On 8/13/07, K P kpbotany@gmail.com wrote:
On 8/13/07, David Gerard dgerard@gmail.com wrote:
On 13/08/07, K P kpbotany@gmail.com wrote:
So, we have users given immense power to violate the personal space of other users, and we have no control over their use and abuse of that power.
Indeed. Checkuser evolved from the en:wp arbcom nagging the devs on IP matches, eventually leading to Tim hacking together an interface for me to look up IPs without needing full database access and having to handcraft SQL. So I suggest you solve it at the technical level: how to stop people having to access the database for any reason. I look forward to your work.
Ah, yes, I find problem's with the president's overseas policy, so I should shut up or run?
I wouldn't actually give people access to the database for any reason, though. I'm a bit shocked that's how it's done, too.
And, you don't even have to personally abuse your own checkuser power, as shown by the recent e-mail where a user offered up his check user results to others who e-mailed him, so they wouldn't personally have to sully themselves by snooping--unbelievable.
What the whuh? Link?
It was a fairly recent post, in the past week or so, where something came up about checkuser, and a list member offered to share his results of the check user with others with the privilege so they wouldn't have to look it up.
That you didn't even notice is what I am talking about, that this post went by without a blink, is what I am talking about--there are no privacy considerations, a little sharing of what was revealed is all fun and fair.
That's how it's been, CheckUsers have a mailing list for that reason. It's not pixie dust, the results need interpretation and sometimes that needs to be provided by other more knowledgable people. Without knowing to *whom* they were sharing this information, we can't really yell at them. If a CheckUser shares information with another CheckUser, that's fine, especially since they all have access to the log.
So, are there privacy issues on Wikipedia? Damn straight, when huge powers to invade others' privacy are given without restraints.
Indeed, much as every man is a potential fabulous drag queen. That is, theoretically.
Nice try. Well, not really.
This will still come back and bit Wikipedia real ugly. There is no security and Wikipedia does not take user's privacy seriously enough to demand that those with the potential to invade it strictly limit everything they do with the knowledge they gain possession of.
KP
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