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Chris Jenkinson stated for the record:
Kelly Martin wrote:
On 11/13/05, Chris Jenkinson chris@starglade.org wrote:
What would happen if either of you (Kelly or Sean) disclosed private information into the public domain? Aside from ethical concerns, what prevents you from doing this?
At work or on Wikipedia?
At work, I would risk being fired, sued, and possibly prosecuted.
On Wikipedia? It would be wrong. It would also be breaking several promises I've made.
As both of you would face legal recourse if you were to divulge private information in your day jobs, what do you think the opposition to having a comparable legal agreement between the Foundation and people with checkuser is due to, given that the situation is reasonably similar?
The situation is not reasonably similar; it's not even remotely similar.
Disclosure of the information I handle at work would immediately and directly endanger lives and damage national security, and I am rather well paid for accepting the responsibility.
Disclosure of a Wikipedian's IP address can only lead to harm through tortuous chains of unlikely happenstance, and the privilege of contributing to Wikipedia's success is not sufficient compensation to persuade me to accept the possibility of a prison term.
If legal liability were a requirement of the position, I doubt you would find many volunteers for the Arbitration Committee.
- -- Sean Barrett | For days, we survived on sean@epoptic.org | nothing but food and water.