[WikiEN-l] "How the Professor Who Fooled Wikipedia Got Caught by Reddit", _The Atlantic_

[David Levy]

Anthony wrote:

> Oh c'mon, even the updated terms of use allow for limited
> vulnerability testing which is not *unduly* disruptive.

Firstly, that text pertains to "probing, scanning, or testing the
vulnerability of any of our technical systems or networks".  It has
nothing to do with article content.

Secondly, if we *were* to condone such experiments, they shouldn't be
devised and implemented unilaterally.  As discussed in this thread, it
isn't clear that Gwern's parameters are likely to yield useful
information, so this might amount to nothing more than random
vandalism.  Imagine if hundreds or thousands of editors took it upon
themselves to conduct such "experiments" without consulting the
community or the WMF.

As Gwern (User:Gwern) continues to edit the English Wikipedia (today
concluding a different "experiment") and appears to have stopped
participating in this discussion (thereby ignoring questions about the
acknowledged vandalism), I agree that the account and associated IP
addresses should be blocked until such time as a promise to cease the
disruption and evidence that the damage has been repaired are
forthcoming.

David Levy