I guess that this policy is approved for now. if you have further comments, please add them in the talk page. I archived all the discussions, if you wish some to be kept on the live page, please move them back.
The policy is here : http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/CheckUser_Policy
To ask for CheckUser status, please see here : http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Requests_for_permissions
To ask for information on a user, please go there : http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Request_for_CheckUser_information
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To summarize it very very shortly :
* on a project with an arbcom, the arbcom will decide for some editors to have the checkuser status (they may or may not be on the arbcom). The stewards will give access, per arbcom request.
* on a project with no arbcom, the community will have to vote for its editors with checkuser access. A limit of votes number has been set on purpose. I recommand avoiding using sockpuppet for voting. A wiki community with 10 editors and 30 voters is likely to be frowned upon.
* if the project has no checkuser editor (no vote or too small a project), the community can ask a steward to do the job.
* all those with checkUser status are submitted to the privacy policy. Infrigment of it will lead to status removal (there will not be a community global vote to decide a removal, as this is a legal issue involving the Foundation; however, the local communities are welcome to insure investigation and report of abuse cases).
Have fun, but please remember that this is a technical tool to fight vandalism... not a tool to use routinely to control your peers; We are not big brother... by default, we *try* to trust :-)
Ant