[WikiEN-l] Privacy concerns

[Chris Jenkinson]

Hi all,

We had a rather large discussion today on privacy and its application on 
Wikipedia (specifically anonymous editing and the checkuser tool which 
is the subject of much debate at the moment).

I am curious to whether the Wikimedia Foundation's privacy policy is 
compatible with EU legislation on privacy (which is tightly regulated), 
and whether it is obliged to be, as the Foundation hosts servers in the 
European Union (which are presumably subject to EU law).

I would also like to propose that any person with access to server logs 
(which include IP addresses), including people with access to the 
checkuser tool, should sign a legal agreement of some sort with the 
Wikimedia Foundation concerning non-disclosure of this information.

I am unsure whether or not an IP address qualifies as "personal 
information" under EU law and I have contacted the UK Information 
Commissioner's Office asking them for their opinion.

Thoughts on the legal agreement proposal, and answers to the question of 
legal obligations are much appreciated.

Chris