HJBlog > Dynamic Forms via AJAX?

Mon, Feb 5, 2007, 3:10am Dynamic Forms via AJAX?

ust wondering if this could help solve spamming problems, but what if webpages didn't have form tags at all when they loaded, and only got them at a user's request to post something. Dynamically, using AJAX, so the form tag is never available on a generic page load. I would presume that spambots would ignore the page as just a static webpage. I'm amazed at the level of spam that hits any page with a form on it. It might not help for pages which have already become known to the bots, which don't seem to re-scan pages that they already know respond to form posts. So, any chance this could work?

RSS Comment Feed for this page

John Bachir (Mon, February 5th, 2007, 11:08pm UTC)

There are three main types of anti-spam methods for web forms (including blog comments): [1] obstacles which bots can't do yet because spammers haven't needed them [2] obstacles which computers for the most part cannot do [3] networked, evolving intelligence/analysis of spam activity.

An example of 3 is akismet (akismet.com).

An example of 2 is a CAPTCHA systems, the simplest of which bots actually can get past, but there are other more elaborate systems which will work for many years to come (select the 3 photos of kittens from these 9 photos).

What you propose is an example of type 1. Any bot that can evaluate javascript will be able to get past your system. Can bots do this yet? Not that I have ever heard. If a popular blogging systems starting using a javascript anti-spam solution, the bots would be evaluating javascript within a few weeks.

So go for it! no-javascript-browser fools be damned!
Jeff (Tue, February 6th, 2007, 4:41am UTC)

I may go ahead of give it a try when I get some time. It would be interesting to see how that turns out.

The amount of spam this very low-trafficked blog gets is depressing. I'd much rather stop them from submitting than filter out their submissions, even though my current home-grown filter technique has, over the last 4 months, 100% success. How I know: I've been checking, which is sadly a form of defeat. I'd rather not have to check.

If I ever met someone who was a spammer…