Censorship of links to the Bitcoin Forum

[nullius]

The text you wanted to publish was blocked by the spam filter. This is probably caused by a link to a forbidden external site. The following text is what triggered our spam filter: bitcointalk.org

That wasted me three hours of effort.  Through multiple cycles of previewing and editing, the censorship robot didn’t even bother to tell me I was linking to a filthy, dirty, tainted site—perhaps even a “NSFW” site, in its own ad hoc fuzzy definition of that vague, arbitrary, capricious, totally subjective term?  It slammed the door in my face only when I was ready to publish.  But I don’t want to name and shame in this post.

I’d prefer to deal with the problem constructively.

This forum does have some of the types of links that link-spammers have probably spam-spam-spammed in other places.  Moreover, I have no way to know whose fault it is; many site admins rely more or less on centralized spamfilter tools from other parties.  I’m reluctant to yell too much about this—and at whom should I yell, anyway?  And anyway, there’s enough cretinous scum to stomp on here without getting into fights elsewhere.

This forum has a wealth of intelligent discussion, on topics ranging from technology to politics and society.  This forum even has in its archives some historically significant primary-source information, which should be of interest to scholars and librarians.  Blunt blocking of all links to bitcointalk.org is a travesty.  Furthermore, censorship of URLs sunders the fabric of the Web; at best, it fragments the Web, and it ghettoizes immoral sites like the Bitcoin Forum.

Thereupon, as the Greatest forum member since Satoshi, and maybe even Satoshi’s alt, I ask the community:

• How big is this problem?
• What are some constructive strategies to handle it?
• As pertains to major sites or otherwise large-scale blocking, does @theymos have any organized means to make polite contact with the responsible parties, and advocate to get rid of the block?

Thank you for your attention to this matter!

[shahzadafzal]

• How big is this problem?
• What are some constructive strategies to handle it?
• As pertains to major sites or otherwise large-scale blocking, does @theymos have any organized means to make polite contact with the responsible parties, and advocate to get rid of the block?

Thank you for your attention to this matter!

I follow very few members here on Bitcointalk, and you're one of those whose posts I genuinely enjoy reading.

Since your return, I've been getting notifications with some rather interesting titles:

"Protip: Porn stars are human."
"Why Lana Rhoades?"

And now I'm wondering... did the spam filter finally wake up after seeing those titles you were trying to link to? 😂

Jokes aside, I've never personally encountered a website blocking bitcointalk.org links, but blocking an entire domain seems rather excessive.

But I don’t want to name and shame in this post.

Why not tell us which platform it was, purely for troubleshooting purposes? Was it Reddit? Medium? Surely not X (Twitter)?

Anyway, let me try to answer your three questions.

1. How big is this problem?

I don't think it's particularly widespread, or at least I haven't encountered it myself.

I mean, we've all probably spent time writing a thoughtful reply here, only to hit the Post button and discover that the topic was locked while we were typing.

So I can relate to the frustration of wasting time, although three hours is quite something!

But seriously, unless we identify more websites blocking Bitcointalk links, it's difficult to determine how widespread the problem really is.

2. What are some constructive strategies to handle it?

Well, first of all, stop posting spam!

Just kidding!

I think we should first identify which websites are blocking bitcointalk.org and whether they're using their own spam filters or relying on third-party services.

If it's a third-party service, perhaps we could contact the provider and request a review or removal of the domain from its blacklist.

It might also be useful to collect examples of legitimate Bitcointalk links being rejected on different platforms. That would help establish whether this is an isolated case or something more widespread.

And if a website insists on blocking certain domains, at least its spam filter should warn users during editing or previewing, rather than waiting until they hit Publish.

3. Can theymos contact the responsible parties and advocate for removing the block?

Definitely, I believe he could, particularly if this turns out to be a widespread issue affecting major websites.

Whether he already has an established process for handling such cases is something only he can confirm.

But I'm sure he cares deeply about this forum. After all, he's still running the show after all these years.

I mean, unlike certain legendary members, he never disappeared for four years and then returned to declare war on ChartBuddy and censorship robots! 🤣

Anyway, I hope you can identify the responsible spam filter and get the issue resolved. It would be unfortunate if legitimate discussions and historical references from Bitcointalk were being blocked simply because of the domain name.

After all, apart from Satoshi's old emails, where else would you find so much of Bitcoin's early history?

If this isn't Satoshi's first home, it must surely be his second!

And regarding that Satoshi bit... I mean, yeah,  they say Satoshi's alt... but not Satoshi himself, if you know what I mean.

[nullius]

Re-arranged, bottom line up front:

But I don’t want to name and shame in this post.

Why not tell us which platform it was, purely for troubleshooting purposes? Was it Reddit? Medium? Surely not X (Twitter)?

No, no, and no—but it’s one of the top web spaces on the Internet, as big as any of those.  Bitcoin has sometimes been controversial there; if you follow my post history, you may know that I once bumped a twelve-year-old thread about that.  I avoided naming the site, because I do want a constructive solution—and moreover, I seek a general check on whether others have had the same problem elsewhere.

If I wanted clickbait for a hot thread with ten pages in the first hour, I would’ve put the site’s name in the topic title.  Should I edit it? 

Anyway, let me try to answer your three questions.

1. How big is this problem?

I don't think it's particularly widespread, or at least I haven't encountered it myself.

Well, no news is good news—unless this is an early warning of new censorship, which may spread.

2. What are some constructive strategies to handle it?

Well, first of all, stop posting spam!

Just kidding!

Hey, I only spam Lukecoin.  I urge everyone to spam Lukecoin.  Spam spam spam Lukecoin, for the greater good!

I think we should first identify which websites are blocking bitcointalk.org and whether they're using their own spam filters or relying on third-party services.

If it's a third-party service, perhaps we could contact the provider and request a review or removal of the domain from its blacklist.

It might also be useful to collect examples of legitimate Bitcointalk links being rejected on different platforms. That would help establish whether this is an isolated case or something more widespread.

Good idea...

And if a website insists on blocking certain domains, at least its spam filter should warn users during editing or previewing, rather than waiting until they hit Publish.

...good idea. 

Whether he [theymos] already has an established process for handling such cases is something only he can confirm.

Yes, only @theymos can answer that one.

But I'm sure he cares deeply about this forum. After all, he's still running the show after all these years.

I mean, unlike certain legendary members, he never disappeared for four years and then returned to declare war on ChartBuddy and censorship robots! 🤣

Hey!  I’m not at Legendary rank; I am only a Hero Member.  I’m basically new here.  And my assault on ChartBuddy should be offset by Meretrix XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXX XX ChartBuddy, as seen in her censored “make love, not war” kind of a post.

I follow very few members here on Bitcointalk, and you're one of those whose posts I genuinely enjoy reading.

Thanks.  Given my propensity to be so very outspoken, it’s been a long time since people tended to praise me. 

Since your return, I've been getting notifications with some rather interesting titles:

"Protip: Porn stars are human."
"Why Lana Rhoades?"

Sigh.  For the record, none of my post titles have cited Lana Rhoades by name.  I’m now sad that stompix randomly picked Lana Rhoades as an exemplary porn star.  I’ve never even seen Lana naked—many others, yes; Lana, no.  If I wanted to discuss a current or former porn star here, then for reasons that have nothing to do with her appearance or her oeuvre, I would not choose Lana.

Lana is a human being.  I shan’t quietly abide others speaking of her or anyone else in vicious and dehumanizing terms, on the sole basis that the person has had sex on camera.

Incidentally, speaking of @theymos, I’m pretty sure it must have been against moderation policy on GirlsGoneBitcoin to call the girls “sewer pipes” and shame them for “whoring themselves out”.  Though I guess Baseplate would deem theymos a pimp for GGB; I was distracted yesterday, so I forgot to ask why he registered for a forum with such a sinful administrator.

In the big picture, this is also related to a free speech issue.  Speaking of GGB, of censorship, and of theymos questions—GirlsGoneBitcoin was banned?  (I don’t know; I never involved myself with anything on Reddit.)  There’s a mass-movement afoot to shut down sexual speech, to wipe it off the face of the Internet—and to cast its speakers out of society as pariahs.  All of these things are parts of a whole.  I, for one, will fight it on all fronts.

—Eh, sorry-but-not for derailing my own thread.  It’s been years since I was so angry as I was yesterday.