Wiki Captcha required - 99% new user creation is spam

[ripper234]

I took a look at the Recent Changes page, and it seems 30 out of 50 "changes" are actually new user creations.

No CAPTCHA is currently required to create an account. I suspect most of these are bots.

You can also be innovative and require payment of 0.001 BTC to register an account, with a link to the Bitcoin Faucet (that currently gives 0.005, and already handles the bot problem).

I'm not actually saying this is a good idea (might give the wrong impression to newbies) ... but some sort of filter is required.

[niko]

Yes, please!  Also, what to do with spam accounts already created?

[HostFat]

It' a good idea, but it's better if the 0.001 BTC will be sent to the Bitcoin Faucet

[apetersson]

this would be a great addition to any wiki software. a bitcoin-based captcha.

[giszmo]

this would be a great addition to any wiki software. a bitcoin-based captcha.

with the difference that we would provide only this and other wikis would put it along with audio and visual captchas.

yes, such a plugin would be cool. It could require a very specific donation to the bitcoin faucet and monitor for this via blockchaininfo api. this way you don't need a bitcoind.

Any offers for me to make it for mediawiki? it would be installable like all the other mediawiki plugins and javascript would poll blockchaininfo every 10s for a payment of exactly a server side random amount of 0.000?????BTC, provide a QR-Code and a bitcoin link to pay. The 0s not being 0s would still validate, so the users can mix a donation  with their captcha payment.
Of course if blockchaininfo allows long polling, i would do that.

[unclemantis]

I agree with the payments.

[ripper234]

This spamming is still going strong.
Emailing contact@bitcoin.it about it.

[Lethos]

In my experience with Wiki's most captcha based additional verification before account creation doesn't slow it down much.
They guess those rather two well.
What slows it down the most is simple but random question of your own choice.
Having something non standard, means the bot just won't be able to guess it, but a human will know the answer.

The donation method is also great, just take a bit more to implement. It would once done before more likely to beat the bots and spammers.

[J-Norm]

A clever spammer could create a website that relays any sort of captcha challenge to users who are willing to solve them for .01BTC each. It has been done before, but using porn for a reward instead of bitcoins. Same principal.

[FreeMoney]

A clever spammer could create a website that relays any sort of captcha challenge to users who are willing to solve them for .01BTC each. It has been done before, but using porn for a reward instead of bitcoins. Same principal.

Not that clever since he'd be paying .01 instead of the direct access payment of .001

A more substantial deposit that is returned after the account doesn't spam is probably better, that way it is only a cost to spammers. It only really works in communities where most people will have coins and even then could be annoying, but so is spam.

[auzaar]

It' a good idea, but it's better if the 0.001 BTC will be sent to the Bitcoin Faucet

so a person coming to bitcointalk.org to learn about bitcoin and how to use it, will have to first ask his question somewhere else? so he can pay .001 btc to the forum

[grue]

It' a good idea, but it's better if the 0.001 BTC will be sent to the Bitcoin Faucet

doesn't that end up spamming the blockchain?

[kokojie]

It' a good idea, but it's better if the 0.001 BTC will be sent to the Bitcoin Faucet

doesn't that end up spamming the blockchain?

Only for now, in the future, spamming the blockchain would be an encouraged behavior, since mining reward will be nearly zero, and miners will have to rely on massive amounts of transaction fee to keep mining.

[BladeMcCool]

In my experience with Wiki's most captcha based additional verification before account creation doesn't slow it down much.
They guess those rather two well.
What slows it down the most is simple but random question of your own choice.
Having something non standard, means the bot just won't be able to guess it, but a human will know the answer.
The donation method is also great, just take a bit more to implement. It would once done before more likely to beat the bots and spammers.

Correct captcha relay is about $1.60 for a thousand solutions. Doesnt slow down spammers. What will stop spammer dead in its tracks is subject-matter related question on signup. Like "How many bitcoins will there ever be?" ... answer 21000000 ... or fill in the blank "Satoshi ______" answer Nakamoto ... etc.

A clever spammer could create a website that relays any sort of captcha challenge to users who are willing to solve them for .01BTC each. It has been done before, but using porn for a reward instead of bitcoins. Same principal.

typers in kazakhstan or indonesia are happy to do it for USD$0.80 per 1000 solutions = 0.061 Bitcoins for 1000 solutions = thats like 0.00061 bitcoins per solution. Thats the supply side for the typing workers. The demand side of companies that sell the bulk solutions  (imagetypers, deathbycaptcha, decaptcher, etc. etc.) can charge $1.6 per 1000 .. i tihnk there is also a middleman in there somewhere. anyway captcha solving is a perfect business to disintermediate with bitcoins if workers would accept them and buyers would pay with them lol.

[Ente]

It' a good idea, but it's better if the 0.001 BTC will be sent to the Bitcoin Faucet

so a person coming to bitcointalk.org to learn about bitcoin and how to use it, will have to first ask his question somewhere else? so he can pay .001 btc to the forum

The idea is that users signing up on the *bitcoin wiki* pay/solve captchas etc. Not users signing up here, on bitcointalk.

I like that idea. Why should someone edit the bitcoin wiki if he doesn't even have a wallet?
I too approve in sending the bitcents to the faucet.

Ente

[auzaar]

It' a good idea, but it's better if the 0.001 BTC will be sent to the Bitcoin Faucet

so a person coming to bitcointalk.org to learn about bitcoin and how to use it, will have to first ask his question somewhere else? so he can pay .001 btc to the forum

The idea is that users signing up on the *bitcoin wiki* pay/solve captchas etc. Not users signing up here, on bitcointalk.

I like that idea. Why should someone edit the bitcoin wiki if he doesn't even have a wallet?
I too approve in sending the bitcents to the faucet.

Ente

in that case it is perfect

[ripper234]

This spamming is still going strong.
Emailing contact@bitcoin.it about it.

If you like the idea, please email contact@bitcoin.it about it - I haven't gotten any replies yet, and I don't know if they've seen the thread.

[casascius]

I think the spammers are bots that look for mediawiki installations anywhere, and just asking them 2+2=4 might be enough to stop them...they'll just move on and find another wiki.

[ripper234]

I think the spammers are bots that look for mediawiki installations anywhere, and just asking them 2+2=4 might be enough to stop them...they'll just move on and find another wiki.

Something needs to be done.
Does anyone know of another way to contact the wiki developers / maintainers?

[casascius]

I think the spammers are bots that look for mediawiki installations anywhere, and just asking them 2+2=4 might be enough to stop them...they'll just move on and find another wiki.

Something needs to be done.
Does anyone know of another way to contact the wiki developers / maintainers?

It looks like someone may have already boxed up a solution for this in the form of an installable plugin: http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Combating_spam