Blogs Are Being Removed For Just Cause

In mid January 2008, Blogger started to do something about a major problem - blogs established in BlogSpot, in massive numbers, for illegal purposes - hacking, porn distribution, and spam distribution. That's not an easy task - there's nothing on any one blog that says

This blog is used for hacking, for porn distribution, and / or for spam distribution.

Detection of such illegal blogs, like detection of malware in general, has to be done by heuristic analysis and signature comparison. Unfortunately, detection of illegal blogs, like detection of malware, using both methods, are subject to two major problems

• False Negative Detection - Many illegal blogs are not detected, because the authors of such blogs are very skilled at making their blogs like normal blogs.
• False Positive Detection - Many legitimate blogs are falsely detected, again because the authors of the illegal blogs are very skilled at making their blogs look like normal blogs.

As Blogger tries harder to reduce the population of illegal blogs, and based upon the massive size and deviousness of that population, more legitimate blogs are going to be falsely flagged as illegal. In the past, false positive detection was handled on a one by one basis, and generally with a casual explanation.

Now, with more false positives anticipated, bloggers must be better informed about Blogger policy. Accordingly, Blogger is providing resources to keep the blogging population better informed, when their blogs are removed - whether falsely or genuinely - based upon blogging behaviour detection, or content analysis. Blogger has three referential documents.

• Blogger Content Policy
• Google Privacy Policy
• Google Terms of Service

None of these will address each situation, but taken together, they are a good start. Only by knowing the limits, can we identify the legitimate bloggers, and avoid helping the illegitimate ones.

Depending upon how your blog was detected, it might have been locked (visible to authors only, or visible to everyone but not updatable), or removed (visible to no one). In odd cases, you (the blog owner) may be able to update the blog, but you'll have to solve a CAPTCHA each time you publish.

Blog Locked For Suspected TOS Violation

When your blog is locked, there is a Dashboard link, leading to a form which is used to request review and unlocking. You won't be able to do anything with it but request unlocking. That's to keep the spammers from cleaning their splog before it's reviewed, to avoid absolute detection. It evens out the 3 Card Monte playing field just a bit.



Blog Removed For TOS Violation

I can't find my blog on the Web, where is it?, offers a number of helpful references, similar to what I provide in Help! My Blog Is Gone!

When the blog has been removed, you won't have anything on the dashboard. Your only recourse is to review the Help Database articles referenced in the links.



Blog Locked For TOS Violation

In a variation of the above, you may see the notice

This blog is in violation of Blogger's Terms of Service and is open to authors only.

If you are an author of this blog, tell us who you are! Sign in using your Google Account.



As a last resort, Blogger now offers a Final Appeal Spreadsheet, where you can also submit your URL for review. Blogger states that only blogs which actually have been locked / removed, and which have already been submitted for review, will be accepted in the appeal spreadsheet.

we do filter to make sure that users have already submitted a request and use that info

When your blog is locked, or removed, you'll have a bit of work to do, and it starts with following the links. In a perfect world, none of this would be necessary. Here, it is necessary, and the only useful solution to the problem starts with the blog administrator reading the linked advice, and requesting blog review. No amount of posting in the online forums

Free my blog - it is not spam!

will help, in the slightest. When Blogger employees have to read the forums, they are wasting time that could be better spent reviewing and unlocking another blog.

Use the links provided!

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