# Hindering drive-by spammers **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 24, 2016, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hindering-drive-by-spammers/760734 "2016-07-24T00:23:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hindering-drive-by-spammers/760734/21 "2016-09-13T12:12:13Z")
Is there some problem with the speed at which spam is disposed of now? IOW: What problem are we trying to solve? Personally, I’m not aware of any. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hindering-drive-by-spammers/760734/22 "2016-09-13T12:18:30Z")
It seems like a solution in search of a problem. A mod on the other side of the world would be helpful but one that could handle the full load and put out fires that happen over night. Just popping the spammers that get through doesn’t seem that pressing. Most get nailed very quickly. engineer\_comp\_geek apparently does not sleep and may in fact be a robot so he whacks many of the late night spammers. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hindering-drive-by-spammers/760734/23 "2016-09-13T12:45:27Z")
God knows that’s the truth. It’s not really involved - the spammer-whacking - but there are several steps. I think there’s three screens to jump through to delete a spam thread and ban the spammer. Fortunately, we can delete ALL of a spammers threads at once while banning them. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hindering-drive-by-spammers/760734/24 "2016-09-13T13:37:37Z")
With great power comes great responsibility. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hindering-drive-by-spammers/760734/25 "2016-09-13T15:15:38Z")
Drive-by spammers are easily dealt with, as seen. What we need is a way of dealing with drive-by, one-post-and-gone zombie-resurrectors. Something along the lines of “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.” ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hindering-drive-by-spammers/760734/26 "2016-09-13T15:23:33Z")
A wacky road trip filled with comedic misunderstandings in which one of us finds love with a hot model who needs to change her life to find happiness? Sounds risky. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hindering-drive-by-spammers/760734/27 "2016-09-13T16:54:55Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > A wacky road trip filled with comedic misunderstandings in which one of us finds love with a hot model who needs to change her life to find happiness? > > Sounds risky. So long as its me that finds the love, I’m in. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hindering-drive-by-spammers/760734/28 "2016-09-13T17:02:05Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > So long as its me that finds the love, I’m in. 😃 Yeah…but it’ll run you about $20-$25, only last about 90 minutes, and you’ll end up with a mysterious sticky substance on the bottom of your shoes as you leave the theater. ---
**Author:** ![heartsplayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d9b06d/32.png) [@heartsplayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heartsplayer)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hindering-drive-by-spammers/760734/29 "2016-09-16T19:43:43Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > Is it technically possible to prevent new accounts from including links in their first post. It seems that could reduce some of the illegal streaming site spam we see. However, there may also be some legitimate users that have a link that is relevant to the post or topic in question. Can the posts not be reported as soon as possible if it does turn out to be a spammer? Then someone can just ban them/delete them from the server and get rid of their posts at the same time. Possibly even banning IPs if the spam is from a suspect area. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hindering-drive-by-spammers/760734/30 "2016-09-16T19:56:39Z")
I get an email for every thread opened in Elections and Great Debates. Frequently, I’ll get an emailed Report from some helpful poster almost at the same time. The control is really how fast it takes us to check emails and see the report then act. People in my for a are very good about reporting spam threads. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hindering-drive-by-spammers/760734/31 "2016-09-16T19:57:11Z")
> [@heartsplayer](#): > > However, there may also be some legitimate users that have a link that is relevant to the post or topic in question. > > Can the posts not be reported as soon as possible if it does turn out to be a spammer? Then someone can just ban them/delete them from the server and get rid of their posts at the same time. Possibly even banning IPs if the spam is from a suspect area. They are reported as soon as possible. **running coach** even seems to have some kind of Spidey sense when it comes to sniffing out spam. He’s on most of it at almost the same second it’s posted. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hindering-drive-by-spammers/760734.md?page=1)