2009/1/2 David Gerard dgerard@gmail.com:
2009/1/2 Ian Woollard ian.woollard@gmail.com:
If I understand you correctly, you would be (theoretically) fine with me creating a wikipedia page of you and filling it with true information about you, including your social security number, bank account number, telephone number, mothers maiden name, address, entire sexual history, provided all of this can be said to be correct by a notable source and referenced correctly?
You're resorting to hypothetical hyperbole. This does not convince.
Actually, no, I'm being hypothetical, but not hyperbolic.
My point is that there exists classes of information that are true, but are not suitable for inclusion in the wikipedia. Todd Mallens point was that there were no such classes of information possible, and I believe that I have shown this to be false. Indeed within the wikipedia these kinds of information are specifically only protected by the BLP policy.
Todd seems to have been actually hyperbolic: "These rights do not exist. I do not have a right to tell you that you may not talk about me or publish information about me, provided what you say is true."
Truth or verifiability is not sufficient for the wikipedia. In our heart of hearts we know that, that's what undue weight is mostly about, that's what notability is about.
We protect the wikipedia against distortions of information, it seems to me that BLP can be seen as a part of or an extension to undue weight as regards to an article on an individual.
- d.