Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Durova (talk | contribs) at 04:52, 6 September 2007 (→Editor identity and self-disclosure: fixing). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Editor identity and self-disclosure

Part of this case reflects an unresolved dilemma from Misplaced Pages:Requests for arbitration/Barrett v. Rosenthal in which Fyslee had disclosed his real life identity onsite, then attempted to recover his privacy afterward. During that case I requested the Committee make a ruling on the principle and I repeat that request now.

Such disclosures have played an important role in cracking some of the tougher investigations. For instance:

• The Joan of Arc vandal: shortly after creating the original account, this editor disclosed his real name as Allen Williamson. 1 1/2 years (and many disruptions) later he mocked up a PDF file to resemble a scholarly journal and tried to circumvent WP:NOR, WP:V, and WP:RS by citing himself - also listing his real name as the author. That connection played a significant role in the community's decision to siteban him.

• JB196: self-identified as Jonathan Barber, later indef blocked and evaded the ban as BooyakaDell. One of the factors that led to BooyakaDell's identification as a sockpuppet was a post in which BooyakaDell cited a source as Jonathan Barber's work although the original article had no byline.

I hope the Committee can formulate some principle that would allow good faith editors to recover privacy without excluding key evidence in long term disruption investigations. Every version I've considered boils down to WP:ILIKEIT v. WP:IDONTLIKEIT - which leads me to conclude that the lesser of two evils is to continue permitting these investigations at the cost of some discomfort to the adults who later regret the disclosure. The right to vanish depends upon the dedication of the individual who exercises it: an editor who returns to familiar topics and reenters conflicts can expect that sooner or later enough evidence will accumulate to reestablish their identity beyond reasonable doubt. Durova 04:51, 6 September 2007 (UTC)