MediaWiki talk:Spam-blacklist

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"Wikipedia:Spam-blacklist" redirects here. For a description of the spam blacklist, see Wikipedia:Spam blacklist. For instructions on administering the spam blacklist, see Wikipedia:Spam-blacklisting.
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    Mediawiki:Spam-blacklist is meant to be used by the spam blacklist extension. Unlike the meta spam blacklist, this blacklist affects pages on the English Wikipedia only. Any administrator may edit the spam blacklist. See Wikipedia:Spam blacklist for more information about the spam blacklist.

    Instructions for editors

    There are 4 sections for posting comments below. Please make comments in the appropriate section. These links take you to the appropriate section:

    1. Proposed additions
    2. Proposed removals
    3. Troubleshooting and problems
    4. Discussion

    Each section has a message box with instructions. In addition, please sign your posts with ~~~~ after your comment.

    Completed requests are archived. Additions and removals are logged, reasons for blacklisting can be found there.

    Addition of the templates {{Link summary}} (for domains), {{IP summary}} (for IP editors) and {{User summary}} (for users with account) results in the COIBot reports to be refreshed. See User:COIBot for more information on the reports.

    Instructions for admins
    Any admin unfamiliar with this page should probably read this first, thanks.
    If in doubt, please leave a request and a spam-knowledgeable admin will follow-up.

    Please consider using Special:BlockedExternalDomains instead, powered by the AbuseFilter extension. This is faster and more easily searchable, though only supports whole domains and not whitelisting.

    1. Does the site have any validity to the project?
    2. Have links been placed after warnings/blocks? Have other methods of control been exhausted? Would referring this to our anti-spam bot, XLinkBot be a more appropriate step? Is there a WikiProject Spam report? If so, a permanent link would be helpful.
    3. Please ensure all links have been removed from articles and discussion pages before blacklisting. (They do not have to be removed from user or user talk pages.)
    4. Make the entry at the bottom of the list (before the last line). Please do not do this unless you are familiar with regular expressions — the disruption that can be caused is substantial.
    5. Close the request entry on here using either {{done}} or {{not done}} as appropriate. The request should be left open for a week maybe as there will often be further related sites or an appeal in that time.
    6. Log the entry. Warning: if you do not log any entry you make on the blacklist, it may well be removed if someone appeals and no valid reasons can be found. To log the entry, you will need this number – 1312277295 after you have closed the request. See here for more info on logging.

    Proposed additions

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    vectorbuilder.com

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    vectorbuilder.com: Linksearch en (insource) - meta - de - fr - simple - wikt:en - wikt:fr • Spamcheck • MER-C X-wiki • gs • Reports: Links on en - COIBot - COIBot-Local • Discussions: tracked - advanced - RSN • COIBot-Link, Local, & XWiki Reports - Wikipedia: en - fr - de • Google: search • meta • Domain: domaintools • AboutUs.com See incoming spam from multiple accounts at https://spamcheck.toolforge.org/by-domain?q=vectorbuilder.com SmartSE (talk) 13:00, 17 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    plus Added to Special:BlockedExternalDomains. Thanks for reporting this.​ — Newslinger talk 15:38, 17 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]
    FYI, for the user who keeps trying to delete this - the site has already been blacklisted. Removing this request will not accomplish anything. - MrOllie (talk) 02:19, 26 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
    It helps to note the editor (or diffs) for possible future delisting requests:
    Minismurfgege (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · blacklist hits · AbuseLog · what links to user page · count · COIBot · Spamcheck · user page logs · x-wiki · status · Edit filter search · Google · StopForumSpam)
    The blankings show more intentions than some (possibly good faith but misplaced) link additions. --Dirk Beetstra T C 04:34, 26 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    educationvibes.in

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    Exclusively enwiki, external link spam. Seems like smallest range covering the additions would be 122.161.48.0/21 (block range · block log (global) · WHOIS (partial)). Perryprog (talk) 22:02, 22 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    @Perryprog: plus Added to MediaWiki:Spam-blacklist. You can't indef a /21, and with them being busy for 18 months it is not unlikely they wait it out. --Dirk Beetstra T C 19:21, 23 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    www.medhairclinic.eu

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    Diff, Diff, Diff , DiffRht bd (talk) 14:58, 25 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
     Defer to Global blacklist Cross-wiki spamming; I went ahead and submitted it to meta. OhNoitsJamie Talk 16:43, 25 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    clrn.org

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    clrn.org: Linksearch en (insource) - meta - de - fr - simple - wikt:en - wikt:fr • Spamcheck • MER-C X-wiki • gs • Reports: Links on en - COIBot - COIBot-Local • Discussions: tracked - advanced - RSN • COIBot-Link, Local, & XWiki Reports - Wikipedia: en - fr - de • Google: search • meta • Domain: domaintools • AboutUs.com

    Was previously the California Learning Resource Network, which was retired in Sept 2017. It was usurped as an Ad site in 2018, however it has been redesigned to visually appear to related to its original purpose while serving AI generated articles since late 2024.

    Links from Sept 1, 2017 and earlier should be converted to archive links, as they are likely valuable for historical reference. Links from 2018 and later should likely be removed. --Snaer-81 (talk) 23:33, 26 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    @Snaer-81: plus Added to MediaWiki:Spam-blacklist, just 8 links, better to just remove all and then consider sources for unsourced material. --Dirk Beetstra T C 04:21, 27 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    apollobtspeaker.com

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    apollobtspeaker.com: Linksearch en (insource) - meta - de - fr - simple - wikt:en - wikt:fr • Spamcheck • MER-C X-wiki • gs • Reports: Links on en - COIBot - COIBot-Local • Discussions: tracked - advanced - RSN • COIBot-Link, Local, & XWiki Reports - Wikipedia: en - fr - de • Google: search • meta • Domain: domaintools • AboutUs.com

    Emma Whilt (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · blacklist hits · AbuseLog · what links to user page · count · COIBot · Spamcheck · user page logs · x-wiki · status · Edit filter search · Google · StopForumSpam)

    Faizan ali 33 (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · blacklist hits · AbuseLog · what links to user page · count · COIBot · Spamcheck · user page logs · x-wiki · status · Edit filter search · Google · StopForumSpam)

    Hola.links (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · blacklist hits · AbuseLog · what links to user page · count · COIBot · Spamcheck · user page logs · x-wiki · status · Edit filter search · Google · StopForumSpam)

    This link has been spammed across these account's talk pages, by said accounts. 45dogs (they/them) (talk page) 08:06, 27 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    thehighway-code.co.uk / mocktheorytest.co.uk

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    IP-hopping spammer repeatedly adding both (very closely related) websites to UK-driving articles. 10mmsocket (talk) 11:32, 29 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    It might also be worth looking at the contribution history of the 80.78.46.25, who has been adding the two links above plus similar websites (see below) to articles since 2019. 10mmsocket (talk) 11:37, 29 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
    @10mmsocket: plus Added to MediaWiki:Spam-blacklist. --OhNoitsJamie Talk 12:49, 29 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    Pravda network sites

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    All part of the Pravda network as highlighted by a recent disinformation report from DFRLab, discussion at RSN - WP:RSN#Pravda network sites. -- LCU ActivelyDisinterested «@» °∆t° 11:24, 31 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    @ActivelyDisinterested: plus Added to MediaWiki:Spam-blacklist, implementation of consensus established at RSN. --Dirk Beetstra T C 11:50, 31 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    Backfilling domains from Wikipedia:Deprecated sources/Domains

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    The page Wikipedia:Deprecated sources/Domains (WP:DEPD) has been created to track the status of domain names associated with deprecated sources. A number of domains associated with sources that are currently on the spam blacklist have not yet been added, and will be added now. — Newslinger talk 19:45, 31 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    Breitbart News

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    Associated with currently blacklisted domain breitbart.com. See WP:DEPD § Breitbart News. — Newslinger talk 19:49, 31 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    plus Added to MediaWiki:Spam-blacklist. — Newslinger talk 19:50, 31 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    Infowars

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    Associated with currently blacklisted domains banned.video, infowars.com, nationalfile.com, newswars.com, and prisonplanet.com. See WP:DEPD § Infowars. — Newslinger talk 19:54, 31 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    plus Added to MediaWiki:Spam-blacklist. — Newslinger talk 19:54, 31 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    NewsFront

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    Associated with currently blacklisted domain news-front.info. See WP:DEPD § NewsFront. — Newslinger talk 20:01, 31 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    plus Added to MediaWiki:Spam-blacklist. — Newslinger talk 20:02, 31 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    Project Veritas

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    Associated with currently blacklisted domain projectveritas.com. See WP:DEPD § Project Veritas. — Newslinger talk 20:07, 31 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    plus Added to MediaWiki:Spam-blacklist. — Newslinger talk 20:08, 31 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    royalark.net

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    This is a self-published website that is listed on WP:RSP. An edit filter warns editors who try to add it, but none of that makes a blind bit of difference so I have to keep purging it. I have no evidence it's being spammed as such, but the effect is indistinguishable. It is useless and keeps being added, can we please blacklist it? Guy (help! - typo?) 09:54, 5 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    chartexpo.com

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    Hafizshafi1993 and Shafihafizmalik are blocked, others are likely block evading - MrOllie (talk) 21:02, 10 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    @MrOllie: plus Added to MediaWiki:Spam-blacklist. --Dirk Beetstra T C 07:21, 11 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    6 websites

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    All of these are mentioned in the recent The Register article about Russian disinformation websites network. I don't know how necessary blacklisting them actually is, considering that there was only one link in the main space, but doing that wouldn't be a bad safety measure. Sapphaline (talk) 13:38, 19 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    thefinancegig.com

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    Refspam. Fancy Refrigerator (talk) 18:21, 19 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    @Fancy Refrigerator plus Added to BED. Both accounts blocked. Will run a CU when I have time in case there are any more. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 18:48, 19 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    Proposed removals

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    Request to remove aitrendsphere.com from blacklist

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    aitrendsphere.com: Linksearch en (insource) - meta - de - fr - simple - wikt:en - wikt:fr • Spamcheck • MER-C X-wiki • gs • Reports: Links on en - COIBot - COIBot-Local • Discussions: tracked - advanced - RSN • COIBot-Link, Local, & XWiki Reports - Wikipedia: en - fr - de • Google: search • meta • Domain: domaintools • AboutUs.com
    Text generated by a large language model (LLM) or similar tool has been collapsed per relevant Wikipedia guidelines. LLM-generated arguments should be excluded from assessments of consensus. — Newslinger talk 13:37, 29 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
    The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

    Hello,

    I am requesting the removal of the domain `aitrendsphere.com` from the spam blacklist.

    Reasons:

    - The website now contains high-quality, original, and neutral content related to artificial intelligence and technology.

    - Past spam issues have been resolved, and no promotional linking has occurred recently.

    - Inclusion of this source in relevant Wikipedia articles would improve citation quality and provide verified information.

    Example use case: I attempted to cite this article [insert example article title or link], but was blocked due to the blacklist.

    Thank you.

    ~~~~ Gptzero (talk) 05:59, 18 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

     Not done You are blocked indefinitely. Reasons: - Spam only account - several other spam-only accounts created to try to spam this. OhNoitsJamie Talk 12:06, 18 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    Request for whitelisting placidway.com

    [edit]
    Text generated by a large language model (LLM) or similar tool has been collapsed per relevant Wikipedia guidelines. LLM-generated arguments should be excluded from assessments of consensus. MrOllie (talk) 14:53, 27 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
    The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

    Hello, I would like to respectfully request the removal of placidway.com from the spam blacklist.

    I understand the domain was originally blacklisted due to concerns about promotional use in relation to medical tourism. However, I believe there are valid, encyclopedic reasons to reconsider its inclusion, particularly when used selectively and in line with Wikipedia’s policies on external links (WP:EL) and reliable sources (WP:RS).

    Reasons for reconsideration

    1. Industry Data and Reports – PlacidWay publishes treatment cost comparisons, country-level healthcare overviews, and global patient flow insights. These are frequently referenced by third-party sources, including independent news media and research publications, suggesting that the information extends beyond pure marketing content.

    2. Unique Coverage – In the field of medical tourism, especially for emerging markets, centralized and comparable data can be difficult to find. PlacidWay’s databases provide treatment price ranges and accessibility information that are not always available through government or peer-reviewed outlets. While such data must always be handled with care, it can help fill informational gaps in relevant articles.

    3. Comparable Precedent – Other industry-specific portals and directories in the medical tourism sector, such as Bookimed (bookimed.com) and Medical Tourism Magazine (magazine.medicaltourism.com), are not currently blacklisted despite their commercial nature. PlacidWay operates in a similar way, providing cost comparisons and general patient guidance. For consistency, it seems reasonable that PlacidWay could be evaluated under the same criteria.

    4. Selective Use Only – This request is not intended to encourage broad or promotional linking of PlacidWay across multiple articles. Rather, it is to allow editors the option to cite or link to PlacidWay in specific cases where the content provides unique, verifiable information of encyclopedic value, consistent with established guidelines.

    Assurances

    I fully recognize the importance of avoiding promotional use of external links. Any inappropriate additions can and should continue to be reverted. My request is solely to allow for selective and policy-aligned use of placidway.com in contexts where it provides neutral, verifiable, and otherwise unavailable data that enhances Wikipedia’s coverage of medical tourism.

    Thank you for considering this request. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Anasjameel12 (talk • contribs)

    Thanks for your interest, but we won't entertain AI-written requests or requests from site owners. - MrOllie (talk) 14:53, 27 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
    @Anasjameel12: no Declined, wrong venue, and as said, we will not entertain requests that are AI generated, nor those from site owners. --Dirk Beetstra T C 05:34, 28 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    Proposal to whitelist

    [edit]

    This is the official website for Field Recordings (podcast) and I'd like to include it in an external links section. TipsyElephant (talk) 23:12, 30 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

     Defer to Whitelist OhNoitsJamie Talk 23:53, 30 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    Request for removal of simform.com from blacklist

    [edit]

    Hello, I hope you are doing well.

    I am writing to request a review of the domain simform.com, which was blacklisted in 2021 due to concerns about a pattern of single-purpose accounts and sockpuppetry activity that added links across multiple articles—violating Wikipedia’s policies on spam and conflict of interest.

    Since then, the company has undertaken a comprehensive review and implemented new internal policies to ensure full compliance with Wikipedia’s guidelines. All prior link-building practices that led to this issue have been identified and discontinued. I kindly ask that the site be reconsidered for removal from the blacklist, as it now serves as a verifiable and reliable source in relevant contexts.

    The site currently provides high-quality, subject-matter-expert content in areas such as digital product engineering, AI/ML, cloud technologies, and application modernization. It has been independently recognized by reputable industry analysts, including Clutch, as a credible source and leading service provider.

    Reconsidering simform.com would allow editors to reference high-quality, third-party-validated resources that enhance Wikipedia’s coverage of technical topics. For example, articles on cloud technologies and application modernization could benefit from reliable, expert-driven insights without reintroducing promotional or non-compliant content.

    Thank you very much for your time and consideration. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2402:a00:401:2356:9843:8725:a94e:caba (talk) 07:18, 5 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    no Declined, we simply do not entertain requests made by WP:COI editors (which then also clearly shows that you do not understand the concerns that resulted in blacklisting in the first place). You could try to create a personal account, properly declare your conflict of interest as described in our policies and guidelines, and start adding content (and use whitelist requests where needed). --Dirk Beetstra T C 08:28, 5 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]
    "We consult, engineer, and design technology solutions to address complex business challenges with precision."
    OK, so not a source, a sales pitch. Guy (help! - typo?) 14:43, 10 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]


    Request for removal of ongurpartners.com from blacklist

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    Hello,

    A few months ago, we learned that we were blacklisted on Wikipedia because of our SEO consultant, whom we fired. We are a trusted international law firm. Please remove our website from the blacklist.

    Thank you very much for your time and consideration. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Alierenerdal (talk • contribs)

     Not done. As is clearly stated in the heading of this section, "Requests from site owners or anyone with a conflict of interest will be declined". CoconutOctopus talk 13:18, 8 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]
    no Declined, user spammed promotional stuff after edit here, making their claim about their SEO consultant questionable. Edit reverted, user blocked. --Dirk Beetstra T C 19:02, 8 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]


    Request for removal of pontiart.com from blacklist

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    Hello, I would like to kindly request the removal of the domain pontiart.com from the spam blacklist. The website contains a large collection of information about Italian artists of the 19th and 20th century, including biographical details and data on their market quotations. It is intended as a resource for researchers, art historians, and collectors.

    Some years ago I mistakenly added promotional links to Wikipedia articles, and I understand this caused the domain to be blacklisted. I sincerely apologize for that misuse. Since then, I have improved the website’s content and my purpose now is only to provide reliable references where relevant. I believe that pontiart.com could serve as a useful and verifiable source for biographical and historical information about Italian painters and sculptors.

    We are very in love with modern italian art and there is not a lot of high quality material online. We publish a lot of article weekly that could really be useful. Thank you very much for considering this request.

    Best regards, Tommipi0210 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 31.191.183.5 (talk) 10:06, 12 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    no Declined, per the text in the yellow box in this section: "Requests from site owners or anyone with a conflict of interest will be declined". It will only be delisted if established users that are not involved with the site see its use, for the rest we can consider individual pages for use on a specific page through selective whitelisting. --Dirk Beetstra T C 12:29, 12 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]
    Note: this is globally whitelisted after spamming from dozens of IP addresses. For en.wikipedia, only whitelisting is possible, delisting has to be requested on meta (but same decline arguments will apply). --Dirk Beetstra T C 12:31, 12 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    Request to remove aircheck downloads from the black list

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    Hi, regarding the removal of "aircheckdownloads.com" from the spam blacklist:

    This isn't a spam website, and I don't understand why this was ever added. It's a UK radio archival service and is needed for multiple citations (e.g. the date/time a station launched/closed) across several Wikipedia articles.

    The site contains zero ads and/or popups and thus isn't even a safety risk like other whitelisted sites are.

    Thanks, Ts9909Wiki (talk) 22:30, 12 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    @Ts9909Wiki: no Declined, this was blacklisted on concerns of copyvio. For what I also see in the records, it could also have gone for spamming, seen the way it was (ab/over)used by some editors. Most of the links that were added were to MP3 files, and for a few that I have listened beyond the link to the MP3 there is no clue whether the MP3s are real, whether they are reliable sources (most were used as references), nor do they clearly state where they came from or who is the copyright holder. The front page has links directly to the MP3s, not to .htm files that hold the MP3s with proper records, and where .htm files are linked I do not find proper copyright information for the site. Besides that, I think that most of this information can be found on better (though probably primary) sources. --Dirk Beetstra T C 19:20, 13 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

    Discussion

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    Troubleshooting and problems

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    Request for clarification: cais-soas.com

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    Good day, when I tried to link a picture to a URL coming from the domain cais-soas.com (Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies) on Wikimedia Commons today (this one specifically), it told me that the domain is blocked by Wikipedia and I couldn't access it. The only thing I found when I researched the topic was a German wikipedia blog from 18 years ago, otherwise nothing. To me it seems like a relaible source, it's also from the University of Tehran and when I researched for it being a reliable source or not on Wikipedia, I didn't find anything there either, so I'm asking for clarification why the site is blacklisted and if it's possible to unblock it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Viceskeeni2 (talk • contribs)

    See [1]. We're not going to remove it from the blacklist, but the whitelist is an option. OhNoitsJamie Talk 15:27, 30 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
    Okay thanks for the clarification and how do you get it onto the whitelist? Do I have to make a whole nother request (and where) or something or can I just ask and then it's there Viceskeeni2 (talk) 15:53, 30 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
     Defer to Whitelist Instructions at the top. OhNoitsJamie Talk 16:23, 30 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]