[Wikipedia-l] Require confirmed email address to upload images?

Wed Jun 28 19:19:11 UTC 2006

I completely agree.  Anonymity is not equal to the right to be uncontactable
everafter.

On 6/28/06, Kat Walsh <mindspillage at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> One of the big problems with checking and tagging images is that we
> often cannot contact the uploaders -- they register an account, maybe
> only to upload, and then they never log in again, never check their
> talk page, didn't provide an email address, and you have no way to
> contact them.
>
> A lot of images are deleted because we simply have no way to contact
> the uploader who didn't provide a source or a license to ask them what
> the correct information is.
>
> I think it would be a big step forward to require a confirmed email
> address in order to upload images. It's a not a large hurdle for
> contributors, no minimum time or edit count -- just that we must be
> able to contact you, and then if we cannot, we're sure it's not just
> because you haven't been checking your talk page.
>
> This would also make it far easier for reusers of our media to contact
> the contributors to confirm! Wikimedia gets many requests to reprint
> photos and often we have to say that we simply do not know how to get
> in touch with the copyright holder -- someone who last edited a year
> ago is not likely to check a talk page.
>
> I hear it said that this would be an easy feature to implement.
>
> Suggestions/thoughts/objections?
>
> -Kat
>
> --
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-- 
Brad Patrick
General Counsel & Interim Executive Director
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
bradp.wmf at gmail.com
727-231-0101