I added a real-time chat to my blog, people used it to attack me
Summary
The article describes adding a real-time chat widget to a blog and the security challenges it faced, including insults, impersonation, content clutter, and even attempts at injecting code. It details the simple implemented safeguards (character limits, ephemeral messages, and basic filtering) and the broader issue of real-time moderation versus post-hoc review. The author highlights lessons on treating inputs as hostile, the limits of real-time moderation, and the value of ephemeral content in reducing abuse.