Re: Ignored spam reports to Google Groups

Ben Bullock <benkasminbullock@xxxxxxxxx> writes:

This group is being flooded with spam from Google Groups. Each time I
see a spam it is originating from Google. I have reported every single
spam sender here to Google but they don't seem to be doing anything
about it.

Right. As far as I can tell, Google has very little incentive to improve
their behaviour on Usenet; from the perspective of the corporation, they
would far prefer everyone who is looking for a discussion forum to use
centralised Google Groups rather than distributed newsgroups. Every hour
they spend addressing spam on Usenet is an hour that could be spent on
things more directly related to Google's centralised services.

On the other hand, if Google (through inaction) allows Google-originated
spam to pollute Usenet, that hurts them very little and might (through
encouraging centralised forums like Google Groups) bring them some
benefit.

So I don't think we can expect Google to clean up their Usenet pollution
merely by being asked to do so. There needs to be a tangible benefit to
Google-the-corporation for that effort, and/or a tangible penalty for
avoiding it.

One way to enact that is to block *all* messages that originate from
Google. Rather a blunt instrument, with many false positives. Can anyone
suggest a better way, with less collateral damage, of tipping the
balance so that Google's incentives are changed for the better?

--
\ “Science doesn't work by vote and it doesn't work by |
`\ authority.” —Richard Dawkins, _Big Mistake_ (The Guardian, |
_o__) 2006-12-27) |
Ben Finney
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Anyone got a bulldozer?
    ... google does not carry those. ... a particular group and delete certain posts. ... Usenet was the domain of well connected universities. ... there was no spam. ...
    (rec.arts.disney.parks)
  • Re: Anyone got a bulldozer?
    ... google does not carry those. ... a particular group and delete certain posts. ... Usenet was the domain of well connected universities. ... there was no spam. ...
    (rec.arts.disney.parks)
  • Re: Somebody want to moderate this?
    ... Groups works very well - practically all spam originates from there. ... Cancelling the spam posts is poor etiquette, ... I would also like to note that these posts are NOT originating for ... Google Groups, so complaining to them will not help. ...
    (comp.os.minix)
  • Re: Somebody want to moderate this?
    ... filtering out postings made by Google ... Groups works very well - practically all spam originates from there. ... Cancelling the spam posts is poor etiquette, ... I would also like to note that these posts are NOT originating for ...
    (comp.os.minix)
  • Re: OT: Ignore feature and spam infestation
    ... Clearly they aren't interested in dedicating any amount of resources to ... flood of spam coming from their servers. ... Google for spamming starting months ago, ... of Usenet readers are taking the desperate countermeasure of killfiling ...
    (rec.bicycles.racing)