On 13/08/07, K P <kpbotany(a)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.
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?
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.
- d.