Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 12:03, 6 October 2006

This page documents an English Misplaced Pages policy.It describes a widely accepted standard that editors should normally follow, though exceptions may apply. Changes made to it should reflect consensus.

Shortcut ]

This page in a nutshell: Editors can be blocked for a time by an administrator to protect Misplaced Pages and its editors from harm.

Blocking is how a Misplaced Pages administrator prevents a user or IP address/range from editing Misplaced Pages.

Blocks are used to prevent damage or disruption to Misplaced Pages. They should not be used as a punitive measure.

Block duration varies (usually 24 hours at present), and a block may be lifted if the editor agrees to stop the damaging behavior. If you disagree with a block, start by discussing it with the blocking admin. (See Appealing a block.).

All users may request blocks at ANI or other venues listed below. Include credible evidence of blockable offences. Admins are never obliged to place a block. Admins and bureaucrats may themselves be blocked, with resulting effects on their other powers.

Note: When IP blocking, watch for sensitive IP addresses.

When to block

These are the most common reasons for a block. As blocks are for protecting Misplaced Pages and its editors from harm, this list is not complete, and a block reason not being on this list is not automatic reason for unblocking. If blocking for a reason not listed, be sure to note it on WP:ANI for sanity-checking.

Protection

A user may be blocked when necessary to protect the rights, property or safety of the Wikimedia Foundation, its users or the public. Examples include (but are not limited to):

• Personal attacks which place users in danger (See Misplaced Pages:No personal attacks)
• Persistent personal attacks
• Posting personal details
• Persistent copyright infringement

Personal attacks that place users in danger

Blocks may be imposed where threats have been made or actions performed (including actions outside the Misplaced Pages site) that expose Misplaced Pages editors to political, religious, or other persecution by government, their employer, or anyone else. Blocks of any length of time, including indefinite, may be applied. The admin should email the Arbitration Committee (arbcom-l@wikipedia.org) and Jimbo Wales (jwales@wikia.com) about the block, and possibly Misplaced Pages:Oversight.

Users who post what they believe are the personal details of other users without their consent may be blocked for any length of time, including indefinitely, depending on the severity of the incident, and whether the blocking admin feels the incident was isolated or is likely to be repeated. This applies whether the personal details are accurate or not. Nothing in this provision should be taken to apply to users with CheckUser access making information available within the terms of the CheckUser policy.

Disruption

A user may be blocked when their conduct severely disrupts the project — their conduct is inconsistent with a civil, collegial atmosphere and interferes with the process of editors working together harmoniously to create an encyclopedia.

Disagreements over content or policy are not disruption, but rather part of the normal functioning of Misplaced Pages and should be handled through dispute resolution procedures. Blocks for disruption should only be placed when a user is in some way making it difficult for others to contribute to Misplaced Pages.

Sysops may block IP addresses or usernames that disrupt the normal functioning of Misplaced Pages, or pose a sufficiently severe threat to it. Examples include (but are not limited to):

• Vandalism
• Excessive reverts (3RR)
• Inappropriate usernames
• Abusive sockpuppet accounts
• "Public" accounts, where the password is publicly available or shared with a large group
• Anonymous and open proxies
• Disrupting biographies of living persons; for example, by repeatedly posting controversial unsourced material
• Bots must have prior approval on Misplaced Pages talk:Bots and may be blocked if an admin thinks they are malfunctioning in a damaging way

Blocks for gross incivility are controversial; "cool-down" blocks are very controversial. Consider whether a 1-hour block will result in 2 months' drama. See Misplaced Pages:Disruptive editing.

Obvious cranks and users who aggressively and repeatedly violate fundamental policies may be blocked if there is a consensus among uninvolved users that it is necessary. Such persons should be dealt with kindly and patiently, but should be prevented from wreaking havoc over the period of weeks or months it would take to process an obvious Arbitration request. Remember to note the case on WP:ANI. Be kind.

Bans

Banned users are typically blocked from editing all or parts of Misplaced Pages. They may be banned by the Arbitration Committee, by Jimbo Wales or by the Wikimedia Board of Trustees.

Users may also be banned by community consensus — when a user exhausts the community's patience to the point of being blocked and none of English Misplaced Pages's ~1000 admins will unblock.

Community bans must be supported by a strong widespread consensus. Before blocking someone for this, you should be very sure there is or would be widespread community support for the block; note it with reasons on WP:ANI for others to sanity-check. Such users can be considered banned and must be listed on Misplaced Pages:List of banned users (under "Community").

Evasion of blocks

A blocked user cannot edit any pages other than their own talk page. Admins may restart the blocks of users who intentionally evade a block, and may extend the original blocks if the user commits further blockable acts. Accounts and IPs used in evading a block may also be blocked.

Edits made by blocked users while blocked may be reverted. (Many admins revert all edits from the user and re-make the good edits under their own name, to avoid confusing other admins who may be monitoring the same user.)

Effects of being blocked

Blocked users and IP addresses can still see all Misplaced Pages pages, but the "Edit this page" link brings up a "User is blocked" page with the reason behind the block (as entered by the blocking admin) and how to request unblocking. Links and template includes all work as normal in the "reason" section. Blocked users are also prevented from moving pages or uploading files.

When a blocked user attempts to edit, their IP is "autoblocked", so that the user may not make the same edit anonymously or under a different username. Autoblocks expire after 24 hours — when a username is blocked indefinitely, their IP will be automatically unblocked 24 hours after he or she last attempted to edit a page.

For admins, being blocked also restricts their ability to use rollback, to delete and undelete pages, and to protect and unprotect pages. They can still add and remove blocks, and bureaucrats can still make someone a sysop.

Accidental blocks

Users with dynamic IPs will occasionally find that they have been blocked accidentally, because their IP or range was previously used by a vandal or hard-banned user. These blocks may disappear if IP change can be forced. If that is not possible, the block should be reported to the blocking admin and/or the nearest friendly sysop via email — see the list of administrators for some likely candidates. IRC #wikipedia may also be useful.

Admins can often let the accidentally-blocked editor through by undoing only the autoblocking of the IP. (Don't forget to let the blocking admin know of the collateral damage.)

Users who act so as to impersonate a previously banned user, to impersonate a known vandal, or to pretend to be engaging in vandalism, are also likely to be blocked. To avoid this problem, don't do this. Edit so as to demonstrate your trustworthiness, not to put up a façade of untrustworthiness.

When blocking may not be used

Blocking to gain an advantage in a content dispute is strictly prohibited. Sysops must not block editors with whom they are currently engaged in a content dispute. If in doubt, report the problem to other admins to act on. (You may be wrong!)

Caution should be exercised before blocking users who may be acting in good faith.

Blocking to enforce a Wikiholiday or departure is specifically prohibited. Sysops also should not block themselves for testing unless "autoblock" is disabled, or the sysop is using a static IP, as the resulting autoblock may extend to other users.

Instructions to admins

How to block

Go to Special pages and then the "Block a user/IP address" link. This goes to Special:Blockip. Special:Blockip is also accessible via the link that appears next to each non-logged in user on recent changes.

The "reason" that the administrator fills in will be displayed to the blocked user when he attempts to edit, as well as appearing in the block log and the block list. If it is not for an obvious reason, or if more than one line is needed to explain the block, the administrator may record the block at Misplaced Pages:Policy enforcement and/or WP:ANI.

Users should be notified of blocks on their talk pages. That way, other editors will be aware that the user is blocked, and will not expect responses to talk page comments.

Options for IP blocks

Block anonymous users only prevents anonymous users from the target IP address from editing, but allows registered users to edit. Prevent account creation prevents new accounts from being registered from the target IP address. These options have no effect on username blocks.

In some cases, an IP may be shared by administrators who want to be notified before blocks are placed on them (so that they may finish any administrative work). As such, you may want to check the IP's user page or talk page and select "block anonymous users only".

Guide to blocking times

The block time can be selected from the menu, or entered in the GNU standard format. Alternatively, a block may be "indefinite" or "infinite", meaning the block is permanent, until a sysop explicitly unblocks the account.

If no expiry time is entered, an error message will be displayed.

The times below are convention, based on protection of Misplaced Pages rather than punishment of the offender. They are guidelines — if you have done something clearly blockable, demanding the blocking admin's head for giving you 31 hours instead of 24 is unlikely to be taken seriously.

A block for disruption on a dynamic IP is usually up to 24 hours. Static IPs and logged-in users: start at 24 hours, increase gradually if it starts again. Blocks less than 24 hours, often known as cool-down blocks, are more likely to be controversial the shorter they are. Indefinite blocks should not be used against isolated incidents of disruption from IP addresses, nor at first against user accounts that make a mixture of disruptive and useful edits.

Some types of disruption have more established guidelines:

• Vandalism — Blocks should not be used against isolated incidents of vandalism. Dynamic IPs: up to 24 hours. AOL IPs and range blocks: about 15 minutes, then 1-3 hours, and 24 at most, to avoid collateral damage. Static IPs and logged-in users: start at 24 hours, increase gradually if it starts again; persistent violators may be blocked indefinitely, but use discretion.
• Excessive reverting (3RR) — Generally 24 hours. It is helpful to leave a notice of the block on the user's talk page.
• Inappropriate Usernames (WP:UP) — If malicious (e.g. impersonation of another user), indefinitely blocked at sight; IP address should be left autoblocked. If not (e.g. name of a celebrity), consider warning a user before blocking and remember to include {{UsernameBlock}} in the "reason" field with a link to any discussion.
• Abusive Sockpuppets — New accounts may be blocked for any length of time or permanently; sockpuppets for violating policy should be blocked permanently.
• Public accounts — These should be blocked with a block message pointing out that public accounts are not needed.
• Bots — Bots are supposed to be blocked at sight if they do anything they're not cleared for at WP:BOT, or if broken somehow. Initial blocks should last 24 hours, which should be sufficient time to allow the operator of the bot to respond to a talk page message.
• Personal attacks which place users in danger — Sysops applying such sanctions should confidentially notify the members of the Arbitration Committee (arbcom-l@wikipedia.org) and Jimbo Wales (jwales@wikia.com) of what they have done and why. See also Misplaced Pages:Oversight.

Range blocks

These are sometimes used when a problem user responds to several IP blocks by changing IP address. They will affect at least some legitimate users, so should only be used when the disruptive behavior is frequent and severe enough to make other methods ineffective. Use careful judgement and make them as brief as possible.

You need some knowledge of how networks and IP numbering work, and of binary arithmetic. If you don't, many other admins do - ask on ANI or IRC. See Range blocks.

Unblocking

Special:Ipblocklist contains a list of all currently blocked users and IPs. Sysops will see a link to (unblock) next to each user. After clicking this, you should type in the reason that you are unblocking the user and then click the Unblock this address button.

Sysops are technically able to unblock themselves by following this procedure but should absolutely not do so unless they were autoblocked as a result of a block on some other user (or bot) that they share an IP with. Otherwise, if an admin feels they were not blocked for a valid reason, they should contact the blocking admin, another admin, or the mailing list and ask to be unblocked. Self-unblocking without convincingly good reason has resulted in several users losing their sysop privileges.

If you disagree with a block

If you disagree with a block placed by another admin, do not unblock without first attempting to contact the blocking admin and discussing the matter. If the blocking admin is unavailable for comment a discussion on WP:AN/I is recommended. Blocked users commonly e-mail several admins claiming to be the victims of injustice, and because it is not always obvious from the blocked user's contributions what the problem was, it is a matter of courtesy and common sense to consult the blocking admin if they are available.

Exceptions to this would be where an unambiguous error has been made (not a judgment call) and the blocking admin is not online: for example, if a user was blocked for 3RR, but there were clearly only three reverts. If the blocking admin is not available, you should notify the blocking admin on his or her talk page and possibly a note to WP:AN/I.

Controversial blocks

Blocks may be damaging when consensus proves elusive. Examples include:

• blocks of logged-in users with a substantial history of valid contributions, regardless of the reason for the block
• blocks that, while possibly wise, lack policy basis.
• short term or cool-down blocks, e.g. if a user is angry about something controversial, blocking that user will rarely cool him down

Once you are convinced that a block is warranted, the recommended procedure for controversial blocks is:

1. Check the facts with care.
2. Reread appropriate parts of Misplaced Pages:Blocking policy.
3. Contact other administrators to sanity-check your reasoning, preferably on ANI.
4. After receiving feedback, place the block, wording the "reason" message with care and without jargon, and include a link to the user page of the user being blocked.
5. Place a notice of the block on the talk page of the affected user, with additional rationale, outlining the facts and the part of the blocking policy you feel applies.
6. Stay around to discuss the block with other Wikipedians.
7. If an act or acts of disruption do not warrant a 24-hour block, consider a warning or posting to ANI before issuing a short term block. (Someone may well block them longer than you would have!)
8. If in doubt, don't block.

Block wars, in which a user is repeatedly blocked and unblocked, are extremely harmful. They frustrate and disappoint seasoned Wikipedians and encourage further bad behavior from the blocked user. If you disagree with a block, discuss the matter with the blocking admin and others, and try to reach a consensus, rather than unblocking — the blocking admin is likely to know more about the background of the situation than you do.

See also

• MediaWiki:Blockedtext, text shown to blocked users
• Misplaced Pages:Appealing a block, page where blocked users who wish to appeal are directed
• unblock-en-l mailing list
• Misplaced Pages:Semi-block, a proposed amendment to the blocking policy.
• Category:User block templates, category containing user block templates
• Blacklist
• Pedophilia userbox wheel war, a particularly stupid arbitration case after which several admins were deadminned. Wheel wars are bad.

• Misplaced Pages policies
• Wikipedians who required user interventions