Hello, everyone.

I'm writing with information about the Ombudsman Commission (OC), the small group of volunteers who investigate complaints about violations of the privacy policy, and in particular concerning the use of CheckUser tools, on any Wikimedia project for the Board of Trustees.

I apologize for the length of the announcement. :)

The application period for new commissioners for 2015 recently closed. The Wikimedia Foundation is extremely grateful to the many experienced and insightful volunteers who offered to assist with this work.

As with last year, this year’s OC will consist of seven members, with a two-member advisory team who will guide the new commission and also, if necessary, fill in in the event that the OC is unable to act due to incapacity or recusal. Last year’s advisors rose to full membership when two members found themselves unable to complete their terms due to competing time demands.

I am pleased to announce the composition of the 2015 OC.

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User:Avraham, who primarily edits English Wikipedia, where he is a CheckUser, oversighter, admin and bureaucrat. He also serves on Commons as an admin and oversighter and is a steward. He joined the OC in 2014. -

User:Gnom, Lukas Mezger, who primarily edits German Wikipedia. Lukas, a licensed attorney, has previously served Wikimedia as a legal intern for the Wikimedia Foundation. In 2014, he was elected to the Board of Wikimedia Deutschland, where he serves as co-Vice Chair. Gnom joined the OC in 2014. -

User:Polimerek, Tomasz Ganisz, who primarily edits Polish Wikipedia (where he is an admin and former arbitrator), Polish Wikibooks and Wikimedia Commons. He also serves the Wikimedia movement as the president of Wikimedia Poland and on the Grant Advisory Committee. He is a former CheckUser. Polimerek joined the OC in 2014. -

User:Alhen, Erlan Vega, who primarily edits Spanish projects. He is a bureaucrat and administrator on the Spanish Wikipedia and Spanish Wikibooks, and is also an administrator on Commons. A prior member of the Spanish ArbCom, before it was dismantled, he is a checkuser on the Spanish Wikipedia. -

User:Barras, who is primarily active on the Simple English Wikipedia and Meta. He’s a steward, an oversighter on Simple English and Meta, and also a CheckUser on Simple and Meta. -

User:PhilKnight, who primarily edits the English Wikipedia. A former member of its arbitration committee and currently serving on its mediation committee, he is also a checkuser, oversighter and administrator there. -

User:Rubin16, who primarily edits the Russian Wikipedia, where he is a bureaucrat and administrator. He is formerly a member of their Arbitration Committee. He is an administrator on Wikimedia Commons and is a Central Notice and translation admin on Meta. (He is also a translation admin on Commons.) He is a member of Wikimedia Russia, responsible for press contacts and financial reporting. He also serves on the IEG and Grant Advisory Committees.

The 2015 OC’s advisors are:

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User:Huji, who primarily edits Farsi Wikipedia, where he is an administrator, bureaucrat and former CheckUser. He has also contributed substantially to Simple Wikipedia, English Wikipedia and Meta and is a Wikimedia developer. Huji joined the OC in 2013. -

User:Thogo primarily edits the German Wikipedia, where he is an administrator and former arbitrator, and has also focused on Meta. He is a former steward and has served as an administrator on several other projects. He joined the OC in 2011.

Their willingness to remain, to bring their familiarity with processes and their experience to the new arrivals, is greatly appreciated!

Please join me in thanking the following volunteers, who have given substantially of their time to serve the commission:

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User:Levg, who primarily edits Russian Wikipedia, where he is an administrator, oversighter and bureaucrat and where he has twice served as an arbitrator. He joined the OC in 2013.

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User:Sir48 primarily edits the Danish Wikipedia, where he has previously served as a CheckUser. He also has focused on Meta and Commons, especially in translation. He joined the OC in 2011. Last year, he agreed to stay on in advisory capacity, and we are so grateful that he was willing to step back into full service mid-year when several members were forced to depart.

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User:M7, Mario Benvenuti, who primarily edits Italian Wikipedia, where he is also known as M/. Mario is also an admin and bureaucrat on Meta and a steward. He is a former CheckUser. (Resigned in June due to time conflicts.)

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User:Stryn, who primarily edits the Finnish Wikipedia and Wikidata, serving as an admin on both and formerly serving as an oversighter on Wikidata. (Resigned in July due to time conflicts.)

I'd also like to say a hearty thank you to those returning and those coming aboard for the first time, as well as to all those applied. Again, it was an extremely able group of volunteers, and while this mix of users may best serve the need for this year, I hope that those who applied will consider applying again for future commissions.

Regards,

Maggie