This page is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
Please blacklist
More to come...- KH-1 ( talk) Adding two:
Wikipedia's regulations. For that matter so is showing up on this page with sockpuppet accounts to argue about it. MrOllie ( talk) 13:51, 4 October 2023 (UTC)
More from same spam ring. Added to MediaWiki:Spam-blacklist. OhNoitsJamie Talk 14:19, 4 October 2023 (UTC)
andrewprokos.com: Linksearch en (insource) - meta - de - fr - simple - wikt:en - wikt:fr • Spamcheck • MER-C X-wiki • gs • Reports: Links on en - COIBot - COIBot-Local • Discussions: tracked - advanced - RSN • COIBot- Link, Local, & XWiki Reports - Wikipedia: en - fr - de • Google: search • meta • Domain: domaintools • AboutUs.com
I am the owner of this domain, and yes I have read that the domain owners will likely be denied having their sites removed from the blacklist. Just for context, I am an internationally awarded and published artist, a leading photographer in my genre, and my photography has been exhibited in galleries and museums in the USA, Europe, South America, and Asia.
I was recently contacted by an editor
EcclesMan who wanted to cite one of my photography projects on a page he is writing
Negative_(photography)...it is good quality and interesting content. He was unable to do so because my site is on the blacklist, so he emailed me directly. I was not aware that my site has been blacklisted but one of your moderators responded to him that my site was banned because the "site owner" had spammed. You can see the conversation here:
/info/en/?search=MediaWiki_talk:Spam-whitelist#andrewprokos.com/photos/inverted-uae-series/.
MediaWiki talk:Spam-whitelist/Archives/2023/09#andrewprokos.com/photos/inverted-uae-series/
It appears that my site has been blacklisted due to spam back in 2008...15 years ago now. At the time I had hired an SEO optimization service to build up my web presence and I think that that was probably the source of the spam. That was many years ago now and I am still paying for whatever methods they employed apparently.
I created my own account today because I wanted to upload a current portrait of myself. The photo used in the Wiki article about me is ancient and it doesn't reflect what I look like now...but it appears that I am prevented from even doing that as when I submitted the image it told me the domain url with the image was banned! God only knows how many other editors have tried to cite my site over these last 15 years and weren't able to so they just gave up.
I completely understand that the spamming 15 years ago may have merited being added to the blacklist, but that was then and this is now. The quality of the website (and content) should be a main factor in deciding whether it should be removed from the blacklist. The site clearly contains high-quality content and there are no ads running on the site (the site has been ad-free since I started it 21 years ago). What is the likelihood that spamming is going to happen again after 15 years have passed? In fact, I posted this on the global Wiki blacklist talk page and was informed that my site is not blacklisted globally, only on Wikipedia English. If the site has not been spammed on any of the other Wikis for the last 15 years then there is a good chance it will not happen on Wiki EN either. I do think that some sort of rational approach to delisting sites is needed, not just banning a site for life and then forgetting about it. I invite you to visit the site in question for yourself to see the content, publications, awards and exhibitions posted there. I appreciate your time and consideration of the matter from this exasperated site owner!
Andrewprokos ( talk) 14:32, 1 October 2023 (UTC)
serious devoteeswould suggest that spamming would resume.
Has there been spamming of my site here on Wiki?Not since it was placed on the blacklist - that is what the blacklist is for. MrOllie ( talk) 15:10, 1 October 2023 (UTC)
Comment: Looking xwiki, the current usage seems to be predominantly EL, and would appear to have stemmed/propogated from usage on articles here at enWP, and the corresponding articles created at the other WPs has essentially, respectively, been translated. [Though noting that these ELs have been removed locally though still exist xwiki, consequence of the SEO hit at the tim.] So it would not appear to be direct xwiki abuse, though one wonders whether the the EL use is appropriate.
The identified author does indeed seem to have a particularly interest in the use of the domain and the practitioner at the domain. We can get COIBot to monitor the domain specifically if we have concerns that it is being spammed, and of course we can set parameters on its use through an abuse filter. I cannot get COIBot to run reports on the history of the domain, too long ago when they don't exist today (and they don't). I believe that we can have a balanced approach of monitoring the domain's link additions, and gently speaking with the devoted user about reliable source and external link policies to address potential overuse. — billinghurst sDrewth 03:49, 2 October 2023 (UTC)
I have never directly or indirectly paid anyone or any company to write anything about me on Wiki.Didn't you mention something earlier about a SEO service? MrOllie ( talk) 21:18, 3 October 2023 (UTC)
It is plainly a promotional article and needs fixing
But who is going to fix it? I can't edit it myself and it cannot sit forever with a warning at the top. That is completely arbitrary and based purely on speculation. It's also highly punitive when the credibility of an article is suddenly trashed like this after apparently having no issues whatsoever for more than a decade....or am I missing something here? I would appreciate an answer from someone (anyone) as to how this gets fixed at Wikipedia? Is there a process, and how long does it take?
Thank you Andrewprokos ( talk) 14:13, 5 October 2023 (UTC)
spruethmagers.com: Linksearch en (insource) - meta - de - fr - simple - wikt:en - wikt:fr • Spamcheck • MER-C X-wiki • gs • Reports: Links on en - COIBot - COIBot-Local • Discussions: tracked - advanced - RSN • COIBot- Link, Local, & XWiki Reports - Wikipedia: en - fr - de • Google: search • meta • Domain: domaintools • AboutUs.com I am planning on expanding multiple stub articles of internationally established contemporary artists. Sprueth Magers is an internationally renowned contemporary art gallery, their website contains a lot of factual information on many of these artists, such as exhibition dates, press releases and a huge archive of all shows the gallery has ever had. Their website is not locally blacklisted but rather at Meta. There I was told to check with my local wiki. http://spruethmagers.net/, which is used at Sprüth Magers redirects to spruethmagers.com, maybe someone was cybersquatting on the -.com variant at some point, and then the gallery was able to eventually acquire it? Unlisting their website would certainly help make improvements to a lot of artist articles. I would consider it a citable source, if used correctly. Looking forward to hear what you think, thank you.
Site appears to be combination of content scraping and user-submitted junk stories. A fair number of the edits are to add a link to the site when there's already a perfectly good source. There's also some potential SEO / promotional editing that seems to be happening. The references added by the listed editors all have the same author. Definite effort to promote their stories across multiple accounts now, and nothing about this site suggests it could be a reliable source. Ravensfire ( talk) 17:42, 11 October 2023 (UTC)
Three strikes. Added to MediaWiki:Spam-blacklist. OhNoitsJamie Talk 20:34, 11 October 2023 (UTC)
National File is an Alex Jones website created to launder content from WP:INFOWARS per the Southern Poverty Law Center: [1] [2] Isi96 ( talk) 01:36, 12 October 2023 (UTC)
-- Wotheina ( talk) 07:35, 16 October 2023 (UTC)
-- Wotheina ( talk) 07:38, 16 October 2023 (UTC)
This concerns persistent spamming which has been going on at least since January 2020, perhaps longer. Most of the spammed URLs have been from domains of the form *hyme.com, so perhaps you may think it suitable to produce a blacklist entry for that pattern. I am also listing here other domains, on the basis that editing histories and IP addresses used make it clear that they are from the same spammer. I don't know whether you will be willing to take action on some or all of those too.
The first examples I know of were from Avu2714 ( talk · contribs · deleted contribs · blacklist hits · AbuseLog · what links to user page · count · COIBot · Spamcheck · user page logs · x-wiki · status · Edit filter search · Google · StopForumSpam), but after that account was blocked in January 2022 the spamming has continued via numerous IP addresses. The following list may be incomplete:
They have spammed the following clearly closely related domains, which I give with diffs. Again, the list of diffs may be incomplete.
The following have also been posted from the same or closely related IP addresses. As you will see, I have been able to provide only one or two diffs for some of them, but as always the list may not be complete.
JBW ( talk) 19:58, 16 October 2023 (UTC)
Though epdmcoatings was supposedly blacklisted in 2008, here we are again. Added to MediaWiki:Spam-blacklist. OhNoitsJamie Talk 13:41, 17 October 2023 (UTC)
Multiple attempts to insert "thebestlawyersintheworld.com" website into U.S. attorney articles for no apparent reason other than to promote the website. Most recent entries on October 16-17, but entries date back to July 2023. Woodlot ( talk) 13:24, 18 October 2023 (UTC)
Gcxp97 has mostly added and repeatedly updated links to harmonycr.com, a lab & safety supplies house. Links are often "dressed up" as a legitimate RS as in the case of Lint, Hairnet, Rubber glove, or Cleaning card. Hijacked such as the case of Biomedical waste or Gas duster. I have removed/repaired eleven links. Having archive issues with CAVE people. Gcxp97 registered March 2016, did ten edits related to TV & film over a month. No edits between then and November 2020. Last edit was 31 March 2023. Editing seems rather sophisticated to be solved with a block. Hence, requesting blacklisting.
Gcxp97 will be notified. Adakiko ( talk) 08:16, 17 October 2023 (UTC)
I added the ability to search the new domain blacklist at https://searchsbl.toolforge.org/ (and not just the SBL). Feel free to give this a try and report any bugs to me. -- seth ( talk) 18:52, 22 October 2023 (UTC)
RidAndia was blocked in January, so other accounts are probably block evaders. This has included a few attempts to create a Quizplus article, including the current Draft:Quizplus. Onosco23 first claimed that they weren't paid, before going back and admitting it later. Other socks still claim innocence, though. There is no chance that we would ever use this as a source and a very low chance that a draft would be approved based on the available sourcing. Please put this one out of its (and my) misery and blacklist the URLs. - MrOllie ( talk) 18:47, 25 October 2023 (UTC)
Another domain by the same editor who added orienstarpatches.com
-- Wotheina ( talk) 12:11, 29 October 2023 (UTC)
This proposal was once rejected, but I re-list it as the spamming is still continuing. The editors are not deterred by numerous blocks, warnings and deletions. Blacklisting would be most effective against any further attempts.
-- Wotheina ( talk) 12:08, 29 October 2023 (UTC)
Please blacklist.- KH-1 ( talk) 22:49, 26 October 2023 (UTC)
Has been spammed by IPv4s over a /16 and also others, and also multiple accounts, for over a year into various articles.
DMacks ( talk) 08:01, 25 October 2023 (UTC)
This link should not be blocked as this is completely different website from bajajfinservhealth.in, The actual blocked website is bajajfinservhealth.in I couldn't find any option to adding a site for delisting that's why i have added here. Please correct if this is an error.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 49.36.213.80 ( talk • contribs)
Socks have been adding this along with WP:COPYVIOs of the site. Judging from their comments that "(i)t is crucial that you reinstate all of my contributions and offer an apology to me" [3] [4], I doubt they will stop on their own. Apparition11 Complaints/ Mistakes 16:45, 30 October 2023 (UTC)
This page is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
Please blacklist
More to come...- KH-1 ( talk) Adding two:
Wikipedia's regulations. For that matter so is showing up on this page with sockpuppet accounts to argue about it. MrOllie ( talk) 13:51, 4 October 2023 (UTC)
More from same spam ring. Added to MediaWiki:Spam-blacklist. OhNoitsJamie Talk 14:19, 4 October 2023 (UTC)
andrewprokos.com: Linksearch en (insource) - meta - de - fr - simple - wikt:en - wikt:fr • Spamcheck • MER-C X-wiki • gs • Reports: Links on en - COIBot - COIBot-Local • Discussions: tracked - advanced - RSN • COIBot- Link, Local, & XWiki Reports - Wikipedia: en - fr - de • Google: search • meta • Domain: domaintools • AboutUs.com
I am the owner of this domain, and yes I have read that the domain owners will likely be denied having their sites removed from the blacklist. Just for context, I am an internationally awarded and published artist, a leading photographer in my genre, and my photography has been exhibited in galleries and museums in the USA, Europe, South America, and Asia.
I was recently contacted by an editor
EcclesMan who wanted to cite one of my photography projects on a page he is writing
Negative_(photography)...it is good quality and interesting content. He was unable to do so because my site is on the blacklist, so he emailed me directly. I was not aware that my site has been blacklisted but one of your moderators responded to him that my site was banned because the "site owner" had spammed. You can see the conversation here:
/info/en/?search=MediaWiki_talk:Spam-whitelist#andrewprokos.com/photos/inverted-uae-series/.
MediaWiki talk:Spam-whitelist/Archives/2023/09#andrewprokos.com/photos/inverted-uae-series/
It appears that my site has been blacklisted due to spam back in 2008...15 years ago now. At the time I had hired an SEO optimization service to build up my web presence and I think that that was probably the source of the spam. That was many years ago now and I am still paying for whatever methods they employed apparently.
I created my own account today because I wanted to upload a current portrait of myself. The photo used in the Wiki article about me is ancient and it doesn't reflect what I look like now...but it appears that I am prevented from even doing that as when I submitted the image it told me the domain url with the image was banned! God only knows how many other editors have tried to cite my site over these last 15 years and weren't able to so they just gave up.
I completely understand that the spamming 15 years ago may have merited being added to the blacklist, but that was then and this is now. The quality of the website (and content) should be a main factor in deciding whether it should be removed from the blacklist. The site clearly contains high-quality content and there are no ads running on the site (the site has been ad-free since I started it 21 years ago). What is the likelihood that spamming is going to happen again after 15 years have passed? In fact, I posted this on the global Wiki blacklist talk page and was informed that my site is not blacklisted globally, only on Wikipedia English. If the site has not been spammed on any of the other Wikis for the last 15 years then there is a good chance it will not happen on Wiki EN either. I do think that some sort of rational approach to delisting sites is needed, not just banning a site for life and then forgetting about it. I invite you to visit the site in question for yourself to see the content, publications, awards and exhibitions posted there. I appreciate your time and consideration of the matter from this exasperated site owner!
Andrewprokos ( talk) 14:32, 1 October 2023 (UTC)
serious devoteeswould suggest that spamming would resume.
Has there been spamming of my site here on Wiki?Not since it was placed on the blacklist - that is what the blacklist is for. MrOllie ( talk) 15:10, 1 October 2023 (UTC)
Comment: Looking xwiki, the current usage seems to be predominantly EL, and would appear to have stemmed/propogated from usage on articles here at enWP, and the corresponding articles created at the other WPs has essentially, respectively, been translated. [Though noting that these ELs have been removed locally though still exist xwiki, consequence of the SEO hit at the tim.] So it would not appear to be direct xwiki abuse, though one wonders whether the the EL use is appropriate.
The identified author does indeed seem to have a particularly interest in the use of the domain and the practitioner at the domain. We can get COIBot to monitor the domain specifically if we have concerns that it is being spammed, and of course we can set parameters on its use through an abuse filter. I cannot get COIBot to run reports on the history of the domain, too long ago when they don't exist today (and they don't). I believe that we can have a balanced approach of monitoring the domain's link additions, and gently speaking with the devoted user about reliable source and external link policies to address potential overuse. — billinghurst sDrewth 03:49, 2 October 2023 (UTC)
I have never directly or indirectly paid anyone or any company to write anything about me on Wiki.Didn't you mention something earlier about a SEO service? MrOllie ( talk) 21:18, 3 October 2023 (UTC)
It is plainly a promotional article and needs fixing
But who is going to fix it? I can't edit it myself and it cannot sit forever with a warning at the top. That is completely arbitrary and based purely on speculation. It's also highly punitive when the credibility of an article is suddenly trashed like this after apparently having no issues whatsoever for more than a decade....or am I missing something here? I would appreciate an answer from someone (anyone) as to how this gets fixed at Wikipedia? Is there a process, and how long does it take?
Thank you Andrewprokos ( talk) 14:13, 5 October 2023 (UTC)
spruethmagers.com: Linksearch en (insource) - meta - de - fr - simple - wikt:en - wikt:fr • Spamcheck • MER-C X-wiki • gs • Reports: Links on en - COIBot - COIBot-Local • Discussions: tracked - advanced - RSN • COIBot- Link, Local, & XWiki Reports - Wikipedia: en - fr - de • Google: search • meta • Domain: domaintools • AboutUs.com I am planning on expanding multiple stub articles of internationally established contemporary artists. Sprueth Magers is an internationally renowned contemporary art gallery, their website contains a lot of factual information on many of these artists, such as exhibition dates, press releases and a huge archive of all shows the gallery has ever had. Their website is not locally blacklisted but rather at Meta. There I was told to check with my local wiki. http://spruethmagers.net/, which is used at Sprüth Magers redirects to spruethmagers.com, maybe someone was cybersquatting on the -.com variant at some point, and then the gallery was able to eventually acquire it? Unlisting their website would certainly help make improvements to a lot of artist articles. I would consider it a citable source, if used correctly. Looking forward to hear what you think, thank you.
Site appears to be combination of content scraping and user-submitted junk stories. A fair number of the edits are to add a link to the site when there's already a perfectly good source. There's also some potential SEO / promotional editing that seems to be happening. The references added by the listed editors all have the same author. Definite effort to promote their stories across multiple accounts now, and nothing about this site suggests it could be a reliable source. Ravensfire ( talk) 17:42, 11 October 2023 (UTC)
Three strikes. Added to MediaWiki:Spam-blacklist. OhNoitsJamie Talk 20:34, 11 October 2023 (UTC)
National File is an Alex Jones website created to launder content from WP:INFOWARS per the Southern Poverty Law Center: [1] [2] Isi96 ( talk) 01:36, 12 October 2023 (UTC)
-- Wotheina ( talk) 07:35, 16 October 2023 (UTC)
-- Wotheina ( talk) 07:38, 16 October 2023 (UTC)
This concerns persistent spamming which has been going on at least since January 2020, perhaps longer. Most of the spammed URLs have been from domains of the form *hyme.com, so perhaps you may think it suitable to produce a blacklist entry for that pattern. I am also listing here other domains, on the basis that editing histories and IP addresses used make it clear that they are from the same spammer. I don't know whether you will be willing to take action on some or all of those too.
The first examples I know of were from Avu2714 ( talk · contribs · deleted contribs · blacklist hits · AbuseLog · what links to user page · count · COIBot · Spamcheck · user page logs · x-wiki · status · Edit filter search · Google · StopForumSpam), but after that account was blocked in January 2022 the spamming has continued via numerous IP addresses. The following list may be incomplete:
They have spammed the following clearly closely related domains, which I give with diffs. Again, the list of diffs may be incomplete.
The following have also been posted from the same or closely related IP addresses. As you will see, I have been able to provide only one or two diffs for some of them, but as always the list may not be complete.
JBW ( talk) 19:58, 16 October 2023 (UTC)
Though epdmcoatings was supposedly blacklisted in 2008, here we are again. Added to MediaWiki:Spam-blacklist. OhNoitsJamie Talk 13:41, 17 October 2023 (UTC)
Multiple attempts to insert "thebestlawyersintheworld.com" website into U.S. attorney articles for no apparent reason other than to promote the website. Most recent entries on October 16-17, but entries date back to July 2023. Woodlot ( talk) 13:24, 18 October 2023 (UTC)
Gcxp97 has mostly added and repeatedly updated links to harmonycr.com, a lab & safety supplies house. Links are often "dressed up" as a legitimate RS as in the case of Lint, Hairnet, Rubber glove, or Cleaning card. Hijacked such as the case of Biomedical waste or Gas duster. I have removed/repaired eleven links. Having archive issues with CAVE people. Gcxp97 registered March 2016, did ten edits related to TV & film over a month. No edits between then and November 2020. Last edit was 31 March 2023. Editing seems rather sophisticated to be solved with a block. Hence, requesting blacklisting.
Gcxp97 will be notified. Adakiko ( talk) 08:16, 17 October 2023 (UTC)
I added the ability to search the new domain blacklist at https://searchsbl.toolforge.org/ (and not just the SBL). Feel free to give this a try and report any bugs to me. -- seth ( talk) 18:52, 22 October 2023 (UTC)
RidAndia was blocked in January, so other accounts are probably block evaders. This has included a few attempts to create a Quizplus article, including the current Draft:Quizplus. Onosco23 first claimed that they weren't paid, before going back and admitting it later. Other socks still claim innocence, though. There is no chance that we would ever use this as a source and a very low chance that a draft would be approved based on the available sourcing. Please put this one out of its (and my) misery and blacklist the URLs. - MrOllie ( talk) 18:47, 25 October 2023 (UTC)
Another domain by the same editor who added orienstarpatches.com
-- Wotheina ( talk) 12:11, 29 October 2023 (UTC)
This proposal was once rejected, but I re-list it as the spamming is still continuing. The editors are not deterred by numerous blocks, warnings and deletions. Blacklisting would be most effective against any further attempts.
-- Wotheina ( talk) 12:08, 29 October 2023 (UTC)
Please blacklist.- KH-1 ( talk) 22:49, 26 October 2023 (UTC)
Has been spammed by IPv4s over a /16 and also others, and also multiple accounts, for over a year into various articles.
DMacks ( talk) 08:01, 25 October 2023 (UTC)
This link should not be blocked as this is completely different website from bajajfinservhealth.in, The actual blocked website is bajajfinservhealth.in I couldn't find any option to adding a site for delisting that's why i have added here. Please correct if this is an error.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 49.36.213.80 ( talk • contribs)
Socks have been adding this along with WP:COPYVIOs of the site. Judging from their comments that "(i)t is crucial that you reinstate all of my contributions and offer an apology to me" [3] [4], I doubt they will stop on their own. Apparition11 Complaints/ Mistakes 16:45, 30 October 2023 (UTC)