I note that we are talking about the block of one single user on one single project; this particular account has thousands of edits over about a dozen projects, but is "attached" to hundreds of Wikimedia projects. The majority of these "attached" accounts are likely because the editor "visited" the various projects while logged in, activating the automatic account creation algorithm. The account was created 8 years ago, and has actively edited a wide variety of projects, including several wikipedias, Commons, Wikidata, and Meta. While English Wikipedia is the account's "home" wiki, about 55% of the account's global edits have been made on Marathi Wikipedia. The Amharic Wikipedia account does not appear to have edited, which suggests that it was automatically created when the editor was "looking at" the project on 9 February 2018. The block for account name was made on 22 October 2018. I note that accounts were created on over a hundred projects over the course of a few days in February 2018.
The point being raised in this thread is that it appears this editor was blocked on one of the 381 wikis on which they have an account, explicitly because of the perception that their username calls attention to the sexual behaviour of the editor. What we do not know is (a) whether that is in fact a legitimate username block reason on Amharic Wikipedia, or (b) if it is a legitimate username block reason, *why* it would be a username block reason. We don't know why this block was applied so long after the account was created. We don't know the username policy on Amharic Wikipedia, nor do we know how it is applied; for example, we don't know if a username like "StraightGuy101" would be blocked. We do know that there are only 4 administrators on Amharic Wikipedia, and that there are fewer than 50 active users working on the project, which may be part of the reason for the delay between automatic account creation and the account block.
We also know that one of the challenges of single user login for all Wikimedia projects has highlighted the fact that certain usernames that are acceptable on some projects are blocked on other projects; we've known that for years. We know that each project establishes its own policies when it comes to usernames. There are legitimate reasons why a username that is acceptable in one language is not acceptable in another language, even in cases where the editor had no knowledge that the chosen username would be a problem in another language. We do know that there have been lots of cases where usernames have been blocked for "username policy violation" on all kinds of projects, despite the account operating productively on other projects.
I also note that there is nothing in this thread that confirms the editor themself has raised any concerns about this block, and I am always wary of turning an editor into a "martyr for a cause" without their direct agreement, as that can be as abusive as the original action. So the first step in this situation would be to confirm with the individual editor whether or not they want their "case" to be examined.
Should the editor be agreeable, I suggest that the next step is for someone who has the ability to converse in Amharic to contact the Amharic Wikipedia and find out why the block has been issued, how it is consistent with the username policy on Amharic Wikipedia, whether that policy is driven in part by external considerations (e.g., does the project risk heavy governmental scrutiny if it appears to "promote" locally unacceptable activities). I am personally curious as to why it took over six months to identify that this account did not meet the local username policy, and whether there was internal or external discussion about the username.
It is not clear to me what the desired outcome is in this case - at least in part because we have no idea of the opinion of the editor involved. I am hard-pressed to say that a project should be required to allow usernames that it has a long history of considering unacceptable, especially if it is applied evenly to all accounts; in this case, if it disallows usernames that imply sexual preference regardless of what that preference is.
It seems to me that the WMF Trust & Safety group would probably be the right group to examine this.
Risker/Anne
On Wed, 2 Jan 2019 at 09:42, Ariel Glenn WMF ariel@wikimedia.org wrote:
Additional notes: The user's regular page can be viewed on en wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:QueerEcofeminist Queer may have to do with gender identity as opposed to being an indicator of 'sexual behavior', so the blockers didn't even get that right. Example: I am gender-nonconforming as to my gender identity and expression; this is the primary reason I use the label 'queer'.
I believe this should be reported... somewhere. But I don't know where. The WMF CoC only covers technical spaces. A little help here?
Ariel
On Wed, Jan 2, 2019 at 4:26 PM Fæ faewik@gmail.com wrote:
Do we have cross project policies to govern or limit local policies for the use of sysop tools? I would like to pass on policy advice, and any past cases folks here would like to highlight that set a precedent.
The case below is illustrative, though based on my recall of several complaints which went nowhere over the years, on email lists, and Jimmy's talk page, about apparently arbitrary blocks on different non-English Wikipedias, it seems reasonable to believe those complaints are the tip of the iceberg, and there are likely to be many historical cases of blocks that could have been appealed... had the user been confident to complain in English, and have the energy to pursue generic WMF policies on terms of use, or harassment/discrimination, to establish a meta-level case.
# Example case
An account block on the Amharic Wikipedia (am.wp) was flagged up yesterday on the WM LGBT+ Telegram discussion group.[3] The rationale for blocking the account was because the account name includes the word "Queer"[1]. The incident raises questions about process and accountability, particularly as the block gives the impression that this is the norm or an agreed interpretation of policy for sysops on am.wp, and because the user is well established using this account name across Wikimedia projects and has never edited am.wp so the block cannot be based on any prior action or dispute.
In this example there is no obvious process for appeal, if sysops on that project think that blocking any LGBT+ related account name represents local consensus. After off-wiki discussion, the WMF Trust and Safety team has been approached for advice,[2] as the rationale for the action appears hostile to any openly LGBT+ volunteers who might want to include something queer looking in their account name (such as my account name, should anyone want to read it as transgender related).
# Links
https://am.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%88%8D%E1%8B%A9:Contributions/QueerEcofemin...
; the block log states "Names calling attention to your sexual behavior have never been allowed here in 15 years and aren't suddenly allowed in 2018" 2. https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Trust_and_Safety 3. https://telegram.me/wmlgbt
Thanks Fae -- faewik@gmail.com https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Fae https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_LGBT+
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