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---
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info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#designated-technical-writers
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# Akismet
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GitLab leverages [Akismet ](https://akismet.com/ ) to protect against spam. Currently
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GitLab uses Akismet to prevent the creation of spam issues on public projects. Issues
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created via the web UI or the API can be submitted to Akismet for review.
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Detected spam will be rejected, and an entry in the "Spam Log" section in the
Admin page will be created.
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Privacy note: GitLab submits the user's IP and user agent to Akismet.
NOTE: **Note:**
In GitLab 8.11 and later, all issues are submitted to Akismet.
In earlier GitLab versions, this only applied to API and non-project members.
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## Configuration
To use Akismet:
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1. Go to the URL: < https: // akismet . com / account />
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1. Sign-in or create a new account.
1. Click on **Show** to reveal the API key.
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1. Go to **Admin Area > Settings > Reporting** (`/admin/application_settings/reporting`).
1. Check the **Enable Akismet** checkbox.
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1. Fill in the API key from step 3.
1. Save the configuration.
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![Screenshot of Akismet settings ](img/akismet_settings.png )
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## Training
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NOTE: **Note:**
Training the Akismet filter is only available in GitLab 8.11 and later.
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As a way to better recognize between spam and ham, you can train the Akismet
filter whenever there is a false positive or false negative.
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When an entry is recognized as spam, it is rejected and added to the Spam Logs.
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From here you can review if they are really spam. If one of them is not really
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spam, you can use the **Submit as ham** button to tell Akismet that it falsely
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recognized an entry as spam.
![Screenshot of Spam Logs ](img/spam_log.png )
If an entry that is actually spam was not recognized as such, you will be able
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to also submit this to Akismet. The **Submit as spam** button will only appear
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to admin users.
![Screenshot of Issue ](img/submit_issue.png )
Training Akismet will help it to recognize spam more accurately in the future.