This article was published on December 8, 2014

Trustev hopes to rid the Internet of trolls forever


Trustev hopes to rid the Internet of trolls forever

A new product by Trustev has big ambitions: get rid of trolls on Internet comments.

The company has developed a product for publishers to help blacklist trolls, even if they’ve changed their IP address, browser, email address or are trying to hide themselves using a VPN.

Trustev says it uses a “digital fingerprint” made up of hundreds of data points like the user’s MAC address, cellphone tower, device ID and more to detect abusive behavior, then threaten users with a permanent ban. The company knows what it’s doing as it also offers a successful e-commerce product to protect against fraud.

Screen Shot 2014-12-09 at 10.38.29 am
Once banned, those users can’t simply re-register an account to comment again; they’re gone forever because Trustev keeps track of them and ensures they can’t return using a different email address or device.

The company cites its product as a heaven-send for situations like Gamergate, where users attack each other in comments and on social media, promising that its technology can help ban abusive users and give the control back to publishers.

The <3 of EU tech

The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!

Trustev integrates directly with publishers and says its software is transparent, so nobody but trolls will ever encounter it. Pricing is on a per-implementation basis and costs a few cents per signup attempt.

➤ Trustev for publishers

Image credit: Shutterstock

Get the TNW newsletter

Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.

Published
Back to top