Wikipedia:Edit filter/False positives

Edit filter management
Tags management

Click here to report a false positive
To report a false positive affecting an editor other than yourself, click here instead.
If you don't see your report listed here, purge this page's server cache.

Shortcuts

Archives

Rolling archive (last 25 threads)

This page has archives.

004bvan

Filter: 1328 (hist · log)
Log entry: 40734998
Affected user: 004bvan (talk · contribs) (filter log)
Page they were editing: Jonathan Tyers (filter log)
Description: Reported by DatBot to AIV/TB2
Reporting user: 0xDeadbeef→∞ (talk to me)
Date and time: 10:37, 8 May 2025 (UTC)
Comments: Private – One or more of the filters triggered are private, and the request needs to be evaluated by an edit filter helper or manager. Looks like a false positive. Nobody (talk) 11:47, 8 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]; Pinned – This thread has been pinned and will not be archived until this template has been removed. Looks can be deceiving. Regardless, this filter is reporting too frequently to AIV and I think this specific type of match would be better done as a tag. I'm working on this. Daniel Quinlan (talk) 22:34, 10 May 2025 (UTC)#[reply]

Wancard

Username: Wancard (talk · contribs) (filter log)
Page you were editing: Page not specified
Description
Date and time: 16:34, 29 May 2025 (UTC)
Comments: They were trying to add legit citations to the Niobium article but one of those cites had the word "sigma" in the title and dumb kids picked that word up as dumb slang so the filter disallows it Gatemansgc (TɅ̊LK) 17:12, 29 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I am helping

Note: Technically a false positive, but it looks like you are trying to canvas references from a single researcher. OhNoitsJamie ^Talk 21:33, 29 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

159.196.212.204

Username: 159.196.212.204 (talk · contribs) (filter log)
Page you were editing: Whitney Wright (filter log) (user filter log)
Description: added note about her original name
Date and time: 00:53, 31 May 2025 (UTC)
Comments: This was filter 260 ("common vandal phrases"), and was triggered by the substring "porn-star". However, this term was within a URL, which in turn was within a ref tag, so I think this hit is a genuine false positive. Duckmather (talk) 18:11, 31 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Canute Saint

Username

Canute Saint (talk · contribs) (filter log)

Page you were editing

User talk:Sodacan/Requests (filter log) (user filter log)

Description

I was trying to revert vandalism (blanking of a talk page), but a bot claimed that I tried to add email addresses and then that I had an 'ongoing pattern of abuse.' This unintelligent design should be disabled until these flaws have been rectified. Nonetheless, until further, I need help with restoring the talk page to its pre-vandalism version. Canute Saint (talk) 00:44, 1 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Date and time

00:44, 1 June 2025 (UTC)

Comments

Private – One or more of the filters triggered are private, and the request needs to be evaluated by an edit filter helper or manager. Referentis (talk) 00:53, 1 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Canute Saint I don't really understand what you were trying to do. Why would you blank the page? Why not check the history to see which version should be reverted to? Drmies (talk) 00:57, 1 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Wait--that is what you were trying, but the only edits that stuck were two undos. Maybe if you simply tried "restore this version" the filter wouldn't have been tripped. Drmies (talk) 01:01, 1 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Drmies: See line 4 on 1230 for why this tripped. False positive, but a very infrequent one. EggRoll97 ^(talk) 07:09, 1 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

174.138.213.2

Username: 174.138.213.2 (talk · contribs) (filter log)
Page you were editing: Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2025 June 1 (filter log) (user filter log)
Description: Following step III of WP:CFD#HOWTO, I pasted the example and it somehow said I was shouting.
Date and time: 01:00, 1 June 2025 (UTC)
Comments: The edit summary is in all caps (thus triggering the shouting filter), but since it's within the /* */ markers (indicating the section you're editing), I think this is a genuine false positive. Duckmather (talk) 02:10, 1 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Pinned – This thread has been pinned and will not be archived until this template has been removed. The REGEX pattern that handles this errored for me, the forward slashes aren’t escaped. Also the pattern requires text after the section link, which should probably be optional. Lordseriouspig 02:43, 1 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not 100% on this one. It's late for me, but the only thing I can see at the moment is exempting CFD, which resolves the current issue, but only kicks the overall problem down the road. I'll take a fresh look in the morning most likely, though if anyone has suggestions please feel free to chime in. EggRoll97 ^(talk) 06:57, 1 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I believe the "replies to uppercase section names" regex pattern should be updated to

^\/\*.*?(?:[A-Z][^A-Za-z]*){10}.*?\*\/\s*(?!new\ssection)(?=.*[a-z])*(?:\S|$)

This fixes the error of the "/"s not being escaped, and allows the section to not have text after. Lordseriouspig 07:54, 1 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Dragoonfiend

Username: Dragoonfiend (talk · contribs) (filter log)
Page you were editing: User talk:Packer1028 (filter log) (user filter log)
Description: I was removing content on the talk page that violates WP:BLP added by a user who is adding it to various pages and violating policy. It is critical the edit be undone and the information removed. However, it can only be done manually. I cannot use the Undo feature.
Date and time: 02:35, 1 June 2025 (UTC)
Comments: Private – One or more of the filters triggered are private, and the request needs to be evaluated by an edit filter helper or manager. Annh07 (talk) 03:01, 1 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]; Done – The edit for this report has been implemented, but no changes to the filter were made. EggRoll97 ^(talk) 05:50, 1 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Oblivionpotato19

Username: Oblivionpotato19 (talk · contribs) (filter log)
Page you were editing: List of Days of Our Lives characters introduced in the 1990s (filter log) (user filter log)
Description: was trying to fix grammar and sentence structure for the section on Greta Van Amberg. I was getting rid of wrongly capitalized letters in the section as well as restructuring some of the sentences.
Date and time: 04:02, 1 June 2025 (UTC)
Comments: Done – The edit for this report has been implemented, but no changes to the filter were made. EggRoll97 ^(talk) 05:43, 1 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

QuietCactus234

Username: QuietCactus234 (talk · contribs) (filter log)
Page you were editing: Talking Tom & Friends (filter log) (user filter log)
Description: I'm trying to recover a major part of the article I mistakenly removed, but they are not allowing me.
Date and time: 05:45, 1 June 2025 (UTC)
Comments: Private – One or more of the filters triggered are private, and the request needs to be evaluated by an edit filter helper or manager. Lordseriouspig 06:05, 1 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]; Already done. EggRoll97 ^(talk) 06:27, 1 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Uknowat1

Username: Uknowat1 (talk · contribs) (filter log)
Page you were editing: Draft:Feng (rapper) (filter log) (user filter log)
Description: This is a false report because it is a page written about a notable person and artist in the U.K., therefore warranting its own page. Please review
Date and time: 07:15, 1 June 2025 (UTC)
Comments: Not done – The filter is working properly. Technically false positive, but draft page was deleted. Myrealnamm (💬Let's talk · 📜My work) 15:30, 1 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

2409:4089:1305:9FFD:0:0:A22:38B1

Username: 2409:4089:1305:9FFD:0:0:A22:38B1 (talk · contribs) (filter log)
Page you were editing: Second Rajiv Gandhi ministry (filter log) (user filter log)
Description: The legislature term of Second Rajiv Gandhi Ministry was mentioned as 4 years, 11 months which I wanted to round off to 5 years for sake of convenience. The TDP was the second largest party after INC, hence it was opposition party. I wanted to mention this truth. People think Rajiv Gandhi a despot which isn't true.
Date and time: 09:05, 1 June 2025 (UTC)
Comments: Private – One or more of the filters triggered are private, and the request needs to be evaluated by an edit filter helper or manager. Annh07 (talk) 09:14, 1 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]; Not done – The filter is working properly. Users from your range are blocked from editing government related articles because of an LTA on that range. Please create an account if you wish to edit such pages. OhNoitsJamie ^Talk 14:18, 1 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]