[Foundation-l] and what if...

[Thomas Dalton]

>> > "They" didn't block editing.  "You" did.
>>
>> Technically, yes, but they made it impossible for us to do anything else.
>>
>
> I think at this point you have to describe what you mean by "block editing",
> then.

I think we all know what "block editing" means. It's when you go to
Special:BlockIP and make it impossible for someone to edit. The
alternative to not blocking the proxies was to allow vandals using
those proxies free reign, which was not a viable option.

> If there is a one-to-one correspondence between IP addresses and users, then
> there isn't any anonymity, is there?

Well, I guess technically it's pseudonymity. The important thing is
that you can't (easily) link the IP address to a person in real life.
(Well, actually, the important thing is that you don't need to go
through the (minimal) hassle of registering an account - I doubt the
proportion of anons that consciously prefer to go by an IP address is
very high - they are less private than accounts.)