Last modified: 2009-03-19 16:50:59 UTC
Some time ago I requested the deactivation of Captcha for new users on nds.wikipedia. With this, it seems, also the Captcha for IPs adding external links was deactivated. Is it possible to have Captcha for anonymous link additions but not for new users?
That would be very weak, as a spambot could simply start registering accounts.
Yes. But at the moment we have no burden. And we want no burden for new users. They should be encouraged to log in without further hurdles (recognizing distorted English words can also be a big hurdle for 'real' people, not only for bots). But IPs who insert only links should not be encouraged. There is the four day delay before new users are fully treated as users (right?) so spam should be lessened even when this solution provides no full security. And it is easier to monitor or block a user than a number of random IPs.
(In reply to comment #1) > That would be very weak, as a spambot could simply start > registering accounts. There is a captcha for creating accounts, no? And that is certainly better than allowing link additions by anons without a captcha! (In reply to comment #2) >And it is easier to > monitor or block a user than a number of random IPs. In my experience, that's not true at all - you should be combatting spam using the blacklist, not user blocks!
This is a fucking 2006 bug. Where's the button for "bug resolved through developers being inactive until none of the bug's premises are true any more"? Whoever knows where to find that button, please just close the bug.
Closing per reporter request.