| Revision as of 18:12, 9 November 2008 view sourceNagle (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers16,106 edits Added section on how to leave "normally", without vanishing, per talk.← Previous edit |
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 |
| (337 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown) |
| Line 1: |
Line 1: |
|
|
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}} |
| ⚫ |
{{subcat guideline|behavioral guideline|Right to vanish|WP:VANISH|WP:RTV|WP:RTL|WP: LEAVE}} |
|
|
|
{{redirect|WP:RTL|text directionality|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Text formatting#Mixed right-to-left text}} |
|
|
{{For|current Wikimedia practice|meta:Right to vanish}} |
|
⚫ |
{{subcat guideline|behavioral guideline|Courtesy to vanish|WP:RTV|WP:VANISH|WP:CVAN|WP:LEAVE|WP:VANISHED|WP:VANISHING|WP:DISAPPEAR}} |
|
|
{{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.}} |
|
|
{{guideline list}} |
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
{{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. |
|
== How to leave Misplaced Pages== |
|
|
All Misplaced Pages editors have the right to leave. The usual way to leave the Misplaced Pages project is simply to stop editing. Your contributions remain in Misplaced Pages. It is suggested that you place a <nowiki>{{retired}}</nowiki> template at the top of your user and talk pages to indicate that you are no longer involved with Misplaced Pages. This tells other editors that you are no longer active and that messages should not be left for you. If you ever want to return to editing, simply remove the <nowiki>{{retired}}</nowiki> template. Retiring will not prevent you from logging in at a future date. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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}}. |
|
If you no longer wish to be associated with your past edits, you can exercise your ''Right to vanish''. This is not usually necessary. The Misplaced Pages community will typically accord the ] to users in good standing who exercise their right to leave and ask to "vanish" permanently. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
== Vanishing from Misplaced Pages == |
|
== Vanishing from Misplaced Pages == |
|
|
Vanishing typically involves the following: |
|
Vanishing is the act of disassociating the identity of a user account from the identity of its owner, and typically involves: |
|
|
|
* A ] or ] responds to a ] and renames the account to a randomly-generated string of characters, such as "Vanished user {{Typo|157yagz5r48a5f1a1f}}". |
|
* ] of the account,<ref>The account must have made fewer than 200,000 edits. This is a technical limitation in ], not a policy limitation.</ref> |
|
|
|
* The account is then automatically ], preventing any future logins. |
|
* replacing references to the former username with references to the replacement username, |
|
|
|
* 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. |
|
* deleting the account's ], and |
|
|
|
* The account's ] and ] may be deleted, while ] are rarely deleted and may be restored if there is community consensus through a ]. |
|
* posting a brief note indicating that the account owner has left Misplaced Pages and asking that people not refer to the account by its former username. |
|
|
|
* Because of ], these actions have a global effect. |
|
|
|
|
Vanishing is not a right in the strict sense of the word; rather, it is a courtesy extended by the Misplaced Pages community to make it easy for users to exercise their right to leave. Sometimes the community will not extend the courtesy: for example, if the user is not actually leaving, or if the user is not in good standing. Note also that the ] ] that an account's username will be changed on request. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
==What vanishing is not== |
|
==What vanishing is not== |
|
|
* 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. |
|
|
* 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. |
|
|
* 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. |
|
|
* It is not a suitable response if you wish to continue editing after unintentionally ]. In such cases, consider contacting ]. |
|
|
* 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.}} |
|
|
|
|
|
|
==How to request a courtesy vanishing<span class="anchor" id="How to leave"></span>== |
|
The right to vanish is only available to users who are also exercising their right to leave. '''The "right to vanish" is not a "right to a fresh start" under a new identity.''' Vanishing means that the ''individual'' is vanishing, not just the ''account''. Vanished users have no right to silently return under a new identity. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
Users in good standing are free to request ] at any time. All contributions made under the old username will be reattributed to the new username, including deleted contributions, preserving the edit history. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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). |
|
The deletion of personally identifiable information about users (such as a phone number or a street address) is not "vanishing", and users do not need to leave in order for this information to be deleted. Such information can be deleted on request, provided it is not needed for administrative purposes, which are generally limited to dealing with site misuse issues. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
To initiate courtesy vanishing: |
|
==Effectiveness== |
|
|
|
* The preferred method is to use ] to access the vanish request interface. Requests submitted here are handled by global renamers or stewards. |
|
Allowing your editing to trail off or simply stopping editing is likely to be about as effective since for the most part if a user in good standing disappears people tend to accept they are gone and leave it at that. This has the advantage that you can change your mind with no penalty. |
|
|
|
* 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. |
|
|
* 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. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
For questions about vanishing or to explore less permanent solutions, consider contacting a ] or a member of the ] for advice. |
|
The template {{tl|Retired}}, placed on your user page and talk page, indicates that you are no longer active on Misplaced Pages. This is a simple and polite way to leave Misplaced Pages. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Finally, take these steps before completing the vanishing process: |
|
To vanish more completely, you may wish to blank your userpage, talkpage, and any subpages in your userspace, and/or tag them with {{tl|db-user}}, which will notify administrators that you wish them to be speedily deleted. |
|
|
|
* If you have an email address associated with your account, remove it at ]. |
|
|
* Review and reset preferences to their defaults at ]. |
|
|
* Scramble the account's password with a long, random string to prevent anyone else from accessing the account. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
==Deletion of user talk pages== |
| ⚫ |
==Notes== |
|
|
|
{{shortcut|WP:CVUT}} |
|
{{Reflist}} |
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
|
==See also== |
|
==See also== |
|
|
*] |
|
*] |
|
*] |
|
*] |
|
*] |
|
|
*] |
| ⚫ |
* ] |
|
|
* ] |
|
* ] |
|
⚫ |
* ] |
|
⚫ |
* ] |
|
|
*] |
|
|
|
|
⚫ |
==Notes== |
|
|
{{notelist}} |
|
|
|
|
|
] |
|
{{Misplaced Pages policies and guidelines}} |
|
|
{{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.