User:Jon Harald Søby/Checkuser policy

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This was Essjay's personal checkuser policy; these are requirements in addition to those set out by the Foundation. I read them, and thought they were quite excellent, so I decided to use them for myself. Following is a near-verbatim copy of Essjay's policy:

I am happy to help with any legitimate action request, however, please be sure you offer the required support for your request.

Before making a request, consider the following:

  • I will not go on fishing expeditions; if you suspect that a given user is a sockpuppet of "someone," figure out who, and then ask me. I'm not willing to run checks against a dozen users "just out of curiosity."
  • I will not generally run a check on an established contributor, unless there is a suggestion of serious policy violation. There needs to be strong evidence (for example, a long list of contributions that show a strong connection) before I will consider such a check. Users have a reasonable expectation that their privacy will be respected, and I will not invade it needlessly.
  • I will not disclose specific results, unless there is a reason to do so. In general, I will not:
    • Reveal an IP address used by a contributor unless the contributor is using that IP un-logged-in to violate policy.
    • Share the names of smaller ISPs, where it would be possible to identify the user. I may reveal the name of large ISPs (such as AOL).
    • Reveal specific locations; I will frequently answer that two users are coming from separate countries/continents, but not cities (or in most cases, states/territories).
  • I will not run checks on routine matters, where the results are not important. For example, I will not check for the IP of a vandal who made a few edits and was indefblocked; there is nothing to be gained by checking. I will, however, check for the IP of mass vandals, particularly those using a number of sockpuppets, in order to supply a block or rangeblock.
  • I will not take random requests via IRC. I have learned that the instant-communication capabilities of IRC are prone to abuse; the fact that users can quickly and cheaply contact someone causes them to do so without pause. If there is an emergency request, by all means, PM me (PMs cause my client to jump to the front of what I am doing, so they are far more useful than simply pinging me, as I may ignore the highlight if particularly busy). However, don't PM me because it is easier than posting to RfCU; I'm going to tell you to go there anyway.
    • I am not above "going into hiding" in order to get things done. When it reaches the point that IRC/IM requests have become so numerous as to make doing anything else impossible, I will leave channels and/or IRC altogether. I value being approachable and available greatly, but I can't allow that to rise to the level of preventing me from attending to my other tasks. Please respect this, and be sure that your request truly is emergent before making an emergency request.
  • I will request another checkuser to review my results if I am uncertain. I will not announce a result unless I am certain of what I am announcing. It is not, however, routine for me to request reviews.
  • I will refuse to perform a check if it violates Foundation policy, or my personal policy; I will not bend the rules for anyone.

Please note: The Checkuser policy and the Wikimedia Foundation Privacy Policy are paramount; the guidelines here are in addition to the Foundation policies. Please be familiar with those policies before making requests.