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

Thu Jun 29 02:12:56 UTC 2006

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

I don't think this is as clear cut as you think it is. In the case of
requiring users to register to start articles, and we had solid
evidence that our openess was actively harmful- pace Siegenthaler.
I've seen no reason to believe that our current level of openness
w/r/t images is actively harmful, and not merely a nuisance on the
level of vandalism by IPs.

~maru