Katharine has already explained the threat: somebody registers multiply under different identities, or "banned" people register under false identities, and then uses votes to push a motion at and AGM or EGM or to push candidates onto the board of trustees.
We want people to become active members while keeping personal details private, and admit membership applications from people who are young, not on the electoral register etc.. We also want to run elections and votes in a way that are protected against this sort of threat, and to comply with the company law Katharine has cited. This is contradictory, so Wikimedia UK needs to decide what's more important, and if there are ways around like giving people a meaningful "membership" which isn't a membership in the terms of company law and so isn't subject to those regulations.
On 20 November 2012 13:34, David Gerard dgerard@gmail.com wrote:
We can easily come up with all sorts of ways to make membership a massive pain in the arse. But what was the threat model again? And what's accepted practice - how do other UK charities deal with said threat model?
- d.
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