[WikiEN-l] Registration system and blocks

Fri Dec 31 14:15:30 UTC 2004

Jimmy (Jimbo) Wales (jwales at wikia.com) [050101 00:35]:

> My position is that your technical proposal is mistaken for the
> reasons cited by others -- our real problems aren't so much from
> driveby vandals who would be discouraged by a registration system, but
> rather from dedicated trolls and POV pushers who we have not dealt
> with as quickly and effectively as we should.
> In this, I think you and I would agree.

In one recent example, a user who was brought to arbitration and promptly
created twelve sockpuppets. He put quite a bit of effort into them, too.
And they were obnoxious as hell. After I blocked the socks, I got several
emails from users thanking me and saying he'd nearly driven them off
Wikipedia.

(I must note that I only acted in this case after firm technical proof of
abuse of sockpuppets to get around 3RR and personal abuse rules. Because I
may have to help arbitrate on this case after Jan 1 ... arbitrators can do
less, not more.)

But the problem is, I couldn't really have done anything without the solid
technical proof (courtesy Jamesday) that they were all the same user.
Because blocking "obvious sock puppets" without technical proof is not
generally accepted amongst the admins, and it would have been unblocked
promptly.

Compared to this sort of behaviour, hit-and-run vandals or sandboxers are
nothing. Even trolls (even the GNAA) are nothing. I find it hard to think
what the GNAA could do to Wikipedia that it diesn't do to itself.

I am very annoyed the vote for 24-hour blocks for personal abuse didn't
reach consensus. It would help a *lot* IMO. Pity it's a bit subjective.
Unfortunately, Wikipedia is too big to block on "you're being a dickhead,
stop it" any more.

- d.