[WikiEN-l] Editing with open proxies

[Ray Saintonge]

Anthony wrote:

>On 6/19/07, Ilmari Karonen <nospam at vyznev.net> wrote:
>  
>
>> This seems pretty disingenious. The message normally shown when one
>>
>>tries to edit via a blocked Tor node, [[Template:Tor]], says:
>>
>>   "This IP address has been blocked because it is believed to be a Tor
>>   network open proxy.  To prevent abuse, editing Wikipedia from these
>>   proxies is prohibited."
>>
>>For an analogy, imagine you wanted to get into a building and, for some
>>reason, didn't want to use the door.  So you try to climb in through a
>>window, but it's barred, with a sign saying: "Entering the building
>>through windows is forbidden!"  So you try another window, and it too is
>>barred with a similar sign.  You try a couple more, and they're all
>>barred.  Then finally, you find a window that's ajar and has no sign.
>>Would you conclude:
>>
>>  a) that entering through *this* window is perfectly acceptable, or
>>  b) that the signs you saw previously in fact apply to *all* the
>>     windows, but someone simply forgot to bar this one?
>>    
>>
>Depends.  If I had permission from the owner to enter the building,
>for instance if I was supposed to feed her cat, then I'd assume that
>the other windows were barred to keep out burglers, and not me.
>
The problem with Ilmari's example is that it puts the issue into a black 
and white perspective that ignores other possibilities.  A simple one: 
It is an apartment building and the open window leads to a different 
apartment.

Yhe sign says that entry is prohibited, but you know that that's untrue, 
and the sign was unauthorized.

If you want to make love privately at a special place in a city park you 
could put a sign at either end of the path that goes by that special 
place.  The sign would say, "Danger! Path closed by order of the City 
Parks Department."  Under those circumstances who would dare invade your 
privacy? :-)

Ec