Disable Trackbacks
Globally disables trackbacks to cut down on spam. Very, very few people legitimately use trackbacks and spammers love them, so it's worthy tradeo …
The facts
- Rating
- 5★ from 1
- Active installs
- 200+
- Price
- Free
- Last updated
- 29 Sep 2008
- Added
- Sep 2008
- Downloads
- 11,856
Our analysis
AI-assistedDisable Trackbacks is a WordPress plugin designed to disable trackbacks across your site, aiming to reduce spam. It was created in response to the prevalence of trackback spam, which is considered more common than legitimate uses of trackbacks. The plugin works alongside other anti-spam measures, such as Cookies For Comments, to help keep your site free from unwanted comments and trackbacks.
This plugin is suitable for WordPress users who want to eliminate trackback spam without affecting legitimate comments. It is particularly useful for those who have experienced issues with trackbacks in the past and are looking for a straightforward solution to manage spam effectively.
Best for: WordPress users seeking to reduce trackback spam on their sites.
What it does well
- ✓Disables new trackbacks site-wide
- ✓Reduces trackback spam significantly
- ✓Works well with Cookies For Comments
Where it falls short
- •Limited information on compatibility with other plugins
- •Last updated in September 2008
Verdict
Disable Trackbacks offers a simple solution for managing trackback spam, but its age may raise concerns about ongoing support and compatibility.
From the developer
Automattic's own description of Disable Trackbacks, lightly tidied.
When it comes to spam and pingbacks/trackbacks, the vast majority by far is via trackbacks rather than pingbacks. Very, very few people use trackbacks for legitimate uses anymore (I’ve gotten less than 5 in the last 8 months) as WordPress, etc. all use pingbacks now as their primary ping method.
I had already installed Cookies For Comments which successfully stops most spam comments but I still had to deal with the tons of trackback spam. So, I wrote this plugin.
It will disable new trackbacks across your site, both legitimate and spam. However since very few people use trackbacks legitimately, this combined with Cookies For Comments should cut your spam down to next to zero.
Why should I use this plugin over one of those trackback validator plugins?
Most non-Akismet style anti-trackback spam plugins work by connecting to the URL that sent the trackback and looking for a link to your blog. The problem with this is that many spammers actually post links to your blog in their spam posts rendering those types of plugins useless. Even those that check the IP address to make sure it matches are beaten by spam blogs (aka splogs).
In the end it’s up to you what to use for anti-spam, but I personally use Cookies For Comments, this plugin, and then Akismet to catch anything that makes it through.