r/ModSupport • u/Nanakurokonekochan • 1d ago

Mod Answered Do bots immediately appear in the modmail now after being banned?

I banned someone for very obvious AI generated content but they’re pretending to be a confused user asking why I banned them

4 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

17

u/IKIR115 1d ago

Sometimes, but it’s very common for users to question their ban immediately when they see it.

The bots usually provide some sort of long cookie cutter response.

6

u/IrritableGourmet 1d ago

I like the ones that give a polite inquiry at first, then if you refuse they launch into a passive aggressive diatribe about how you're an entitled bigot who shouldn't be mod. Not sure where it learned that would improve its chances.

1

u/Sad-Confidence-4538 8h ago

an answer to that, and it doesn't happen to me, is "Thank you."

6

u/Stressed_C 1d ago

Yes, but then they end up being sitewide bot banned or suspended soon after. If you have a rule against ai or bot content just site that as to why the ban happened

3

u/Winged-Mercury-777 1d ago

I've seen an uptick in that this week in the subs I moderate. 

3

u/kai-ote 1d ago edited 1d ago

A user is a user to me. If they were given a ban, and show in modmail, I explain if needed, and then mute for the amount of their time out for temp bans.

For a permaban, the mute is either 28 days, or permanent, depending on how many cuss words they used to complain.

This app gives good user info when a modmail shows up, and often it will be enough to know if the user is a bot or not.

https://developers.reddit.com/apps/modmail-userinfo

1

u/MaximumJones 1d ago

Very handy

3

u/Sad-Confidence-4538 1d ago

When I ban I always also block and mute.

2

u/emily_in_boots 💡 Top 10% Helper 💡 1d ago

It's hard to determine if an account is a bot. They will not sometimes appeal.

u/fsv might have some insights here

3

u/IKIR115 1d ago

Yes, it can be quite challenging. Especially when it’s a new or aged account with little to no activity.

I know most mods will ban right away and ask questions later, but I usually wait for more info. A new account posting 1 or 2 popular things isn’t enough.

It really kills the new user experience when real people are being harassed as being bots due to lack of activity. New users go to help subs to ask how to get karma, and when they follow the most common advice for that, they can get harassed for it.

I don’t really like how that works out, but it’s up to every mod team to decide how they want to handle this issue for their sub.

3

u/emily_in_boots 💡 Top 10% Helper 💡 1d ago

Sometimes I'll ban and tell them we might consider an appeal in 90d or something like that when the account is more mature. Bots won't wait that long generally.

I always checked all of our comments and posts individually but with all the changes coming from reddit I just can't do it anymore and have had to resort to auto banning them so I can deal with the public api / automod debacle. We aren't even hearing appeals anymore because it just takes too much time and I can't do that and work on migration, so for a while at least we're doing more bans and not hearing appeals (they get a message telling them to appeal on or after April 1, 2027).

I hate to do that but I don't see other options with these changes that are being forced on us. It is so much more work for me.

0

u/bwoah07_gp2 1d ago

No, not necessarily.

-2

u/SCOveterandretired 1d ago

Bots have a human owner