[Foundation-l] Fwd: Jimbo's response re:Rampant

[Durova]

Brian McNeil wrote:
> I have CheckUser on the English Wikinews, and I am glad to say I have
never
> been pressured to carry out a check in secret. My opinion is that no
> undocumented CheckUser should be performed.
In addition to otherobjections, some checkusers are performed to identify
possible sockmasters of accounts that have been used to harass individual
volunteers.  Since any visible response at all can result in additional
harassment, absolute openness exposes victims to more harassment.  The
requirement that checkuser requests identify a specific target account also
exposes other innocent editors to stigmatization, since the community may
construe mischief behind an account that was suggested but later cleared.

I sympathize with the request for maximum openness, and I'm certainly not in
the best position to voice an objection, but I really don't agree that
transparency can or should be absolute.  I could support a policy that
required onsite checkuser requests except under defined circumstances such
as the scenario above.

-Durova