Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions

This page summarises the differences between discretionary sanctions and contentious topics procedures. In cases of difference the contentious topics procedure is the correct version.

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This page in a nutshell: Contentious topics are specially-designated topics that have attracted more persistent disruptive editing than the rest of the project. This system replaced the former discretionary sanctions system, and there are several differences between the two.

The guide is used to describe the differences between the former discretionary sanctions procedure and the new contentious topics system. For a detailed version or if you are not familiar with discretionary sanctions, it is instead recommended to read the contentious topics procedure page.

Awareness

The awareness rules have significantly changed. Editors no longer need to be alerted every 12 months, as they are presumed to remain aware after their first alert. When alerting an editor who has never received a contentious topic or discretionary sanction alert for any topic, you must use == Introduction to contentious topics == Error: The code letters for the affected topic area in this discretionary sanctions alert are not declared. topic= is missing; please check the documentation and try again.

Use	Area of conflict	Decision linked to	Topic specific subpage
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=a-a}}`	Armenia, Azerbaijan, or related conflicts	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Armenia-Azerbaijan 2#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Armenia-Azerbaijan
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=a-i}}`	the Arab–Israeli conflict	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Index/Palestine-Israel articles#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Arab–Israeli conflict
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=ab}}`	abortion	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Abortion#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Abortion
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=acu}}`	complementary and alternative medicine	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Acupuncture#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Complementary and Alternative Medicine
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=ap}}`	post-1992 politics of the United States and closely related people	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/American politics 2#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/American politics
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=blp}}`	articles about living or recently deceased people, and edits relating to the subject (living or recently deceased) of such biographical articles	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Editing of Biographies of Living Persons#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Biographies of Living Persons
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=cam}}`	complementary and alternative medicine	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Acupuncture#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Complementary and Alternative Medicine
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=cc}}`	climate change	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Climate change#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Climate change
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=cid}}`	discussions about infoboxes, and edits adding, deleting, collapsing, or removing verifiable information from infoboxes	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Civility in infobox discussions#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Infoboxes
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=covid}}`	COVID-19, broadly construed	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/COVID-19#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/COVID-19
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=ee}}`	the Balkans or Eastern Europe	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Eastern Europe#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Balkans or Eastern Europe
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=fg}}`	Falun Gong	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Falun Gong#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Falun Gong
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=gc}}`	governmental regulation of firearm ownership; the social, historical and political context of such regulation; and the people and organizations associated with these issues	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Gun control#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Gun control
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=gg}}`	gender-related disputes or controversies or people associated with them	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Gender and sexuality#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Gender and sexuality
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=gmo}}`	genetically modified organisms, commercially produced agricultural chemicals and the companies that produce them, broadly construed	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Genetically modified organisms#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Genetically modified organisms
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=horn}}`	the Horn of Africa (defined as including Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and adjoining areas if involved in related disputes)	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Horn of Africa#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Horn of Africa
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=ipa}}`	India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/India-Pakistan#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=irp}}`	post-1978 Iranian politics	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Iranian politics#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Iranian politics
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=kurd}}`	the topics of Kurds and Kurdistan, broadly construed	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Kurds and Kurdistan#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Kurds and Kurdistan
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=mos}}`	the English Wikipedia Manual of Style and article titles policy	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Article titles and capitalisation#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Manual of Style and article titles
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=ps}}`	pseudoscience and fringe science	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Pseudoscience#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Pseudoscience and fringe science
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=r-i}}`	the intersection of race/ethnicity and human abilities and behaviour	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Race and intelligence#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Race and intelligence
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=rne}}`	the results of any national or sub-national election	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Historical elections#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Historical elections
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=sl}}`	Sri Lanka	Special:Permalink/1279737680#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Sri Lanka
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=tt}}`	the Troubles	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/The Troubles#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/The Troubles
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=ya}}`	Yasuke	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Yasuke#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Yasuke

. In other cases you may use |topic= not specified. Available options:

Use	Area of conflict	Decision linked to	Topic specific subpage
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=a-a}}`	Armenia, Azerbaijan, or related conflicts	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Armenia-Azerbaijan 2#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Armenia-Azerbaijan
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=a-i}}`	the Arab–Israeli conflict	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Index/Palestine-Israel articles#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Arab–Israeli conflict
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=ab}}`	abortion	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Abortion#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Abortion
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=acu}}`	complementary and alternative medicine	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Acupuncture#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Complementary and Alternative Medicine
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=ap}}`	post-1992 politics of the United States and closely related people	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/American politics 2#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/American politics
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=blp}}`	articles about living or recently deceased people, and edits relating to the subject (living or recently deceased) of such biographical articles	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Editing of Biographies of Living Persons#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Biographies of Living Persons
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=cam}}`	complementary and alternative medicine	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Acupuncture#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Complementary and Alternative Medicine
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=cc}}`	climate change	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Climate change#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Climate change
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=cid}}`	discussions about infoboxes, and edits adding, deleting, collapsing, or removing verifiable information from infoboxes	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Civility in infobox discussions#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Infoboxes
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=covid}}`	COVID-19, broadly construed	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/COVID-19#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/COVID-19
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=ee}}`	the Balkans or Eastern Europe	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Eastern Europe#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Balkans or Eastern Europe
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=fg}}`	Falun Gong	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Falun Gong#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Falun Gong
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=gc}}`	governmental regulation of firearm ownership; the social, historical and political context of such regulation; and the people and organizations associated with these issues	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Gun control#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Gun control
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=gg}}`	gender-related disputes or controversies or people associated with them	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Gender and sexuality#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Gender and sexuality
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=gmo}}`	genetically modified organisms, commercially produced agricultural chemicals and the companies that produce them, broadly construed	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Genetically modified organisms#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Genetically modified organisms
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=horn}}`	the Horn of Africa (defined as including Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and adjoining areas if involved in related disputes)	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Horn of Africa#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Horn of Africa
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=ipa}}`	India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/India-Pakistan#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=irp}}`	post-1978 Iranian politics	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Iranian politics#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Iranian politics
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=kurd}}`	the topics of Kurds and Kurdistan, broadly construed	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Kurds and Kurdistan#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Kurds and Kurdistan
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=mos}}`	the English Wikipedia Manual of Style and article titles policy	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Article titles and capitalisation#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Manual of Style and article titles
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=ps}}`	pseudoscience and fringe science	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Pseudoscience#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Pseudoscience and fringe science
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=r-i}}`	the intersection of race/ethnicity and human abilities and behaviour	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Race and intelligence#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Race and intelligence
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=rne}}`	the results of any national or sub-national election	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Historical elections#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Historical elections
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=sl}}`	Sri Lanka	Special:Permalink/1279737680#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Sri Lanka
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=tt}}`	the Troubles	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/The Troubles#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/The Troubles
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=ya}}`	Yasuke	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Yasuke#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Yasuke

Topic code	Area of conflict	Decision linked to
`{{subst:Contentious topics\|topic=aa}}`	politics, ethnic relations, and conflicts involving Armenia, Azerbaijan, or both	Wikipedia:General sanctions/Armenia and Azerbaijan
`{{subst:Contentious topics\|topic=acas}}`	Assyrian, Chaldean, Aramean, and Syriac identity, culture, and politics	Wikipedia:General sanctions/Assyrian, Chaldean, Aramean and Syriac topics
`{{subst:Contentious topics\|topic=crypto}}`	blockchain and cryptocurrencies	Wikipedia:General sanctions/Blockchain and cryptocurrencies
`{{subst:Contentious topics\|topic=kurd}}`	Kurds and Kurdistan	Wikipedia:General sanctions/Kurds and Kurdistan
`{{subst:Contentious topics\|topic=mj}}`	Michael Jackson	Wikipedia:General sanctions/Michael Jackson
`{{subst:Contentious topics\|topic=pw}}`	professional wrestling	Wikipedia:General sanctions/Professional wrestling
`{{subst:Contentious topics\|topic=rusukr}}`	the Russo-Ukrainian War	Wikipedia:General sanctions/Russo-Ukrainian War
`{{subst:Contentious topics\|topic=sasg}}`	South Asian social groups	Wikipedia:General sanctions/South Asian social groups
`{{subst:Contentious topics\|topic=syria}}`	the Syrian Civil War and ISIL	Wikipedia:General sanctions/Syrian Civil War and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
`{{subst:Contentious topics\|topic=uku}}`	measurement units in the United Kingdom	Wikipedia:General sanctions/Units in the United Kingdom
`{{subst:Contentious topics\|topic=uyghur}}`	Uyghurs, Uyghur genocide, or topics that are related to Uyghurs or Uyghur genocide	Wikipedia:General sanctions/Uyghurs

, Error: The code letters for the affected topic area in this discretionary sanctions alert are not declared. topic= is missing; please check the documentation and try again.

Use	Area of conflict	Decision linked to	Topic specific subpage
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=a-a}}`	Armenia, Azerbaijan, or related conflicts	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Armenia-Azerbaijan 2#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Armenia-Azerbaijan
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=a-i}}`	the Arab–Israeli conflict	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Index/Palestine-Israel articles#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Arab–Israeli conflict
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=ab}}`	abortion	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Abortion#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Abortion
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=acu}}`	complementary and alternative medicine	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Acupuncture#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Complementary and Alternative Medicine
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=ap}}`	post-1992 politics of the United States and closely related people	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/American politics 2#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/American politics
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=blp}}`	articles about living or recently deceased people, and edits relating to the subject (living or recently deceased) of such biographical articles	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Editing of Biographies of Living Persons#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Biographies of Living Persons
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=cam}}`	complementary and alternative medicine	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Acupuncture#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Complementary and Alternative Medicine
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=cc}}`	climate change	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Climate change#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Climate change
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=cid}}`	discussions about infoboxes, and edits adding, deleting, collapsing, or removing verifiable information from infoboxes	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Civility in infobox discussions#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Infoboxes
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=covid}}`	COVID-19, broadly construed	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/COVID-19#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/COVID-19
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=ee}}`	the Balkans or Eastern Europe	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Eastern Europe#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Balkans or Eastern Europe
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=fg}}`	Falun Gong	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Falun Gong#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Falun Gong
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=gc}}`	governmental regulation of firearm ownership; the social, historical and political context of such regulation; and the people and organizations associated with these issues	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Gun control#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Gun control
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=gg}}`	gender-related disputes or controversies or people associated with them	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Gender and sexuality#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Gender and sexuality
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=gmo}}`	genetically modified organisms, commercially produced agricultural chemicals and the companies that produce them, broadly construed	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Genetically modified organisms#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Genetically modified organisms
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=horn}}`	the Horn of Africa (defined as including Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and adjoining areas if involved in related disputes)	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Horn of Africa#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Horn of Africa
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=ipa}}`	India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/India-Pakistan#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=irp}}`	post-1978 Iranian politics	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Iranian politics#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Iranian politics
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=kurd}}`	the topics of Kurds and Kurdistan, broadly construed	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Kurds and Kurdistan#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Kurds and Kurdistan
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=mos}}`	the English Wikipedia Manual of Style and article titles policy	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Article titles and capitalisation#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Manual of Style and article titles
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=ps}}`	pseudoscience and fringe science	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Pseudoscience#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Pseudoscience and fringe science
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=r-i}}`	the intersection of race/ethnicity and human abilities and behaviour	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Race and intelligence#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Race and intelligence
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=rne}}`	the results of any national or sub-national election	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Historical elections#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Historical elections
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=sl}}`	Sri Lanka	Special:Permalink/1279737680#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Sri Lanka
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=tt}}`	the Troubles	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/The Troubles#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/The Troubles
`{{Contentious topics/Comparison with discretionary sanctions\|topic=ya}}`	Yasuke	Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Yasuke#Final decision	Wikipedia:Contentious topics/Yasuke

or any message that conveys the contentious topics restriction is active.

What happens to discretionary sanctions restrictions?

Any restrictions imposed under the former discretionary sanctions system are governed by the contentious topics procedure for appeals and modifications. However, the following transitional rules apply:

Single-admin DS page restrictions can be renewed, modified and removed in the same way as contentious topics restrictions
Single-admin DS editor restrictions do not become subject to modification and revocation after a year.