Table of Contents
Definition
Unsolicited, low-quality communications, often (but not necessarily) high-volume commercial solicitations, sent through a range of electronic media, including email, messaging, and social media.
Spam refers to unsolicited, excessive, irrelevant, or repetitive content that disrupts the normal flow of conversation or undermines the purpose of the community. It can take many forms, including:
- Mass posting of promotional material or links with no meaningful context
- Repeating the same message across multiple accounts or threads
- Automated or bot-generated content that floods timelines or hashtags
- Using misleading or manipulative tactics to attract attention or traffic
- Sharing content that is clearly irrelevant to the community’s focus or values
Spam is harmful because it drowns out genuine voices, erodes trust, and often serves commercial, deceptive, or malicious purposes. In decentralised spaces like the Fediverse, where community norms and trust are central, spam can severely disrupt engagement and community cohesion. Moderation actions against spam may include content removal, account silencing, or instance defederation in severe or persistent cases.
Resources
Example Rule
Unsolicited advertisements, excessive self-promotion, or automated content that disrupts conversation are not allowed. Accounts created primarily to publish spam will be removed. For example, posting the same promotional message repeatedly, or linking to unrelated services without context, will be treated as spam.
