Re: The Proxy blocker; important notice to all Wikipedias

Brion Vibber wrote:
> On Mar 20, 2004, at 11:29, Walter Vermeir wrote:
> 
>> I have discovered there is now a robot active on I believe all 
>> Wikipedias whit the name "Proxy blocker".
>>
>> It blocks automaticly all users who are using a open proxy server.
>>
>> It looks like a action form the English Wikipedia.
> 
> 
> Tim plugged this experimentally into the wiki in response to a massive 
> spambot attack a few days ago that worked through open proxies. It's not 
> a vigilante robot, but an automated part of the wiki that runs a check 
> when a given IP address first makes an edit. (This should have been 
> announced; if it wasn't, I hope Tim will remember to do so next time.)

To implement a proxy scanner/blocker was an idea I had in early February 
some time, when I saw simple vandals using anonymous proxies to evade 
bans. I raised the idea of systematically blocking anonymous proxies on 
wikien-l in mid-February, under the subject "Anonymous proxies", to 
discuss the ethical issues. Jimbo was behind the idea. I wasn't even 
sure if I was going to write it at that stage, I just wanted to make 
sure there was no reason I couldn't do it. But events in early March 
inspired me to get on with it and quickly push it into service. I'm 
sorry I forgot to announce it in the rush. I did mention it on IRC a few 
times, and I wrote some documentation at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Proxy_blocker


Neil Harris wrote:
 > A suggestion: instead of blocking auto-detected open proxies
 > indefinitely, they should only be blocked for a limited period such as
 > one week.

Done.

-- Tim Starling