[WikiEN-l] legal threats, temp bans, and Jimbo

Mon Feb 23 23:36:39 UTC 2004

Erik Moeller wrote:

> Legal threats against Wikipedians are unacceptable, period.

So you'd agree with something like this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:No_legal_threats

Feel free to boldly edit and/or express your support or distaste (or hatred, disgust, 
etc)

Also, note that current and (especially!) past versions of the [[Wikipedia:Submission 
Standards]] and [[Wikipedia:terms of use]] interfere with the ability of users to take 
legal action without first going through arbitration, so you may wish to browse the 
discussion there at some point and consider the benefits of making them official.

Erik later wrote:

> Jimbo is needed to allow us instant tempbans in case this particular policy
> is violated

That's a point of view. Another point of view is that it's up to the community to 
decide under what circumstances tempbans by individual sysops are applicable, 
and up to the arbitration committee and beauracrats to enforce the wishes of the 
community in the matter.

If the community believes that tempbans by individual sysops are only permissable 
in circumstances explicitly laid down by Jimbo Wales, then these two points of view 
are identical. I wonder if this is the case.

-Martin "MyRedDice" Harper