Wikipedia:Arbitration Committee/CheckUser and Oversight/2011 CUOS appointments/CU/Elockid
Elockid
Oversight candidate pages: Courcelles • Fluffernutter • WilliamH
Comment on the candidate below or by email • Community consultation period is now closed.
Elockid (talk · contribs · blocks · protections · deletions · page moves · rights · RfA)
- Nomination statement (250 words max.)
Hello everyone! I'm Elockid. I've been actively editing Wikipedia since May 2009. Most of what I contribute is statistical data to the encyclopedia. I've also been an SPI Clerk since February 2010 and administrator since April 2010. Being an SPI Clerk, I’m familiar with the CU processes, grounds for checking and what can and can’t be released.
In addition to participating (I still file SPI reports usually for CU assistance) and handling reports at SPI, I help deal with long-term sockpuppeteers such as Sheynhertz-Unbayg (talk · contribs), Polscience (talk · contribs)/Satt 2 (talk · contribs), Grawp (talk · contribs), and MascotGuy (talk · contribs). I also help out with shorter term abusers such as the Ghostface Killah vandal. Also, many of the areas I work with are filled with sockpuppets (contentious areas such as the Indian-Pakistani conflicts), so I have a bit of experience with them.
I have some knowledge regarding ISPs such as the size of the ranges they use, which ones they use, their nature (for example, how dynamic they are), etc. especially those in Northern America (Canada and the U.S.), Western Europe, primarily the U.K. and Italy, South, Southeast, and East Asia and Turkey. I have some knowledge regarding CIDR, the method we use in blocking ranges.
I hope to be of further assistance to those where CU is needed by helping to prevent further disruption such as in situations where a user is quickly evading their block and causing disruption in a relatively short amount of time such as with Jacob Hnri 6 (talk · contribs).
Standard questions for all candidates
Please describe any relevant on-Wiki experience you have for this role.
- A: I've been an SPI clerk since February 2010. Prior to being a clerk, I was already a regular at SPI. I'm still active at SPI, both reporting sockpuppets (usually for CU assistance) and handling cases. Outside of SPI, I also deal with sockpuppetry. This includes sockpuppetry being reported in places such as the ones that get reported at AIV or ANI/AN. An example is Zealking (talk · contribs). I also deal with sockpuppetry in areas where sockpuppetry is common such as India-Pakistani conflicts/related articles and to some extent, the Arab-Israeli conflict. I also work in areas with long-term abuse sockpuppetry such as with users Wikinger and Karmaisking. Aside from working on sockpuppetry in English Wikipedia, I've also been working with other people from other projects where cross-wiki abuse sockpuppeteers are present such as Polylepsis (talk · contribs).
Please outline, without breaching your personal privacy, what off-Wiki experience or technical expertise you have for this role.
- A: I don't hold nor am I working towards a degree in Computer Science. Though I have plenty experience with analyzing data both in real life and in Wikipedia (most of my contributions to the encyclopedia are statistical data). I also have some knowledge in CIDR and have familiarity with different ISPs and places (please see nom). An example of publicly published data that I've worked on can be found at User:Elockid/Notes (IP ranges). I've also been good at analyzing possibilities when there was a conclusion that there was no possibility. The best example is with the Ghostface Killah vandal (please see link in nomination) with comparison to Long term vandal 10 on my notes page. Off-wiki experiences, I again request for CU or Steward assistance (by email or IRC) and get help with finding sleepers and such. One of the reasons I do this is not to publicly report critical evidence that would result in a sockpuppeteer changing their MO.
Do you hold advanced permissions (checkuser, oversight, bureaucrat, steward) on this or other WMF projects? If so, please list them. Also, do you have OTRS permissions? If so, to which queues?
- A: No for both questions.
Questions for this candidate
Being a new checkuser, would you be willing to help with the Checkuser backlog at WP:ACC as there are usually up to 6 requests waiting about 5 days+? -- DQ (t) (e) 19:27, 26 September 2011 (UTC)
- A: Yes, I'd be willing to help out at WP:ACC. Assisting at WP:ACC could help prevent further disruption from sockpuppets, especially ones that try and use the Request an account process to get through a block.
Would you be proactive in looking at the open cases at SPI to see if they could use a checkuser? -- DQ (t) (e) 19:27, 26 September 2011 (UTC)
- A: Absolutely! I still plan on helping out at SPI.
As a CheckUser, you will likely, from time to time, coordinate and communicate with the Stewards. What cross-wiki experience can you bring that can help out not only the Stewards, but editors, administrators, and CheckUsers on other wikis? –MuZemike 21:32, 26 September 2011 (UTC)
- A: I can help by presenting information such as behavioral evidence and what to look for when trying to identify whether an account or IP is a sockpuppet, present any relevant data published locally (such as information published at SPI) or any current reports occurring to other users from other projects. I'm familiar with a number of sockers here and it's not uncommon for them to move from one project to the next. This information coupled with my experience with cross-wiki sockpuppeteers (see above info) could further assist other users in other projects.
In your own words, what are the main differences between the WMF's CheckUser policy and the privacy policy? –MuZemike 21:32, 26 September 2011 (UTC)
- A: WMF's privacy policy primarily deals with who has access to more advanced permissions (Oversight and Checkuser), the kind of data the system collects and why we keep such information and how to handle the data, as in, when and what kind of information can be released. Though the CU policy makes a reference towards the privacy policy such as in the release in data, it goes on to describe when the tool should be used such as in preventing disruption and when it should not be used such as Fishing.
Under what circumstances do the above policies give on the release of CheckUser data? –MuZemike 21:32, 26 September 2011 (UTC)
- A: Release of sensitive data as in the location or the IPs a user has been editing should generally not be done. However, there are circumstances as you pointed out. Examples of those circumstances include but are not limited to are upon request or permission from the user the data pertains to, to protect the Foundation, the users, or the public, assisting in abuse response (private information for ISPs), or requests from law enforcement.
Give some examples on when CheckUser requests of a sensitive nature or discovered CheckUser results of interest that would not be posted on-wiki. –MuZemike 21:32, 26 September 2011 (UTC)
- A: In general, though interesting, any Checkuser results that shows the IPs, the location a user has been editing from on Wikipedia, or other sensitive data should not be posted or reported on wiki especially on high profile pages such as WP:ANI and AN. For example, if User A found some interesting CU results, that should be reported privately through email or IRC (private chat). Any published results such as these should be deleted immediately and oversighted when necessary. Data that would attract attention should not be reported. If for example User B posts sensitive requests that would attract both unnecessary and unwanted attention, then that is something that should not be posted on here. If User B's request is going to cause drama, something we don't any more of, then the request should probably not be posted here also.
Comments
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