You mention on another thread blocking spam and prosecutions on Twitter and so on; how does that work?

It's all pretty automatic these days CT. Captcha stops most Spam. New police and online methods track IP numbers and proxy servers within seconds. That's why Twitter, You Tube and other trolls are so foolish as well as so moronic.They really don't understand modern technology.

Having said that, spammers constantly upgrade their methods and sometimes evade immediate attention - for a few minutes.

I was blocked today on a harmless post and wondered why.

I see you're using a proxy, CT; they tend to be automatically blocked if previous blocked IP numbers have used them. It doesn't happen a lot and after checking the original IP number, if that's not you the block's lifted. As you've found!

Captcha very nearly stops me too. Over and over again. I wish there was the "listen" option.
I cant seem to stay signed in either. Is it just me?

Do Spammers give up after a while when they don't see their spam go on the boards?

No idea Charles - automatic blocking of spam and troll IP numbers and their proxies mean they get dumped without us ever seeing them.

Honey - sorry you have problems with Captcha but it really does get rid of spammers, one of the banes of popular forums.

interesting as I always use a proxy but never been blocked.

but who would want to block hedda's great words of wisdom?

Proxies only get blocked when the original IP is known to be a spam or troll poster. But it then happens automatically, without ever reaching us.
I suspect Spammers do give up after realising their spam never gets put up. Trolls are more barmy and I would imagine they simply can't accept nobody reads their bile. They live in their own mad troll world.

Still don't quite understand how you can block stuff without even seeing it

It's the new technology Charles - WhoIs and TraceRoute and these other methods of tracking IPs even when they use proxies. It's the weapons the authorities use to prosecute bullies and haters but is also useful for Spam. I suspect Spammers give up (or find other ways) when they notice no Spam gets through. Trolls and haters being more stupid - or existing in their own Bile World - simply don't realise they don't get seen. Their motives have no actual interest in their victims - they simply have to behave in a certain way, like lancing a boil, and probably continue to spew poison whether or not anyone ever sees it.

When you read the stuff about Tom Daley and others, you think there are hundreds of them. I actually think there are the same amount there ever were. A few dozen mad people spouting bile. It used to be over the garden fence. Then into green ink (I used to get loads of mad hate mail during my Sun days). Now internet shit which is much more easily deleted and ignored.

Trolls arrested over the Spurs-West Ham game in October - online haters.

Yes - anti-semitic as usual; you'd be surprised by the percentage of names on the police data lists of known online trolls that are anti semitic... amazing. I thought they were all dead.

Excuse me for being old but what are proxys?

Servers who disguise your IP numbers - like Torservers and many others. They make it look as though your posts/Tweets/You Tube/Facebook comments come from Bosnia or New Zealand or Manchester when they are not. Often used for accessing places like BBC iPlayer that block outside the UK. They used to conceal your true IP but don't anymore. New technology moves so fast. That's how they can now trace and prosecute people like the above spammers.

Charles T wrote:
Excuse me for being old but what are proxys?

indeed I use a UK based proxy to access BBC / ITV etc. cost about 4 quid a month