Automatic spam filtering or flagging for Django or Python?

Question

I'm working on a Django-based site that consists mostly of user- generated content: reviews, comments, tweet-like posts, etc.

I'm concerned about spam. Are there any spam filters available for Django/Python? If not, what types of algorithms can be used for automatic spam filtering or flagging?

On a more general note, does anyone know how do major sites like Amazon and Yelp prevent spams in their user-submitted reviews?

Answer 1

SpamBayes comes to mind.

Answer 2

Take a look at SO question 915204. Jason Baker recommends using the Akismet Python API, which he states is what WordPress uses to stop spam. From the Akismet Python API website:

Akismet is a web service for recognising spam comments.

Also, Patrick Beeson has a blog entry on how to use Akismet to stop spam on a Django blog that might be relevant to your application.