Block screened addresses and configure spam defence

Where: Admin → Moderation → Safety & spam

Before you start

Monitor records matching writes. Block refuses topics, replies, chat, private messages and profile edits from matching addresses. A broad network rule can affect many people behind a shared provider.

Step by step

1. Add an exact IPv4/IPv6 address, prefix or CIDR, choose Monitor or Block, reason and expiry days.
2. Use Monitor first when investigating a shared range. Zero expiry days keeps the rule indefinitely.
3. Configure content heuristics, score threshold and link trust requirement; save.
4. For Turnstile enter the public Site key and private Secret key, then save and test registration/topic/reply challenges.
5. Review Held for review and Recent sightings before widening a block.

Settings and behaviour

Monitor records matching writes. Block refuses topics, replies, chat, private messages and profile edits from matching addresses. A broad network rule can affect many people behind a shared provider.

Heuristics hold suspicious writing rather than deleting it. The account’s age, links and formatting contribute to the score. A category may raise its link trust requirement. Turnstile needs both keys; leave a stored secret field blank to retain it. Never paste the private key into public help. Word filters are another part of Safety & spam and have their own testable rules.

Check the result

Test a narrowly scoped rule with an ordinary account and confirm the logged reason. Verify genuine new users can still register/post after Turnstile setup.

Common questions and troubleshooting

Unexpected holds: compare score/reason, trust requirement and word filters. Turnstile fails: check site/domain keys and both credentials. Many members blocked: inspect CIDR/prefix scope and expiry.