[Foundation-l] identity disclosure and access to OTRS/Checkuser

Wed Jun 25 19:19:19 UTC 2008

On Wed, Jun 25, 2008 at 3:07 PM, Joe Szilagyi <szilagyi at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> What is the official policy and requirements for OTRS and Checkuser
> volunteers, who both have access to private information, to disclose
> themselves to the WMF? What are they required to reveal to the Foundation,
> and how is that information vetted and verified? How does this line up with
> the WMF's board policy on private material?

I emailed a copy of my drivers license (or was it passport? I forget).
.. .. and  I've also met almost all of the foundation staff and board
so if there was anyone qualified for waving based on "oh we know him"
I think I'd be fairly high on the list, so I'm not personally aware of
it being waved.

> There was a comment from someone who helped draft original OTRS policy, and
> who was an administrator and Arbitration Committee member on the English
> Wikipedia, that some individuals for some reason do not have to disclose
> themselves, which sounded odd, and another person,

My belief is that the requirements are reduced for people that only
have access to the 'boring' OTRS queues, the ones where private
information is only disclosed infrequently and incidentally (like
anything else on Wikipedia).  I'm sure Cary will reply with more
details.

> a current Board
> candidate, stated that his entire disclosure to the WMF consisted of a Gmail
> stating his name and age. That seems... rather concerning on the former, and
> rather thin on the latter.

I would think that only the *winner* really needs to be identified in
any robust way.  Prior to being selected as a winner the only real
need to ask for ID is to weed out anyone unwilling to provide it.