Hi,
What is the official policy and requirements for OTRS and Checkuser volunteers, who both have access to private information, to disclose themselves to the WMF? What are they required to reveal to the Foundation, and how is that information vetted and verified? How does this line up with the WMF's board policy on private material?
There was a comment from someone who helped draft original OTRS policy, and who was an administrator and Arbitration Committee member on the English Wikipedia, that some individuals for some reason do not have to disclose themselves, which sounded odd, and another person, a current Board candidate, stated that his entire disclosure to the WMF consisted of a Gmail stating his name and age. That seems... rather concerning on the former, and rather thin on the latter.
Thanks!
- Joe
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Joe Szilagyi wrote: | Hi, | | What is the official policy and requirements for OTRS and Checkuser | volunteers, who both have access to private information, to disclose | themselves to the WMF?
This is incorrect. Most OTRS volunteers do not have access to private information; and those that do have identified.
- -- Cary Bass Volunteer Coordinator
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E-Mail: cary@wikimedia.org
On Wed, Jun 25, 2008 at 12:12 PM, Cary Bass cbass@wikimedia.org wrote:
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Joe Szilagyi wrote: | Hi, | | What is the official policy and requirements for OTRS and Checkuser | volunteers, who both have access to private information, to disclose | themselves to the WMF?
This is incorrect. Most OTRS volunteers do not have access to private information; and those that do have identified.
Cary Bass Volunteer Coordinator
Thanks for the clarification. Are there any users with private access that have not identified as was mentioned by Kelly? If so, why would anyone get such an exemption, and who would approve that? What level of traceable real-world identification is required?
Joe
On Wed, Jun 25, 2008 at 3:15 PM, Joe Szilagyi szilagyi@gmail.com wrote:
Thanks for the clarification. Are there any users with private access that have not identified as was mentioned by Kelly? If so, why would anyone get such an exemption, and who would approve that? What level of traceable real-world identification is required?
If there were, they would probably be removed as soon as possible. However, it is difficult to answer questions about a certain situation when we have no idea who you are talking about.
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Joe Szilagyi wrote: | On Wed, Jun 25, 2008 at 12:12 PM, Cary Bass cbass@wikimedia.org wrote: | |> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- |> Hash: SHA1 |> |> Joe Szilagyi wrote: |> | Hi, |> | |> | What is the official policy and requirements for OTRS and Checkuser |> | volunteers, who both have access to private information, to disclose |> | themselves to the WMF? |> |> This is incorrect. Most OTRS volunteers do not have access to private |> information; and those that do have identified. |> |> - -- |> Cary Bass |> Volunteer Coordinator | | | | Thanks for the clarification. Are there any users with private access that | have not identified as was mentioned by Kelly? If so, why would anyone get | such an exemption, and who would approve that? What level of traceable | real-world identification is required?
I don't see any email from anyone named Kelly, so I don't know what you're referring to. There's no exemptions to anyone with access to private data; everyone has identified, and if you believe someone has not, please let me know (privately) and we'll work on fixing that.
- -- Cary Bass Volunteer Coordinator
My reason for asking was from a comment left by Kelly Martin on the Wikipedia Review, where she said, "And Cary routinely makes exceptions to the "must identify to the Foundation" policy, too," which seemed odd.
It was such an outrageous comment that I wanted to ask what is checked. Cary, thank you for answering. Is what Greg mentioned he did what happens to all people with private access--do they have to provide a passport, state ID, something like that?
- Joe
With regard to the candidate, it was, if I understand correctly, regarding sarcasticidealist. I think this is just a miscommunication between people making the assumption that basic level OTRS access volunteers have access to personal information.
-Dan
On Wed, Jun 25, 2008 at 3:25 PM, Joe Szilagyi szilagyi@gmail.com wrote:
My reason for asking was from a comment left by Kelly Martin on the Wikipedia Review, where she said, "And Cary routinely makes exceptions to the "must identify to the Foundation" policy, too," which seemed odd.
It was such an outrageous comment that I wanted to ask what is checked. Cary, thank you for answering. Is what Greg mentioned he did what happens to all people with private access--do they have to provide a passport, state ID, something like that?
- Joe
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On Wed, Jun 25, 2008 at 3:25 PM, Joe Szilagyi szilagyi@gmail.com wrote:
My reason for asking was from a comment left by Kelly Martin on the Wikipedia Review, where she said, "And Cary routinely makes exceptions to the "must identify to the Foundation" policy, too," which seemed odd.
Ah.
I went and found the thread in question:
Kelly Martin wrote:
guy wrote
You have to be 18 to be a checkuser or an ArbCom member (though all you have to do is send a photo of your passport, which for all anyone knows is your father's or your brother's). You have to be 16 to be an OTRS volunteer, because a certain level of maturity and life experience is needed (you can't make this up).
And Cary routinely makes exceptions to the "must identify to the Foundation" policy, too. I thought OTRS volunteers were subject to the must identify and be an adult. I certainly >intended them to be when I wrote that policy.
It was news to me somewhat recently that some OTRS users weren't identified (I discovered this when chatting with a new one). I asked around a bit and was told that the boring queues weren't deemed private info ... which made sense to me so I inquired no further.
Kelly's comment on Cary waving things sounds perhaps a bit cynical. ;)
2008/6/25 Joe Szilagyi szilagyi@gmail.com:
My reason for asking was from a comment left by Kelly Martin on the Wikipedia Review, where she said, "And Cary routinely makes exceptions to the "must identify to the Foundation" policy, too," which seemed odd.
Anything said on Wikipedia Review needs to be taken with a very large pinch of salt. Sounds like this is just Kelly Martin talking nonsense on WR - anyone particularly surprised?
Tango
Moderately surprised in that Kelly had essentially given up Wikipedia as a topic on her blog, and essentially quit all things Wikipedia; not sure why this topic made her choose to come back.
-Dan
On Wed, Jun 25, 2008 at 5:57 PM, Thomas Dalton thomas.dalton@gmail.com wrote:
2008/6/25 Joe Szilagyi szilagyi@gmail.com:
My reason for asking was from a comment left by Kelly Martin on the Wikipedia Review, where she said, "And Cary routinely makes exceptions to the "must identify to the Foundation" policy, too," which seemed odd.
Anything said on Wikipedia Review needs to be taken with a very large pinch of salt. Sounds like this is just Kelly Martin talking nonsense on WR - anyone particularly surprised?
Tango
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On Wed, Jun 25, 2008 at 3:07 PM, Joe Szilagyi szilagyi@gmail.com wrote:
Hi,
What is the official policy and requirements for OTRS and Checkuser volunteers, who both have access to private information, to disclose themselves to the WMF? What are they required to reveal to the Foundation, and how is that information vetted and verified? How does this line up with the WMF's board policy on private material?
I emailed a copy of my drivers license (or was it passport? I forget). .. .. and I've also met almost all of the foundation staff and board so if there was anyone qualified for waving based on "oh we know him" I think I'd be fairly high on the list, so I'm not personally aware of it being waved.
There was a comment from someone who helped draft original OTRS policy, and who was an administrator and Arbitration Committee member on the English Wikipedia, that some individuals for some reason do not have to disclose themselves, which sounded odd, and another person,
My belief is that the requirements are reduced for people that only have access to the 'boring' OTRS queues, the ones where private information is only disclosed infrequently and incidentally (like anything else on Wikipedia). I'm sure Cary will reply with more details.
a current Board candidate, stated that his entire disclosure to the WMF consisted of a Gmail stating his name and age. That seems... rather concerning on the former, and rather thin on the latter.
I would think that only the *winner* really needs to be identified in any robust way. Prior to being selected as a winner the only real need to ask for ID is to weed out anyone unwilling to provide it.
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