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

[Florence Devouard]

Brian McNeil wrote:
> Anthony wrote:
> 
>> So are other communities immune from this problem, or has it just not
>> hit them yet?  Either way, I think input from those outside en.wp
>> would be valuable.  If you're immune from the problem, tell us how you
>> got there.  If it just hasn't hit you yet, let's work together to
>> solve it before it does.
> 
> 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.
> 
> A recent case we had to deal with on Wikinews was a repeat page move vandal.
> I had previously blocked the appropriate IP for a month. When similar
> vandalism recurred after the block was up my interest was in performing a
> CheckUser.
> 
> I could not quickly and adequately explain the situation to other people in
> IRC such that they made the request and I fulfilled it. Instead I - someone
> with the ability to perform the check - had to request either another
> Checkuser person carry out the check or state that they agreed there were
> grounds for checking and I should do so. The other Brian performed the
> check, and it turned out I was correct. Had this been done in secret then
> all the average user would have seen in RC was a months long block on an IP
> without knowing it had been verified to be a source of vandalism.
> 
> I am strongly against CheckUser being performed in secret, sunlight is the
> best disinfectant and open and honest procedures will - in the long term -
> garner the various projects more respect.
> 
> 
> Brian McNeil

I tend to agree with you Brian.

Ant