First, don’t panic – we are going to make this easy. Starting About November 7th/8th, commenting on WUWT will require you to be a registered user. Read on for the hows and whys.
For over 15 years, WUWT has been open to commenting by anyone. That had both good and bad aspects to it.
The good was obvious – anyone could immediately comment by simply placing their email address and name/handle into the comment box. The first comment required approval, after that comments went unfettered provided the commenter didn’t use any of the prohibited words or phrases that most platforms already flag as inappropriate.
The bad was not so obvious – and appeared mostly behind the scenes at the moderation level. Through the years we have fought with some nefarious people hell-bent on disrupting this forum doing things like using fake email addresses, spoofing other identities to get past moderation, (in particular, one well-known climate troll from Oregon has been caught and warned dozens of times, and is banned), and then we have the “bots” – which are getting worse daily.
A recent WUWT article noted this:
We are being spammed by an extremely clever and aggressive spambot.
The bot uses several techniques to spoof users but is trying a new one today.
Then there’s Twitter, which has millions of “bots” estimated to be somewhere between 5% (according to Pre-Elon Twitter) and as much as 20% by other estimates.
How many bots do we have on WUWT? Well, there could be dozens to hundreds. Some people, like “griff” act like bots, where they throw up some cryptic or inane comment, and then never respond to replies to it. But, we don’t really know a total bot count.
What we do know, is that it is getting worse, and as the climate alarmist establishment gets even more zealous, trying to make people believe there is a “climate crisis”, our workload to weed out false commentary from bots and other fakes has increased significantly.
When I started WUWT in 2006 the Internet was a different entity. Now, it’s a climate war zone, and we have to harden the fort against daily attacks. I’ll point out that almost any other website today that has user interaction requires registration – we are just late to the party.
As I first said, “we are going to make this easy.” Here’s how.
We have a process by which we are going to use some automation assistance to help our valid pre-existing users get registered. I don’t want to give the details, because that will tip our hand to the bots and the bullies. Let’s just say, you’ll be hearing more soon.
For reference, here are some WUWT statistics as of this writing:
- 475,929,091 Views
- 28,652 Posts
- 3,490,060 Comments
Thanks to all of you for making WUWT the most-viewed (and likely most-commented) climate related website in the world.
-Anthony
UPDATE: Some folks have jumped to erroneous conclusions about what registration here will require.
All that will be required is two items you supply now – a name/handle and and email address, and additionally, a password of your choosing.
Passwords are encrytped – only you will know it. – Anthony
Do NOT require real names as some sites do – these make it easy for woke attackers to get people cancelled and sacked…
I prefer anonymity.
The more information the easier it is to be scammed.
Plus if you upset someone accidentally they will find it hard to get upset at you in real life.
–
I hate modernicity, as I get older it takes days to find my passwords in my 3 password books if I bothered to right them down in the first place.
–
Having said all that I will stump up to registration when I get round to it.
One of the reasons I do not comment at skeptical science is I could not be bothered to register for them.
Your site is genuine so OK.
–
Hope it all goes smooth and easily.
And works.
Thanks for all the effort from 2006..
Worth a true Nobel Prize one day I hope
Even if they do require something that looks like a real name, they could never verify that it was your real name. I could use my great-great-grandfather’s name, and nobody would know.
Griff,
I suggest you don’t vanish, as that will create an absence of you slightly odd sense of humour, which you undeserving portray. Ok your science maybe a little out of whack, but so is a lot of it with respect to climate. Weather is even worse as no meteorologist can project beyond 5 days and they are still wrong.
Ask a farmer and you have a better chance of getting it right.
Here is an issue I do find odd:
Many threads past griff asked about the head pictures on some threads and how to get copies.
Example of such graphics being these threads:
“The World is Transitioning to Fossil Fuels”
“What Does the BBC Expect Svalbard to Do When Its Coal Mine Is Shut?”
“America’s Energy Crisis is Mostly US Democrats’ Fault”
“Scientists Warn of a Rare Third Year La Nina”
“The Real “Existential Threat” To People and Planet”
To be honest I thing these graphics are fabulous.
Also like griff I would like a good copy to put on my office wall.
Ok I will also add a picture of our great climate evangelists, Tim, (the dams won’t fill etc.), Flannery, Chris Bowen, (I love every thing green even if it is retard) and others; so I can throw darts at the faces.
The graphics really in a drastic way represent what these idiots want.
Ok, back to griff and his request about these graphics.
It was given so many down votes it was stupid. The request was reasonable and what was asked valid.
Did anyone answer positively? Not that I know of.
As for access and registered users, beware this site does not become an “anti climate change echo chamber”.
I will also add don’t use ‘DISQUIS’ as a login system as it has give me headaches trying to log in to other sites for comment and so I just dropped out.
End rant and other issues..
(Ok, down vote me and I will call you a Climate Evangelist) 🙂
Well, it might help. For a while. If they can’t get you one way, there are many others. And you would be right to look for conspiracy because they conspire against us.
Anthony ==> Yes, late to the party – should have been implemented long ago. You have been too too kind to the mal-intended.
Thank you for all your work and sacrifice these many long years.
It’s about time.
I can’t continue to comment then. I can’t give up my real driver license or other ID just to comment on a website, even one as important as this. I’ll use an email but not one connected with my real identity. It will be a huge boon to the climate police when they are ultimately formed by the government to identify and eliminate dissent. You can’t refuse to turn over the info when they have a warrant for it. Keep up the good work though. Signing off
“I can’t give up my real driver license or other ID”
Where did anyone say this would be required?
It amazes me how many people jump to an erroneous conclusion.
All that will be required is two items you supply now – a name/handle and and email address. And a password of your choosing. Paswords are encrytped – only you will know it.
That’s all.
Sounds a certain “some” are complaining because they want to keep the vulnerabilities open.
“Wise as serpents, harmless as doves.”
To many “doves” forget that there are “serpents” out there.
It’s hard for them to imagine that there are people out there that would do what they would never dream of doing themselves.
Protect the site from the “serpents”.
PS I admit I don’t read every comment on every post, but I don’t recall ever seeing “theMysteriousFrog” before.
I just did a search of WUWT after typing that first sentence and found zero results.
A “serpent”?
I have never heard of a website requiring a driver’s license, an this will not be the first one. However I’ve heard that to register here you must provide 6″ x 4″ photographs of yourself and all family members, a pledge to not use four letter words and lame jokes, like this one, a pledge to not insult Greta Thunberg more than once in a comment, and a $49.49 deposit, which will be refunded “one of these days” if you choose to leave the website permanently. The registration application will be moved through the system (aka Charles Rotten) faster if accompanied by a bottle of Mr. Rotten’s favorite: MD20/20.
Why not use an existing commenting application, such as Disqus?
Moderation is possible with Disqus.
It also allows for easier-to-follow discussion threads, for example between two people.
Because Discus:
If it will help reduce the spambots impacts, bring the changes on.
Piece o cake…28000 posts! When I started here back in the beginning I would read 2 days backlog to get to the beginning and it only took about a month. I mostly lurk here but the facts and ways to present them have been used to convert many except the most devout of Climatism adherents. It looks dark right now but most of the folks that I have swayed, who have the scales fall from their eyes after a long and calm discussion are under 30. Keep it up, WUWT!
I am okey with registering and moderating stupid stuff
Anthony,
Just noticed that I cannot access Lucia’s the Blackboard from your list of bookmarks.
Maybe an oversight?
Might be my vision.
I feel it is very important for you to cross reference other sites that do reference Climate change in a skeptical manner.
Asa courtesy could you please add it back in?
Commentators there do add a scientific and mathematical view not obtainable anywhere else.
Many thanks.
There are some inactive sites there but this one is active and helpful.
Because I have a prominent, recognizable family name and do not wish to involve other members of the family, I have used a pseudonym and a no-longer existent email address lo these many years.
I remain unwilling to supply my real name.
Second rule of monikers:
If you use a moniker that sounds like a real name,
don’t tell anyone you are using a moniker.
When I first made a few comments on WUWT I used my real first name.
When I realized I was going to continue, I started to use “Gunga Din” because I worked for a city that had “Gone PC/Green/Diversity and Inclusion” and some of the things I said could be traced to the real me.
I sent an email that I was changing and reasons why. “No problem” was the reply.
I suspect your only problem might be using a no-longer existent email.
When you register, supply a valid one. Even it you make a new, additional one to use only here.
PS “”Gunga Din” was the CB handle someone gave me where I worked about 40 years ago. I still personally identify with it.
Excellent! Happy to comply!
BREAKING NEWS on the new password rules:
They will require 14 letters, 6 capitalized
They will require 7 numbers, but no zeros
They can not be obscene words, or sound like obscene words.
They will require four punctuation marks
Elderly readers are advised to have their new passwords
tattooed on their arm.
And a drop of blood for a DNA test?
WUWT is only trying to keep out the “serpents”.
First timers may hesitate to “register” to be able to comment, but it’s worth doing so.
(And anyone can still read it.)
So where did you tattoo your password?
Third leg??
Be nice us oldies are better at remembering real life vs the current snowflakes.
I know someone when counseling a young couple before performing their marriage ceremony.
He warned the girl that her husband-to-be had a tattoo that read “Eat at Joe’s”.
But under certain conditions it read “Eat at Joe’s Bar and Grill, Chattanooga, Tennessee.”
So where did you tattoo your password?
Third leg??
He said 14 letters… not 4 !
I intend to remain mysterious.
The drama queens here are ridiculous.
It should be mandatory that ALL social media requires not only registration but also identity verification. Disagree? tell me why. Because you like to lie and smear with impunity? Not a good reason. Nowhere in the 1st amendment is anonymous free speech protected.
Nowhere in the first amendment does it say you must identify yourself before speaking or writing something.
I’m sure doxing is much easier with registration.
I hope it’s like ZeroHedge commenting. It’s pretty much the standard.
Makes me laugh when people start on the ‘They’ll know who I am if i register’. They already know who you are etc etc. Get used to it and do all you can to wind them up and let them know that you’re not frightened and will keep doing and saying what you stand for.
I’ll happily register because I like commenting.
James Bull
I’m in, just hope registration will help keeping bots and trolls away from spamming this great site.
Registration is confiscation!
I lost my kindle and logs in a methane accident…
…true story.
=8-|
Whatever database created, if online, will be hacked.
I was fretslider… until I got hacked here, which was pretty annoying to say the least.
It put me in moderation by default and it becomes a waste of time commenting when the moderators are obviously snowed under.
I’d like to thank Charles for his help with the problem.
I am fully on board. Good on ya.
You should consider including a verification that has more meat to them. Send numbers/letters on a captcha like photo to their email and/or text message, have them provide the numbers and verify all IP addresses. Provide the IP address of their IPS modem, Or the verification of the PC / browser info. Or, name of the town they live in a photo from their cellphone with GPS location.
I do not have, and intend to avoid getting for as long as possible, a cellphone.
If I am “forced” to do so the plan is to get a “dumb / burner” mobile phone, with “phone calls + SMS only” functionality.
Here in France around 5% of the population do not have a cellphone at all (mostly in the under-10 and over-70 age groups).
Note, however, that around 20%, i.e. one in five (!) people in a “First World” country, do not have a “smart” phone.
I confess I have no idea how a bot works, or how anyone knows if a commenter is actually a bot?
One thing I do know for sure, is that there is no “climate crisis”.
There is not anything even remotely unusual or unprecedented about anything going on with the weather, or storms, or ice, or rainfall, or anything else.
Exactly 100% of everything going on on our planet is well within the range of measured and recorded historic variability.
Registration is not a problem.