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Latest revision as of 13:40, 18 December 2024 view source Waddie96 (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Page movers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers10,675 edits →How to request a courtesy vanishing: change to Db-userreq}}Tag: 2017 wikitext editor |
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{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}} |
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{{subcat guideline|behavioral guideline|Right to vanish|WP:VANISH|WP:RTV}} |
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{{redirect|WP:RTL|text directionality|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Text formatting#Mixed right-to-left text}} |
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{{For|current Wikimedia practice|meta:Right to vanish}} |
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{{subcat guideline|behavioral guideline|Courtesy to vanish|WP:RTV|WP:VANISH|WP:CVAN|WP:LEAVE|WP:VANISHED|WP:VANISHING|WP:DISAPPEAR}} |
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{{nutshell|Courtesy vanishing allows a user who is {{strong|permanently leaving Misplaced Pages {{em|forever}}}} to have their account renamed and userpages deleted for privacy reasons. It does not include deleting the user's contributions or talk pages. This is done as a courtesy, not a right, and the user is expected not to return to editing.}} |
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{{guideline list}} |
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The usual way to leave Misplaced Pages is simply to stop editing and abandon the account. However, a '''courtesy vanishing''' may be implemented if a user in good standing decides not to return and wishes to make their contributions less easily traceable or to remove their association with their edits. If there is no administrative need to retain the information, a departing user may request the deletion of a wide range of their ], as well as other pages affecting them alone. The user's account is renamed, user pages are ] or deleted, and pages related to the user's conduct may also be deleted, blanked, or moved. Contributions, ], signatures, and user-page templates (such as those related to blocks or bans) are usually {{em|not}} removed, and ] are usually not deleted. |
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{{strong|Courtesy vanishing is discretionary and may be refused.}} It is not intended as a temporary measure, nor as a way to ] or ]. "Vanishing" differs from a ] and does not guarantee anonymity. Pages deleted as part of vanishing may be restored following ]. If the user returns, the vanishing will likely be fully reversed, the old and new accounts will be linked, and any prior sanctions or restrictions reinstated. |
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Users in good standing who have stopped editing Misplaced Pages, or who no longer wish to use their real names or a longstanding pseudonym, may arrange to have their user names changed upon request to a ] at ].<ref>The user must have made fewer than 200,000 edits. This is a technical limitation in ], not a policy limitation.</ref> |
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Because all contributions are licensed under ] and ], every edit {{em|must}} be attributed to a user. Consequently, {{strong|it is not possible to {{em|delete}} an account}}. |
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There is no guarantee provided by the ] in the ] that a name will be changed on request. The right to vanish should not be extended to users who have been abusive or disruptive, who left when they lost the trust of the community, or who have been banned. |
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== Right to vanish == |
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== Vanishing from Misplaced Pages == |
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Vanishing typically involves the following: |
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* A ] or ] responds to a ] and renames the account to a randomly-generated string of characters, such as "Vanished user {{Typo|157yagz5r48a5f1a1f}}". |
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* The account is then automatically ], preventing any future logins. |
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* References in ] are updated to the new username, but direct references made by other users remain unchanged. ] (on user talk pages, article talk pages, and project discussion pages) will not be changed, and will ] to the new username by default, although this redirect can be removed upon request. |
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* The account's ] and ] may be deleted, while ] are rarely deleted and may be restored if there is community consensus through a ]. |
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* Because of ], these actions have a global effect. |
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==What vanishing is not== |
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If you have used your real name, or a longstanding pen name, on Wikimedia projects then in principle everything you write can be traced to that name, and thus to you, as discussed above. However, if you decide to leave Wikimedia projects, there are a few steps that you can take to weaken that connection. They are: |
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* Vanishing is not a way to start over with a fresh account. Requesting courtesy vanishing implies that you do not intend to return. If you wish to start over, follow the instructions at ] instead of, not in addition to, vanishing. Should you vanish and then continue editing under a new account, and are later discovered, the vanishing can be reversed, and your old and new accounts may be linked. |
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* It is not a way to avoid accountability an escape from criticism, sanctions, or other negative attention unless you genuinely intend to leave permanently. Users who have been disruptive, lost the community's trust, or are blocked or banned may not be granted courtesy vanishing. |
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* It is not a method for erasing evidence of ] or organizational affiliations that contradict ]. For instance, a business account criticized for its editing cannot use vanishing to remove that record. |
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* It is not a suitable response if you wish to continue editing after unintentionally ]. In such cases, consider contacting ]. |
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* Users in good standing can request a ] at any time, with contributions re-attributed to the new name, maintaining the edit history.{{efn|Old signatures embedded in past posts cannot be changed due to technical limitations of the ] software, although in some cases collapsing or blanking is possible.}} |
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==How to request a courtesy vanishing<span class="anchor" id="How to leave"></span>== |
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# If you have made fewer than 200,000 edits, change your username to some other name, one which is not directly associated with you (see ]). |
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# Change references to your former username to be referenced to your replacement username (you can do this yourself). |
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# Delete your user subpages; in some circumstances, you may be permitted to have your talk page deleted too; contact an administrator to request the deletion of your talk page — if you are an administrator, do not do it yourself; |
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# Add a brief note indicating that you have left Misplaced Pages and asking that people not refer to you by your name. |
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Before proceeding, consider whether a simple ] or a ] would be more appropriate than vanishing. {{strong|Vanishing is a last resort}}, intended only for those who wish to stop editing permanently and minimize their visible past associations. |
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While these measures afford a degree of protection, they will not stand up to assault from a persistent investigator, and Wikimedia projects have no control over its sublicensees, or over archiving services such as the Internet Archive or Google. Further, these actions require a degree of co-operation from the other users of the project, so Misplaced Pages cannot make any guarantees. |
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If deciding to vanish, it may be helpful to blank or request deletion of user pages and subpages. To request deletion of existing pages, add the {{tlx|Db-userreq}} tag at the top of each page to be deleted. An administrator will then delete the page. Do not create a page solely for the purpose of requesting its deletion. Another option is to replace the user page with the {{tlx|Retired}} template. Note that user talk pages are generally {{strong|not}} deleted, except in rare cases (see below). |
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See ] (meatballwiki) |
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To initiate courtesy vanishing: |
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== Personal information deletion == |
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* The preferred method is to use ] to access the vanish request interface. Requests submitted here are handled by global renamers or stewards. |
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* If your request is particularly sensitive, contact the global renamers via e-mail, using "Request for courtesy vanishing" as the subject. The contact interface is available at ] or by emailing {{strong|{{NonSpamEmail|renamers|wikimedia.org}}}}. If you send the mail directly, include some sort of verification that you own the account. A record of this correspondence will be kept in the ] system, accessible only to current renamers, stewards, and Wikimedia Foundation staff. |
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* Although a ] exists for name changes, using it is not recommended, as it creates a public record of your vanishing request that cannot be hidden. |
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For questions about vanishing or to explore less permanent solutions, consider contacting a ] or a member of the ] for advice. |
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The Wikimedia projects will delete personal information about contributors (most likely on user and user talk pages) at their request, provided it is not needed for administrative purposes, which are generally limited to dealing with site misuse issues. |
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Finally, take these steps before completing the vanishing process: |
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Personal details typically include, but are not limited to, name, address, telephone number, instant messenger contact details, photograph, appearance, and any other clearly identifying features. |
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* If you have an email address associated with your account, remove it at ]. |
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* Review and reset preferences to their defaults at ]. |
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* Scramble the account's password with a long, random string to prevent anyone else from accessing the account. |
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==Deletion of user talk pages== |
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==Exceptions== |
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{{shortcut|WP:CVUT}} |
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The right to vanish does not extend to pages retained for the purposes of protecting Misplaced Pages against disruption; for example requests for arbitration, requests for check user, or sockpuppet categories. |
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While ] and ] may be deleted, the deletion of established ] is rarely granted due to their nature as collaborative documents primarily written by other editors. Such deletions are the exception rather than the rule, and user talk pages should not be speedy deleted. Community consensus is that user talk pages should be deleted by only when there are compelling reasons per the ], such as serious privacy breaches and potential for real-world harm. Users seeking the deletion of their talk pages for this reason should consult a ] or the ]. Otherwise, deletion requests for user talk pages should go through ] (MfD). Any deletion may be challenged and reversed at ]. User talk pages must not be moved to user subpages as a means to facilitate their deletion. |
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==Notes== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==See also== |
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==See also== |
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==Notes== |
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{{notelist}} |
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{{Misplaced Pages policies and guidelines}} |
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{{Misplaced Pages accounts|collapsed}} |
The usual way to leave Misplaced Pages is simply to stop editing and abandon the account. However, a courtesy vanishing may be implemented if a user in good standing decides not to return and wishes to make their contributions less easily traceable or to remove their association with their edits. If there is no administrative need to retain the information, a departing user may request the deletion of a wide range of their user pages, as well as other pages affecting them alone. The user's account is renamed, user pages are blanked or deleted, and pages related to the user's conduct may also be deleted, blanked, or moved. Contributions, logs, signatures, and user-page templates (such as those related to blocks or bans) are usually not removed, and user talk pages are usually not deleted.
If deciding to vanish, it may be helpful to blank or request deletion of user pages and subpages. To request deletion of existing pages, add the {{Db-userreq}} tag at the top of each page to be deleted. An administrator will then delete the page. Do not create a page solely for the purpose of requesting its deletion. Another option is to replace the user page with the {{Retired}} template. Note that user talk pages are generally not deleted, except in rare cases (see below).
For questions about vanishing or to explore less permanent solutions, consider contacting a Functionary or a member of the Arbitration Committee for advice.
wikimedia.org. If you send the mail directly, include some sort of verification that you own the account. A record of this correspondence will be kept in the VRT system, accessible only to current renamers, stewards, and Wikimedia Foundation staff.