how to get rid of the Faithlife spam filter?

Kristin · 2025-05-25T14:33:13+00:00

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Hey everyone, I am having some technical issues regarding a group. Is it ok to post here? Here are the symptoms:

- Several members who could post are now getting error messages.

- Several members who had permission to message are now no longer able to.

- Members are being perceived as bots and need to provide scriptural evidence they are not.

I don't know what do do and any help would be appreciated.

I am attaching a few screenshots which will protect people's privacy but show the issues.

Bildschirmfoto 2025-05-25 um 09.28.27.png

Bildschirmfoto 2025-05-25 um 09.28.46.png

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Nicolai Skødt Holmgaard

I'm one of the users having trouble. But it seems I can post on this Community Forum

Bradley Grainger (Logos)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1370177#Comment_1370177

I've unbanned your account in Faithlife. (The spam filter had flagged you as extremely high risk, but hadn't provided any risk factors indicating why that decision was made.)

Nicolai Skødt Holmgaard

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1370181#Comment_1370181

Thanks Brandley. I'm not sure either why, since I just created my account and wrote a few messages. But thanks for the help!

Bradley Grainger (Logos)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/249725/how-to-get-rid-of-the-faithlife-spam-filter

Affected members can reach out to Customer Service to have the automated ban overturned. Filling out the Appeal form should be sufficient, or contacting directly.

~~Without some identifying details (e.g., user IDs or emails, which I understand you wouldn't want to share publicly), I don't know how to find the accounts to unban them.~~

I found the group @Nicolai Skødt Holmgaard was in, and unbanned three other users from that same group. Hope that helps.

Kristin

@Bradley Grainger (Logos), thank you for your help.

As far as I know, @Nicolai Skødt Holmgaard is the only person who Logos found high risk, but in my screenshot above the red "error" message banner was a different member. Is there a way to resolve that?

Bradley Grainger (Logos)

But it seems I can post on this Community Forum

The Faithlife spam filter was integrated with our old community forums, but not with this new system.

Bradley Grainger (Logos)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1370184#Comment_1370184

I found the group that @Nicolai Skødt Holmgaard was in, and unbanned three other members from that same group.

~~I can't explain why the spam filter triggered for all of them, sorry.~~

Edit: They all look like new accounts that were created and then immediately started posting on Faithlife groups. That's historically been a very high indicator of spam activity. (Most new user accounts log into the web app or purchase something from our store.)

Kristin

The Faithlife spam filter was integrated with our old community forums, but not with this new system.

Is there a way to get rid of it or tone it down? It is preventing several people from posting.

Kristin

Hi @Bradley Grainger (Logos) ,

Sorry for not seeing your message you wrote above, but I see now the issue should be resolved. Thank you very much for your help!

Bradley Grainger (Logos)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1370188#Comment_1370188

It still prevents a lot of spam on the platform, so we will be keeping it. A typical spam user creates an account and then immediately starts posting on Faithlife groups. (Whereas a typical user account comes in via logos.com or the web app, purchases some content, even if only free books, etc.)

It looks like the people who were banned in your group fit the profile of the first kind of account rather than the second kind, so got swept up in the filter. (I don't know if they were posting URLs in their messages, but that would also be extremely red-flag behaviour from the spam filter's perspective.)

Kristin

Hi @Bradley Grainger (Logos),

Thank you very much for the explanation, and that makes sense. Yes, someone in the group had posted a YouTube link, and I actually wonder if with the timing of it, if that is when it started.

Now that things are sorted out, is ok to post links? Or should I tell people to avoid that?

Bradley Grainger (Logos)

It should be OK to post links. We put a rule in the automated spam system that if any account has been manually approved, it shouldn't be automatically banned again.

Kristin

Hi @Bradley Grainger (Logos),

Ok, great, thank you for your help!

Kristin

Hi @Bradley Grainger (Logos) ,

I am having some other users now having the same issue. Could you please go to the private group in question and manually approve all of the users? About 99% of the users in this group likely fit that first type of user you mentioned, so I think there might be more people having issues also. However, since I won't know it unless they email me I am hoping everyone can just be approved if possible.

Thank you for your help.

Kristin

Bildschirmfoto 2025-05-25 um 16.47.49.png

Is 'Felicia' one of them? If not, she should be, as she's posting in the forums about some natural healing stuff with a link. I've flagged it, but it's still there.

Kristin

Hi @RJ, I am not sure who that is, but no. The issue is just "how" some of these people I know joined, which triggered the spam filter.

Bradley Grainger (Logos)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1370209#Comment_1370209

I unbanned four more users; hope that helps.

Kristin

Hi @Bradley Grainger (Logos),

Thanks so much! I appreciate your help. :)

Kristin

Hi @Bradley Grainger (Logos),

Another member of my group is having the same symptoms, and I think he has been flagged like the others had been. I am also concerned that there might actually be a few new people in my group who have gotten flagged. If you could take a look at it I would appreciate it.

Thank you.

Bradley Grainger (Logos)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1370658#Comment_1370658

I unbanned two more users.

Kristin

Hi @Bradley Grainger (Logos),

Thank you again for your help. :)

Kristin

Hi @Bradley Grainger (Logos), I have another group member with the same symptoms and he is letting me know he thinks he got banned. Could you please check this?

Thank you for your help.

Kristin

Hi @Bradley Grainger (Logos), I am sorry to post again, but I still have some members who are having this issue, so I thought I better post again. Thank you for your help.

Rev. Dr. Tim Hall

Hey @Bradley Grainger (Logos) I have been banned for some reason. Thanks. My favorite verse is 1Peter 5.10

Nevermind, you already fixed it!! Thank you.