and then have it survive a vote of whether to delete it or not (back in July). Then when someone who doesn't like your subject come to vandalise your article, an admin can simply come in and delete the article with no discussion or vote?

[Steve Pavlina]

The owner of domain name that's being spammed everywhere and I have finally been in email contact. He thought I was the spammer while I thought he was. But we both came to realize that the truth is that neither of us have been sending out these PM spams. Someone has been spamming links to Zeno's ebook, using my email and my wife's name and email to sign up for accounts. We don't know who's doing it yet, but the spammer's IP is 78.96.82.26.

By my estimate this spammer has hit at least 200 VBulletin forums so far.

Apparently the problem is caused because the default VB installation allows PMing for unverified accounts. This means someone can register using someone else's email, never complete the email verification process, and PM spam the members. Naturally people will assume the spammer is either the person who owns the URL being spammed or the owner of the email account used to register. In this case neither of those are true.

PM spamming for unverified accounts can be prevented by setting PMs to zero for COPPA, Unverified, and Awaiting Verification usergroups. But still a lot of forums are vulnerable to this.

The VB team really needs to disable PMing for unverified accounts by default. Otherwise it can create a real headache for people, such as in this situation.

There's a thread about this PM spammer on the VBulletin forums here:
How is someone sending PM's to my members? - vBulletin Community Forum

At first I thought the spammer was done, since there were no knew verification emails coming to me for that last couple days, but I just got another one now.

[Brutha]

Originally Posted by seeker5

I don't know much about wikipedia (obviously), but it seems odd to me that it can just be deleted like that.

So, if I understand, you go through the trouble of writing an article, and then have it survive a vote of whether to delete it or not (back in July). Then when someone who doesn't like your subject come to vandalise your article, an admin can simply come in and delete the article with no discussion or vote?

It doesn't seem right. The question is: Who do we have to ask to restore the article?

[Keith]

Wikipedia admins are human. They err just like everyone else.

I've flicked a message to the admin who speedy-deleted the article. From memory MangoJuice is a reasonable enough admin, so hopefully it will be sorted out shortly.

[EDIT: UPDATE]
Okay, there's a deletion review underway, going strongly favour of restoration:
Wikipediaeletion review - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Baltar]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Someone has been spamming links to Zeno's ebook, using my email and my wife's name and email to sign up for accounts. We don't know who's doing it yet, but the spammer's IP is 78.96.82.26.

For what it's worth, a traceroute to the IP ends up somewhere in Romania. Although an IP can be spoofed and/or he can be using an anonymous proxy as well.

[Dan.Linehan]

Keith, I started the deletion review on there. Its taken care of now.

They even used the snowball clause: not a snowballs chance in Hell that the article would remain deleted. Thanks for your work on this, your well sourced content made this process much easier than it could have been. The article looks great.

[Steve Pavlina]

Zeno and I are continuing to share info on this PM spammer. As of today the spammer is still actively signing up for new forums and continuing to spam using my email address and zeno's links.

Hopefully the backlash against the Wikipedia page will die down.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Zeno and I are continuing to share info on this PM spammer.

That's pretty neat.

I am curious on how you trusted Zeno that wasn't the spammer.

[Steve Pavlina]

Originally Posted by seeker5

I am curious on how you trusted Zeno that wasn't the spammer.

From the getgo I assumed he was the spammer. After all, it was his link that was being spammed everywhere. But after he publicly accused me of being the spammer with some very complicated logic as to why he believed that, something didn't add up. Either he really wasn't the spammer and actually thought I was doing this to him, or he was just insanely dedicated to harassing me for some unfathomable reason. I thought it unlikely that he'd go to such lengths intentionally.

So I emailed him directly to share what I knew about the spammer. If he was the spammer, I wouldn't be telling him anything he didn't already know. And if he wasn't the spammer, at least perhaps this would clarify that I certainly wasn't the spammer either, and maybe we could work together to find out who was doing this. It seemed worth the risk, and I figured that by his response, at least I would know where we stood. After a couple days passed with no reply, I assumed the worst. But he did eventually send me a lengthy reply, and we've been working cooperatively ever since.

It took a few days of emailing back and forth before I think either of us were totally trusting of each other, but we've shared quite a bit of info so far. I do trust that he isn't the one doing this. While he's an interesting character to be sure, he would have to be absolutely insane to be the one behind this, and I don't believe that's the case at all.

If Zeno and I didn't work together on this, we might each be attacking each other. Unfortunately we still have to deal with emails from people who think one or the other of us are spamming. There are lots of false accusations being slung around various forums at present.

I suppose the big lesson here is to be careful about jumping to conclusions before you have all the facts.

[seeker5]

I've been meaning to ask, any update on the situation? Is the spammer still going around spamming sites in your and his name? Have you found out who did it?

[Steve Pavlina]

Never found out who it did, but it eventually died off.

There's been periodic defacement of the Wikipedia page though, possibly from the same person.

[Brutha]

possibly from the same person.

I don't think so, at least the last vandalism attempt was by a certain person who argued a lot in the world affairs board and got banned.
At least having the same IP gives a clue (the user who edited that stuff on wikipedia used no account, so we can see the IP).