What is "akismet"

Akismet is a spam filtering service that filters spam from comments, trackbacks, and contact form messages. The filter works by combining information about spam captured on all participating sites, and then using those spam rules to block future spam. Akismet is offered by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com.

Launched on October 25, 2005, Akismet is said to have captured over 100 billion spam comments and pings as of October 2013.