Problems with Comments
We seem to be under a spam attack from Russian bots. At the same time I am noticing that multiple people are having trouble posting comments. I have to go to work, so please be patient if you have trouble posting comments today. I’ll try to look into it further when I can.
If you have trouble commenting, email me and describe what happened when you tried.
UPDATE: As of 3/11, it appears that comments are continuing to go straight into moderation. Please bear with us. They will be released as time permits.
I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that it’s on the day of the primary which could make or break Bernie Sanders.
Also, thank you, and no worries, Patterico.
nk (1d9030) — 3/10/2020 @ 8:03 amThanks.
Re: work. Go get ’em.
Make America Ordered Again (23f793) — 3/10/2020 @ 8:30 amP.S. Out of curiosity, how do you know they are “Russian bots”? Or is that meant for humor?
Make America Ordered Again (23f793) — 3/10/2020 @ 8:33 amMaybe he has one of those bot apps that confirms bot
harkin (b64479) — 3/10/2020 @ 8:49 amsources, like I sometimes see calling me a bot after I make a negative comment about a democrat on some message boards. They look very official.
_
Testing.
Dana (4fb37f) — 3/10/2020 @ 8:51 amTesting. My comment on the “Indicators” thread says it’s in moderation.
Kishnevi (e266d6) — 3/10/2020 @ 9:04 amCareful talking about mother russia. you’ll trigger Trump’s fans.
Dustin (736fa7) — 3/10/2020 @ 9:09 amIs not Russian bot. Is real comment.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/10/2020 @ 9:22 amComment 45 in the Italy thread posted, and then comment 47, about the FDNY releieving ordinary firemen (EMS works under FDNY) from resoonsing to certain kinds of calls, went into mideration – and everything else after that did too
(I tried on the Trump tweeting thread with a post that stated it works – usually when something goes into moderaton it’s the only post) but it didn’t.
But now everything has been posted.
The way this would make sense is that the bots are impersonating users, and exploiting something about the moderation system to get users put into moderation. Or does this on;y happen when the same name is used too frequently? I thought the only thing tthat happens then is that you get told you are posting too quickly.
You should see if there are fake comments using names of regular posters.
Sammy Finkelman (02a146) — 3/10/2020 @ 9:23 amWell my previous comment here just now did not post
Sammy Finkelman (02a146) — 3/10/2020 @ 9:23 amI am trashing the spam/inappropriate comments, and approving comments from regular commenters. I will do this as my schedule allows. So if you don’t see your comment, please be patient. Hopefully the tech guy will address the problem later today.
Dana (4fb37f) — 3/10/2020 @ 9:38 amIs every comment from every person going into moderation?
Sammy Finkelman (02a146) — 3/10/2020 @ 9:44 amI don’t think that it’s a coincidence that it’s on the day of the primary which could make or break Bernie Sanders.
Sucks that the drunken primary of next Tuesday may not matter except for the A-B-F gambit. Good luck, Patterico and other mods.
urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 3/10/2020 @ 9:57 amTesting.
harkin (b64479) — 3/10/2020 @ 10:00 amIt looks like everyone’s comments are automatically going into moderation, including mine.
Dana (4fb37f) — 3/10/2020 @ 10:07 amI’m haf no prooblem vith coments.
Paul Montagu (d6528e) — 3/10/2020 @ 10:14 amPootin to save Mother Russia, dah!
I’ve been known for my moderation for years! There is no reason for my comments to go into moderation, comrade.
Appalled (1a17de) — 3/10/2020 @ 10:19 amTesting.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 3/10/2020 @ 11:20 amOk, there’s problem.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 3/10/2020 @ 11:20 amTest.
Dana (4fb37f) — 3/10/2020 @ 11:22 amTest, test, test.
Ok, comments seem to be appearing– eventually.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 3/10/2020 @ 11:27 amWell, maybe not.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 3/10/2020 @ 11:28 amAgain, for whatever reason, all comments are automatically going into moderation. I am releasing them as my schedule allows. Please be patient. Thanks.
Dana (4fb37f) — 3/10/2020 @ 11:34 amAnother test.
Paul Montagu (cbbfc4) — 3/10/2020 @ 11:39 amA three-judge panel just agreed with a federal judge: AG Barr must turn over to Congress grand jury materials from the Special Counsel investigation.
Dana, thanks for digging in with the comments.
Dustin (9c58b3) — 3/10/2020 @ 12:31 pmPerhaps some servers are routing through Italy and ‘attzamoderation’ is Italian technospeak for ‘quarantine,’ eh Dana?! 😉
DCSCA (797bc0) — 3/10/2020 @ 12:38 pmWell boys, I reckon this is it – interweb combat toe to toe with the Rooskies!
It figures they’d come for Patterico – America’s last, best hope!
🙂
Dave (6b3a27) — 3/10/2020 @ 12:50 pmI just released a few comments. I’ll try to help Dana with this task until we can get a fix in place.
JVW (54fd0b) — 3/10/2020 @ 1:18 pmWell boys, I reckon this is it – interweb combat toe to toe with the Rooskies!
Wolverines!
JVW (54fd0b) — 3/10/2020 @ 1:24 pmTest. Over-reliance on technology is a terrible thing.
Gawain's Ghost (b25cd1) — 3/10/2020 @ 1:39 pmInteresting. Even single-letter and single digit comments got moderated.
Does the filter accept “regular expressions“? It would be possible, if not careful, or not familiar with regular expressions, to create one that matches any string (and therefore moderates every comment].
Be especially wary of any filter string containing square brackets.
Dave (6b3a27) — 3/10/2020 @ 1:56 pmPaul Montagu (cbbfc4) — 3/10/2020 @ 11:39 am
Judge Thomas Griffith, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush, concurred with Rogers, a Clinton appointee. The lone dissenter, Judge Neomi Rao, was appointed by President Trump.
The usual suspects.
Munroe (dd6b64) — 3/10/2020 @ 2:00 pm“ Again, for whatever reason, all comments are automatically going into moderation. I am releasing them as my schedule allows.
Please be patient. Thanks.”
_
Dana, JVW:
Thanks for doing the extra work. Anybody complaining about their words of wisdom not being instantly posted needs to re-calibrate.
harkin (b64479) — 3/10/2020 @ 2:10 pm_
Make peace with Russia and become staunch allies in defense of Western Civilization.
Make America Ordered Again (6a3f87) — 3/10/2020 @ 2:22 pmInteresting. Even single-letter and single digit comments got moderated.
I think that WordPress is now automatically placing all comments into moderation. My comments go there, even though I am logged in as an admin. That might be WP’s automatic defense when a lot of spam starts coming in.
JVW (54fd0b) — 3/10/2020 @ 2:53 pmKudos to Dana, JVW and P for all your techno-patience w/this stuff.
I can have an intelligent conversation w/men who’ve piloted spacecraft to the moon and back but am terrified of pushing the wrong key on one of these gadgets and screwing something up that only a kid can figure out and correct. 😉
DCSCA (797bc0) — 3/10/2020 @ 4:11 pmWe seem to be under a spam attack from Russian bots.
This is what happens when you cease being a superpower– your people suddenly have too much time on their hands to play w/computers. 😉
DCSCA (797bc0) — 3/10/2020 @ 4:14 pmterrified of pushing the wrong key on one of these gadgets and screwing something up that only a kid can figure out and correct
Some of us have been dealing with computers and such since WE were kids. Of course they had tubes then.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/10/2020 @ 4:47 pmIs good, comrades…
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 3/10/2020 @ 5:48 pmHello Col. Hope all is good.
mg (8cbc69) — 3/10/2020 @ 6:00 pmA lot of spam on old posts over at the “Jury”
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/10/2020 @ 10:50 pmThank you to the moderators for doing the work to keep this place running.
Time123 (66d88c) — 3/11/2020 @ 6:46 amIs everything still going to moderation?
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/11/2020 @ 8:24 am42. Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/11/2020 @ 8:24 am
It still is, and at last report the spam attack was also continuing.
Sammy Finkelman (9570ad) — 3/11/2020 @ 10:00 amAre the moderators checking all threads?
[The comments come via WordPress in one giant pool, not separated out by thread. So I just approve the ones that look legitimate. – JVW]
Sammy Finkelman (9570ad) — 3/11/2020 @ 10:07 am