Using RainRatBot for Moderation - /discreetadmin

Here's a feature I wanted to give a try. The idea is that a user of a group can PM @rainratbot and the message is sent to the admin or admin group that RainRatBot has on file. Like using @admin in the group, but discreet. This is a PM with @rainratbot

And this is how it looks when it gets to the admin or admin group on file:

As you can see the admin is told who the message comes from. It is discreet, not anonymous.

To use it, PM @rainratbot with the command 

/discreetadmin [group id] [message]

"group id" is the numerical group number for the group, which is assigned by Telegram. Yeah, it's not convenient to have to know it; I'm not stoked about this part. But if you're PMing, the bot needs some way to know which group it's in reference to. You can get the group id by forwarding a message from the group to a raw info bot, or possibly the admins will give the group id when they explain to their users how to use it.

Why wouldn't I just use @admin in the group?

• Maybe you're muted or banned.
• Maybe it's unrelated to the conversation and you don't want to interrupt.
• Maybe worried about retaliation from another member.

Why wouldn't I just PM the admin?

• Maybe Telegram has you blocked from starting PMs.
• If there's multiple admins, you message all at once.
• Don't have to research admin if they're hard to find in user list.

What if my concern is multiple messages or requires a photo, etc?

This feature will only forward one text message. It's ultimately up to the individual admins but the hope is that one of the admins on duty will PM you back about your concern.

How do I know I typed the group id correctly and it went through?

As seen in the first image, it will tell you if it was successfully sent. If not, it will say so:

For group admins: Anti-abuse

As seen in the text in the second image, each user can only send one message per admin group, so it's impossible to flood you that way. If they send a good report, you can type

/discreetallow [user id]

in your admin group to allow them to use the feature later. If it's not a good report, you don't have to do anything, and they won't be allowed to send another. RainRatBot does not keep any record of the content of the forwarded messages so I can't judge based on content.

If it's a flood from multiple accounts with each account sending one message, you can turn it off entirely. From your admin group, type

/changegroupsettings [group id] discreetadmin False

Group id is the numerical identifier of the public group, not the admin group.

Using RainRatBot for Moderation - Global Ban List vs Community Ban List

 The difference between the old Global Ban List and the new Community Ban List.

The big change is that the Community Ban List is now in a proper database rather than a text file.

• Changes (bans and unbans) take effect immediately. There is no need for /reloadglobalban any more.
• There is no need to download the whole text file to look up an entry. /sendglobalban is obsolete. Use "/queryglobalban [user id]" to look up a specific entry.
• When a banned user uses /rrbrequestglobalunban to appeal, the full content of the unban request will be sent to the admin group(s). There is no longer any reason for /sendglobalunbanrequest
• Each banned user can send 1 appeal through the bot. There is no longer any reason for /muteappeal
• Because changes now take effect immediately, for better oversight, /rrbglobalban and /rrbglobalunban can only be used in the RainRatBot Administrators group. This may be expanded later.
• It used to be that since the list was a text file, the same user id could be in the list more than once without any problem. Now that it's a database, each user id can only appear once. If you need to add more information about a ban, you can delete it, then add it back with more information.
• Though I haven't changed every reference, I am moving to calling this list the "Community Ban List" because I am looking at adding other lists from other organizations who track spam and abuse accounts on Telegram, and need a way to distinguish them.

Using RainRatBot for Moderation - Community Ban List

If you've been using RainRatBot for defense against rogue bots, as described in https://rainratbot.blogspot.com/2018/08/using-rainratbot-for-moderation-bot_28.html you've seen it remove the rogue bot from your group after a short time. Without a Community Ban List, even if it already removed the rogue bot from another group, it's treated it as a completely new user when it joins your group. The first version of the Community Ban List was called the Global Ban List.

Any user on this list will immediately be banned as soon as they enter any participating group. This is the list for rogue bots, and the worst of the worst(real users who are a hazard to any group they join).

Users will be checked against Community Ban List as they join. Existing users will not be affected.

/rrbglobalban [user id] [reason]

Adds user id to list. (ie. /rrbglobalban 123456789 spambot) 

You must fill out the reason. Only users in the authorized group can use this; if someone outside wants to add a ban, they ask someone in the group.

/rrbglobalunban [user id]

Authorized users only. Removes user id from Community Ban List.

/queryglobalban [user id]

Authorized users only. Check if the user id is in the Community Ban List and provide the supporting information if so.

There is also an Appeals function in case of a mistake.

/rrbrequestglobalunban [reason]

Any user may use; id will be recorded. Only brings to attention of authorized users. Does not change the ban list. Each user can only appeal through the bot once, so include all the relevant information in [reason].