[Wikimedia-l] Re: Closing the comment period for the Universal Code of Conduct Enforcement Draft Guidelines and next step

Hi, There are various unanswered queries on the UCoC talk pages.[1][2] I wonder if you or someone else involved in drafting the UCoC could comment. Several of these queries concern the wording of the Harassment section, in particular the "Disclosure of personal data (Doxing)" subsection included therein.[3] This subsection currently reads as follows (my emphasis): "Disclosure of personal data (Doxing): sharing other contributors' private information, such as name, place of employment, physical or email address without their explicit consent either on the Wikimedia projects or elsewhere, *or sharing information concerning their Wikimedia activity outside the projects*." 1. As written, this literally means that Wikimedians will not be allowed to share "information concerning [other contributors'] Wikimedia activity outside the projects". While this may not be the intended meaning, it is the literal meaning – and reminiscent of Fight Club: "The first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club." Could you comment? Do you really mean to say that contributors are not allowed to communicate with any outside person about what happens on the projects? How would this affect bloggers like the following: https://genderdesk.wordpress.com/ https://thewikipedian.net/ https://wikipediocracy.com/2021/11/22/wikipedia-loves-stolen-art/ Or is this a case of the wording having gone awry? 2. The subsection mentions "place of employment". There are pages on Wikipedia, in project space and article space, that discuss contributors' place of employment. Examples are: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Congressional_staffer_edits https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangemoody_editing_of_Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki-PR_editing_of_Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Scientology_editing_on_Wikipedia Wikipedia editors and arbitrators have in the past commented on such cases to the media. Will this be forbidden under the new Universal Code of Conduct rules? 3. What about cases like the ones listed below? From the perspective of the UCoC, were any of the protagonists in these cases ("David r from Meth Productions", "Wifione", "Qworty") victims of harassment as a result of their activities being discussed on-wiki or elsewhere? https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2011/09/hari-rose-wikipedia-admitted https://www.salon.com/2013/05/17/revenge_ego_and_the_corruption_of_wikipedi… https://www.newsweek.com/2015/04/03/manipulating-wikipedia-promote-bogus-bu… 4. Another contributor has asked on the talk pages whether, according to the terms of the UCoC, they will be deemed guilty of harassment in the Wikimediaverse if they sue another contributor for libel and discuss their complaint in court. Another worries about contributors' ability to report child protection issues to the authorities. Indeed, the WMF itself has at times alerted the authorities to suspicious activities on its sites and shared contributors' personal details (I recall a case where it appeared from postings on Wikipedia that a troubled teenager was contemplating a school shooting). Is the Universal Code of Conduct intended to put an end to such reports? I would be grateful for a clarification of the impact the Universal Code of Conduct is intended to have on the above issues. Best, Andreas [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Universal_Code_of_Conduct [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Universal_Code_of_Conduct/Policy_text [3] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Universal_Code_of_Conduct#3_–_Unacceptable_… On Thu, Nov 25, 2021 at 3:13 AM Youngjin Ko <yko-ctr(a)wikimedia.org> wrote: