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Revision as of 18:52, 15 November 2004 view sourceMav (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users77,874 editsm Members: If an even number of members are active and there is a tie, then we will ask user:Jimbo Wales to give the tie-breaking vote.← Previous edit Latest revision as of 18:58, 30 October 2024 view source Beeblebrox (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators112,458 edits What happens to incoming ArbCom email?: voice 
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{{Short description|Panel of editors who conduct Misplaced Pages's arbitration process}}
{{Shortcut|]}}
<noinclude>{{pp-semi-indef}}{{pp-move-indef}}</noinclude>
The '''Arbitration Committee''' exists to impose '''binding solutions''' to Misplaced Pages disputes. This solution may be '''anything up to and including a ban from editing the entire Misplaced Pages for a period of time.'''
{{hatnote|''' For current arbitration proceedings, see ] or ]. For archived arbitration proceedings, see ].'''}}


{{redirect|WP:AC|the account creator policy|Misplaced Pages:Account creator |the encyclopedia article|Arbitration Committee (Misplaced Pages)|information on autoconfirmed users|Misplaced Pages:Autoconfirmed|authority control|Misplaced Pages:Authority control|the revision deletion criterion|Misplaced Pages:Revision deletion#AC}}
The Arbitration Committee is the last step in the ] process &mdash; it is a '''last resort''' to be turned to when all else has failed. Other steps, including discussion between users and, where appropriate, ], should be tried first. The Arbitration Committee exists to deal with only the most serious disputes and cases of rule-breaking.


{{ ombox
Until the beginning of 2004, ], the founder of Misplaced Pages, dealt with all serious disputes and was the only person with the authority to ban users who were not engaging in simple vandalism (straightforward vandals can be blocked by any ]). In the last year, this role has begun to be passed to the Arbitration Committee. Jimbo wrote:
| type = notice
| image = none
| imageright = {{shortcut|WP:AC|WP:ARB|WP:ARBCOM}}
| text = {{Arb-logo}}
}}
{{ombox|style=background: var(--background-color-warning-subtle, #fef6e7); border: 1px solid var(--border-color-destructive--active, #b32424); color: inherit;|textstyle=text-align: center;|image=none|text=Any private material intended for the Committee's attention should be sent through ].


Please see the ] statement below.
:"The Arbitration Committee can impose a solution that I'll consider to be binding, with of course the exception that I reserve the right of executive clemency and indeed even to dissolve the whole thing if it turns out to be a disaster. But I regard that as unlikely, and I plan to do it about as often as the Queen of England dissolves Parliament against their wishes, i.e. basically never, but it is one last safety valve for our values."
}}
{{ArbCom navigation}}


The '''Arbitration Committee''' is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the ]. It has the authority to impose ] to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. The ] describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.
* To request Arbitration, see ].
* The ] details the rules involved.


In addition to its role in dispute resolution, the Committee ] which editors have access to ] and ] permissions, and considers certain matters where exceptional factors such as ] preclude a public hearing.
==Members==
NOTE: The number of active AC members affects the number of AC members needed to reach a ruling. For example, if seven AC members are active, then four votes are needed to reach a majority decision. If ten are active, then six votes are needed, etc. If an even number of members are active and there is a tie, then we will ask ] to give the tie-breaking vote.


Arbitrators are volunteer users—usually experienced editors and ]—whom the community of editors at large ] to resolve the most complex or intractable disputes that may arise within the community, and to oversee the few areas where access to non-public information is a prerequisite.
'''AC status''': <font color="green">Active</font> (has participated in an AC case in the last month), <font color="red">Inactive</font> (has not participated in an AC case in the last month), <font color="orange">Away</font> (on a temporary leave of absence)
{{dispute-resolution}}
{{/Members}}


==Clerks==
===<font color="green">Active</font>===
The ] assists the Committee with procedural tasks, such as opening and closing cases, maintaining arbitration pages, and issuing notifications of decisions. Parties with questions about the arbitration process are encouraged to consult a clerk for assistance.
''As of 8 Oct 2004''
# ], aka ''Maveric149'' -- maveric149 at yahoo.com (I'm back but will be on vacation the week of the 21st and will be moving late November / early December 2600 miles away to Atlanta)
# ] -- fredbaud at ctelco.net
# ], aka ''Jdforrester'' -- james at jdforrester.org
# ], aka ''The Epopt'' -- sean at epoptic.org
# ], aka ''MyRedDice'' -- wikipedia at myreddice.co.uk
# ], aka ''Raul654'' -- mapellegrini at comcast.net
# ], -- jwrosenzweig at yahoo.com (Access to Internet improving, but still somewhat limited.)
# ] -- cunctator at kband.com -- the Requests for Arbitration page is utterly confusing


==Contacting the Committee==
===<font color="orange">Away</font>===
<span id="arbcom-en"></span>
''As of 15 November 2004''
The ''arbcom-en'' mailing list is the primary venue for internal Arbitration Committee discussion on all matters under the Committee's remit. It can also be used by any user as a means of contacting the Committee privately (but see ] below). The mailing list address is '''''{{NonSpamEmail|arbcom-en|wikimedia.org}}'''''. It may also be reached through the "Email this user" feature at "]". All ] are subscribed to this list.


===Mailing lists===
# ], aka ''Nohat'' -- david at nohat.net
<span id="LISTS">{{shortcut|WP:ARBCOM#LISTS}}</span>
# ] -- gutza at moongate.ro, but please see ]
# ], aka ''Camembert'' -- lee at audiblerecords.com


In addition to the ''arbcom-en'' list, the Committee operates several other ]:


{| class="wikitable"
===<font color="red">Inactive</font>===
! scope="col" | Mailing list
''As of 18 Sep 2004''
! scope="col" | Description
|-
! scope="row" style="padding: 0.5em;" | {{nowrap|'']''}}
| style="padding: 0.5em;" | The ''functionaries-en'' mailing list is used for general discussion among current Arbitration Committee members, former members in good standing, advanced permission (CheckUser and/or Oversight) operators, and other editors with official Wikimedia Foundation status. Please see ] for more details and a list of subscribers.
|-
! scope="row" style="padding: 0.5em;" | {{nowrap|'']''}}
| style="padding: 0.5em;" | The ''clerks-l'' mailing list is used for coordination by the ]. Please see ] for more details and a list of subscribers.
|-
! scope="row" style="padding: 0.5em;" | {{nowrap|''arbcom-en-b''}} and {{nowrap|''arbcom-en-c''}}
| style="padding: 0.5em;" | The ''arbcom-en-b'' and ''arbcom-en-c'' mailing lists are secondary mailing lists used instead of arbcom-en "solely for discussions involving (i) the conduct of an arbcom-en subscriber or (ii) cases, broadly defined, to which an arbcom-en subscriber is a party" per ]. They are also used for CheckUser and Oversight applications, and may be used when one or more arbitrators recuse on a case. All arbitrators potentially have access to the archives of these mailing lists upon conclusion of the incident that either list was used for.
|}


===What happens to incoming ArbCom email?===
# ], aka ''Delirium'' -- delirium at rufus.d2g.com
{{also|Misplaced Pages:Arbitration Committee/Procedures#Incoming mail}}


The committee is not necessarily the most appropriate body for every matter we are contacted about. Therefore, emails are shared with other trusted permissions holders on Misplaced Pages when, in an arbitrator's judgement, they cannot or must not be handled by the committee alone.
===Left===


* '''Spam:''' Almost all incoming email is spam that is deleted at moderation. Please include an informative subject line to avoid deletion. Messages are normally acknowledged by an arbitrator within 48 hours.
# ]
* ''']:''' Reports should be made to WMF Legal. {{nospam|legal-reports|wikimedia.org}}.
* '''Content change requests:''' Referred to ], either by forwarding or by an arbitrator writing back to recommend you send to there.
* '''Suppression requests:''' Normally forwarded to the ], unless immediately actioned by an arbitrator.
* '''Requests for ]:''' Normally referred either to the ] or to an individual checkuser.
* '''Legal matters outside ArbCom's scope:''' Referred to the ].
* ''']:''' Referred to the ], {{nospam|emergency|wikimedia.org}}.
* '''Appeals of ] or ] directly related to ArbCom decisions or ]:''' Discussed and decided by the full committee.
* '''Requests about ] or ] blocks or bans:''' Appeals reviewed by the committee or forwarded to the ].
* '''Requests to review actions of checkusers or oversighters:''' Discussed and decided by the full committee.
* '''Emails about currently open arbitration cases:''' Handled according to the ] policy.
* '''Emails relating to closed cases:''' Normally referred to ] unless private or non-public personal information is involved.
* '''Other:''' Handled on a case-by-case basis, according to applicable policy and convention.


===Communications and privacy===
===Notes===
<section begin="Communications and privacy" />
Arbitrators usually seek to treat communications with the committee, including emails, as confidential. That said, we cannot guarantee against public disclosure for a number of reasons, including potential security limitations. Accordingly, you should not disclose sensitive personal information in your communications with us.


Once received, your communications may be shared with committee members and – in some limited cases – with third parties as deemed appropriate. Your communications may be archived indefinitely and made available to future members of the committee.
All volunteered apart from The Cunctator, who was "drafted", and Jwrosenzweig and Raul654, who were ] for 5 months. Jimbo plans that future Arbitrators will be ].


Your email address may contain personal information that could reveal your real-life identity. Many people create email accounts specifically for Misplaced Pages use. Further information about safeguarding your privacy may be found at ] and ].
By choice, we don't have a chair.
<section end="Communications and privacy" />

{{Misplaced Pages accounts|collapsed}}
==External link==
]
* (active 21 Jan to 17 Mar 2004)

]

Latest revision as of 18:58, 30 October 2024

Panel of editors who conduct Misplaced Pages's arbitration process

For current arbitration proceedings, see Requests or Open Tasks. For archived arbitration proceedings, see Arbitration/Index. "WP:AC" redirects here. For the account creator policy, see Misplaced Pages:Account creator. For the encyclopedia article, see Arbitration Committee (Misplaced Pages). For information on autoconfirmed users, see Misplaced Pages:Autoconfirmed. For authority control, see Misplaced Pages:Authority control. For the revision deletion criterion, see Misplaced Pages:Revision deletion § AC.
Weighing scales Arbitration​Committee Shortcuts
Any private material intended for the Committee's attention should be sent through the main contact page. Please see the Communications and privacy statement below.
Misplaced Pages Arbitration
Open proceedings
Active sanctions
Arbitration Committee
Audit
Track related changes

The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Misplaced Pages arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.

In addition to its role in dispute resolution, the Committee determines which editors have access to CheckUser and Oversight permissions, and considers certain matters where exceptional factors such as privacy preclude a public hearing.

Arbitrators are volunteer users—usually experienced editors and administrators—whom the community of editors at large elects to resolve the most complex or intractable disputes that may arise within the community, and to oversee the few areas where access to non-public information is a prerequisite.

Dispute resolution
(Requests)
Tips
Content disputes
Conduct disputes

Members

See also: Misplaced Pages:Arbitration Committee/History § Current and former members

These editors are the elected members of the Arbitration Committee (known as arbitrators). Votes of the committee are taken among the active members. Members are marked active or inactive so that the majority for new votes can be calculated. Members on wikibreak, not participating in arbitration within the past week, or indicating they will be absent are marked inactive.

Members moving back to active may remain inactive on some or all existing business. If you wish to know whether an arbitrator is active on a particular matter, please ask on their talk page (or check the proposed decision talk page, for cases). The list below is used to determine whether each arbitrator is active by default. Arbitrators who go on to participate in a vote will be counted as active for it even if they are listed as inactive below.

The following list is accurate as of 15 December 2024:

Active

  1. Aoidh (talk · contribs)
  2. Cabayi (talk · contribs)
  3. CaptainEek (talk · contribs)
  4. Guerillero (talk · contribs)
  5. HJ Mitchell (talk · contribs)
  6. Moneytrees (talk · contribs)
  7. Primefac (talk · contribs)
  8. Sdrqaz (talk · contribs)
  9. ToBeFree (talk · contribs)
  10. Z1720 (talk · contribs)

Inactive

  1. Firefly (talk · contribs)
  2. L235 (talk · contribs)

Arbitrators-elect (taking office 1 January 2025)

  1. Daniel (talk · contribs)
  2. Elli (talk · contribs)
  3. KrakatoaKatie (talk · contribs)
  4. Liz (talk · contribs)
  5. ScottishFinnishRadish (talk · contribs)
  6. Theleekycauldron (talk · contribs)
  7. Worm That Turned (talk · contribs)

Clerks

The Committee's clerk team assists the Committee with procedural tasks, such as opening and closing cases, maintaining arbitration pages, and issuing notifications of decisions. Parties with questions about the arbitration process are encouraged to consult a clerk for assistance.

Contacting the Committee

The arbcom-en mailing list is the primary venue for internal Arbitration Committee discussion on all matters under the Committee's remit. It can also be used by any user as a means of contacting the Committee privately (but see Communications and privacy below). The mailing list address is arbcom-en@wikimedia.org. It may also be reached through the "Email this user" feature at "User:Arbitration Committee". All current arbitrators are subscribed to this list.

Mailing lists

Shortcut

In addition to the arbcom-en list, the Committee operates several other official mailing lists:

Mailing list Description
functionaries-en The functionaries-en mailing list is used for general discussion among current Arbitration Committee members, former members in good standing, advanced permission (CheckUser and/or Oversight) operators, and other editors with official Wikimedia Foundation status. Please see the functionary page for more details and a list of subscribers.
clerks-l The clerks-l mailing list is used for coordination by the Committee's clerk team. Please see the clerk page for more details and a list of subscribers.
arbcom-en-b and arbcom-en-c The arbcom-en-b and arbcom-en-c mailing lists are secondary mailing lists used instead of arbcom-en "solely for discussions involving (i) the conduct of an arbcom-en subscriber or (ii) cases, broadly defined, to which an arbcom-en subscriber is a party" per Misplaced Pages:Arbitration Committee/Noticeboard/Archive 5#Motion to establish secondary ArbCom mailing list. They are also used for CheckUser and Oversight applications, and may be used when one or more arbitrators recuse on a case. All arbitrators potentially have access to the archives of these mailing lists upon conclusion of the incident that either list was used for.

What happens to incoming ArbCom email?

See also: Misplaced Pages:Arbitration Committee/Procedures § Incoming mail

The committee is not necessarily the most appropriate body for every matter we are contacted about. Therefore, emails are shared with other trusted permissions holders on Misplaced Pages when, in an arbitrator's judgement, they cannot or must not be handled by the committee alone.

  • Spam: Almost all incoming email is spam that is deleted at moderation. Please include an informative subject line to avoid deletion. Messages are normally acknowledged by an arbitrator within 48 hours.
  • Child protection / child pornography: Reports should be made to WMF Legal. legal-reports@wikimedia.org.
  • Content change requests: Referred to VRT, either by forwarding or by an arbitrator writing back to recommend you send to there.
  • Suppression requests: Normally forwarded to the Oversight team, unless immediately actioned by an arbitrator.
  • Requests for checkuser/sockpuppetry investigations: Normally referred either to the Functionaries mailing list or to an individual checkuser.
  • Legal matters outside ArbCom's scope: Referred to the WMF Legal and Community Liaison.
  • Threats of harm to self or to others: Referred to the WMF emergency address, emergency@wikimedia.org.
  • Appeals of blocks or bans directly related to ArbCom decisions or Arbitration Enforcement: Discussed and decided by the full committee.
  • Requests about "checkuser" or "oversighter" blocks or bans: Appeals reviewed by the committee or forwarded to the Functionaries.
  • Requests to review actions of checkusers or oversighters: Discussed and decided by the full committee.
  • Emails about currently open arbitration cases: Handled according to the arbitration policy.
  • Emails relating to closed cases: Normally referred to Arbitration Enforcement unless private or non-public personal information is involved.
  • Other: Handled on a case-by-case basis, according to applicable policy and convention.

Communications and privacy

Arbitrators usually seek to treat communications with the committee, including emails, as confidential. That said, we cannot guarantee against public disclosure for a number of reasons, including potential security limitations. Accordingly, you should not disclose sensitive personal information in your communications with us.

Once received, your communications may be shared with committee members and – in some limited cases – with third parties as deemed appropriate. Your communications may be archived indefinitely and made available to future members of the committee.

Your email address may contain personal information that could reveal your real-life identity. Many people create email accounts specifically for Misplaced Pages use. Further information about safeguarding your privacy may be found at On privacy and How to not get outed on Misplaced Pages.

Misplaced Pages accounts and governance
Unregistered (IP) users
Registered users
Account security
Blocks, bans, sanctions,
global actions
Related to accounts
User groups
and global user groups
Advanced user groups
Committees and related
Governance
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