Nuking Members

[Kilt]

I see three potential ways to get rid of, for example, spammers who make it through the spam screens into membership:

1. Ban them with moderator tools.
2. In the Edit User page of ACP, change their User State from Valid to Rejected.
3. In the user list in ACP, delete the user with the trash can icon.

Could someone explain what the practical differences are among these different methods of expulsion, both short term and long term if applicable. Thanks.

 

[TPerry]

Spam clean them if they meet the criteria.. that way, if you have your system setup correctly.. it also submits the user(s) to those provider databases to prevent others from getting hit by them (usually IP and email).

 

[Suzanne O]

There are better ways.
change your capcha over to the question answer one.

manually approve accounts.

 

[Kilt]

Thanks, but I'm not asking about how to prevent spam registrants or about spam cleaning. I'm specifically asking about the technical differences in removing (nuking) any member via the three procedures I specifically listed.

My spam filters and procedures catch most attempted spam registrants. However, sometimes I become suspicious of a registrant's IP address before that new member even posts anything. I usually nuke them via method #2, occasionally method #1, and I don't think I have ever used method #3. Surely, there are some technical differences among these three methods, such as the ability to re-use names, email addresses, passwords, IP addresses, or something else.

 

[Suzanne O]

Put a notice up on your forum letting them know that if they're inactive for 30 days they're accounts will be nuked

 

[Kilt]

I really would like feedback from folks more experienced than I am, especially as to the technical features of XF. But I made a mistake in mentioning spam in my OP, which has muddled up the question I'm asking. FORGET SPAM!

I'm simply asking what are the different technical ramifications, if any, of removing members by these three methods:

1. Ban them.
2. In the Edit User page of ACP, change their User State from Valid to Rejected.
3. In the user list in ACP, delete the user with the trash can icon.

 

[FTL]

@Kilt Why don't you create a test account and try the three processes on it, then see how it looks on the forum and when you try to log in with it? You'll learn a lot that way and really get a feel for the different methods.

While it's too much effort to remind myself of all the subtle nuances of these three methods now to explain them, I can tell you that a ban causes their username to show up with a line through it. Also their profile cannot be viewed, plus, when they next access the forum, they'll be trapped with a ban message and can't even log out. They have to delete the forum cookie to be able to view the forum as a logged out / unregistered member. As soon as they log in again, they'll get trapped and have to delete the cookie once more.

All the methods are reversible except the spam cleaner and account deletion in the ACP. Be very sure you want to nuke an account to that level before pulling the trigger. Hope this helps.

 

[⭐ Alex ⭐]

I really would like feedback from folks more experienced than I am, especially as to the technical features of XF. But I made a mistake in mentioning spam in my OP, which has muddled up the question I'm asking. FORGET SPAM!

I'm simply asking what are the different technical ramifications, if any, of removing members by these three methods:

1. Ban them.
2. In the Edit User page of ACP, change their User State from Valid to Rejected.
3. In the user list in ACP, delete the user with the trash can icon.

FTL seems to have covered the differences between banning and rejected, where banning has some active effects.

In terms of the difference between 3 and 1 & 2, with option 3 you're able to remove their content in a GDPR compliant fashion, shutting the door of them ever using that same account again and releases your commitment to that user and responsibility of keeping their data safe and accessible.