Gooofy: Chat Protection Bot

You open a chat and see someone's shock content. One spammer, one picture, and the discussion becomes a problem for everyone, from the community's reputation to complaints to Telegram support. Gooofy exists to keep that from reaching members. 🛡️

The bot profile states its goal briefly: to protect groups and channels from pornographic and violent media.

Why a chat needs a media filter

Text spam is obvious at once, but pictures and videos are harder to check. A moderator has to open the file, see the unwanted content and only then delete it. By that point, members have already seen it.

Automatic checking is faster than a person. The bot looks at incoming files and reacts before others get to view them.

What the profile states

• Group protection. The bot joins chats and watches the media sent in them.
• Channel protection. The same filter can be used where materials are published.
• Two kinds of unwanted content. Pornographic material and scenes of violence.

A developer contact is listed in the bot profile. If you need detail, direct questions there.

Connecting the filter

1. Open the group or channel settings and add Gooofy.
2. Make the bot an administrator.
3. Turn on the right to delete messages. Other rights are usually not needed.
4. Post a harmless test image to the chat and check that the bot does not interfere with normal messages.
5. Tell members the rules: what exactly is banned in the chat and how to appeal a deletion.

Check the rights after each settings update. If the bot loses the right to delete messages, it stops working.

What to expect from automatic checking

Any automatic filter makes mistakes. It can miss a bad image or take a harmless one for a violation. That is why it helps to keep moderators who review complaints and fix errors.

• False positives. Beach photos, medical images or art are sometimes taken for banned content.
• Misses. A violator can alter a file to dodge the check.
• Privacy. When it checks media, the service gets access to files from the chat. Tell members about it.

Extra measures

One bot does not replace moderation. Set up a captcha for newcomers, limit media sending for the first day and pin the rules.

Enable Telegram's forwarding restriction and content protection where needed. That lowers the risk of leaking closed materials.

Telling members about the filter

Transparency reduces conflicts. Pin a message with the rules: which media are banned, what happens on a violation and where to write if a file was removed by mistake.

Decide in advance what to do with repeat violators: a warning, a limit on sending media, a ban. When rules are clear and the same for everyone, members argue with moderators less.

Once a week, review the group's action log. It shows how often the protection fires and whether it is time to change settings.

Who it suits

Admins of open communities, school and parent chats and big city groups with free entry. For a small closed chat, such a filter is probably overkill.

The project is small, and it is better to test its features on a trial group before connecting it to your main one.