Raid protection

A raid is a coordinated wave of new accounts that floods a space with spam, mass mentions or shock content. Coviqo watches for such waves, can switch the space into raid mode on its own and gives moderators the tools to clean up. Space managers also set join requirements that apply all the time. Everything is in Space settings › Moderation › Raid protection (German: Sicherheit).

What the detection looks for#

Coviqo compares what happens with the normal activity of your space:

• Join waves – many more people join within a few minutes than usual (for example 20 joins in 10 minutes in a space that normally gets two).
• Invite link abuse – a lot of brand-new accounts join through one and the same invite link.
• Message floods of new members – several new members post the same text, spam mentions or all write their first message at the same moment.

Only times, account ids and checksums are used – Coviqo never stores message texts for the detection. Moderators, administrators, the owner and bots are never counted. Choose the sensitivity: Low for large, busy spaces, Medium (recommended) or High for small spaces that are raided often.

Raid mode#

When the detection triggers – or when a moderator clicks Start raid mode – the space switches into raid mode. For everybody without moderator rights:

• New joins are paused. Invite links, vanity links, the space directory and the public join show "Joining this space is paused for the moment".
• Slow mode in all rooms (one message every 30 seconds by default).
• Optionally only members who have been here for a while (or who hold a role you choose) can write.
• Messages of new members are held until a moderator approves them. The sender sees "your message will be reviewed".

Moderators are alerted by a notification, an entry in the moderator activity feed and – if you picked one – a notice in your alert room (for example your moderators' room).

Ending raid mode is one click: End raid mode. A raid mode the detection switched on also ends by itself after two quiet hours (adjustable); one you started by hand stays on until you end it.

Cleaning up#

• Held messages: approve a message and it appears in its room now, as if it had just been sent; reject it and it is discarded. Messages nobody reviews expire after 7 days.
• Remove new accounts: under Remove new accounts choose "joined since" (the start of the raid mode, the last 15 minutes, the last hour …). Coviqo lists everybody who joined since then, with the age of their account. Remove all or Ban all acts on all listed accounts after you type their number to confirm. The owner, administrators and members with an equal or higher role are protected and never included. Every removal and ban is in the moderation log.

Join requirements#

Space managers can require for every join through a link, the directory or the public join:

• a minimum account age (1 hour up to 30 days),
• a confirmed e-mail address,
• a bot check – a short, invisible computation in the browser (no puzzle, no cookies),
• that new members wait a few minutes before they can write,
• that members accept the rules – set this up under Space settings › Invites & joining › Rules & onboarding.

Personal invites you send to an e-mail address are not affected by the requirements.

Coviqo Trust & Safety#

In serious cases Coviqo Trust & Safety can pause all new joins to a space. Space managers then see the date and the reason in Moderation › Raid protection; only Coviqo can lift this lock.