Access to temporary account IP addresses FAQ

From Meta, a Wikimedia project coordination wiki

How will editors apply for this new user right?

By default, this will be automatically assigned to eligible users. The only thing you will need to do is to opt-in when it becomes available at your wiki.

However, each wiki can set its own process with standards higher than the minimum, such as a process that requires individual review. The Wikimedia Foundation is not requiring a process equivalent to becoming an admin in the largest communities. Communities may choose to handle these requests via their existing processes, or to set up new pages. For example, the English Wikipedia may choose to take requests at w:en:Wikipedia:Requests for permissions, and the German-language Wikipedia may choose to handle requests at w:de:Wikipedia:Administratoren/Anfragen, and the Ukrainian Wikipedia may choose to handle requests at w:uk:Вікіпедія:Заявки на права патрульного. Very small communities often take similar requests on their village pump.

My community wants to set higher requirements. How do we do that?

Follow the directions in Access to temporary account IP addresses#Local requirements. Usually, this will mean having a discussion in the local community, documenting the community's decision, and then following the process for Requesting wiki configuration changes.

When will the user right become available? When can we start assigning it?

The user right will likely be added to the MediaWiki software later this year (2023), although it will not initially be useful at all wikis. If they want to, communities that want to use a process requiring individual review can start pre-approving editors at any time.

My wiki has an existing group whose userrights are already higher than the minimum requirements. They would all get this right automatically if we didn't choose to have a separate process. Can we assign this new right to all of them?

So long as all of the users in the group meet or exceed all of the minimum requirements, then it can be assigned to an existing group. Future members of that group will need to meet or exceed all of the minimum requirements.

The minimum requirements for non-admins are too low.

Any community may choose to set higher standards. For example, some communities might choose to restrict this user right only to people who meet all of the minimum requirements plus have additionally been actively involved in anti-vandalism work. Others may choose to remove the permission sooner than required or to require periodic re-confirmation.

The minimum requirements for non-admins are too high.

This may occasionally be true, such as when a wiki is newly created. In such cases, someone at that wiki needs to request an exception from the Wikimedia Foundation Legal Department. Contact privacy(_AT_)wikimedia.org with an explanation of the situation in your community.

I meet the minimum requirements for automatic access, but my community requires individual review, and they denied my request!

Whether to grant this user right to someone who meets the minimum requirement is entirely up to the local community. No one is required to give you this user right.

I'm an admin, but I don't want this user right.

You won't be able to see any of this information unless you click to accept the agreement.

I believe that someone is misusing this information.

Please report privacy-related concerns to the ombuds commission. To ensure accountability, logs are kept of tool usage and of which users have access to the tool.

Other concerns about potential misuse may be brought to a steward by placing a request on Steward requests/Permissions#Removal of access. Stewards are authorized to block a user’s access to IP addresses if they determine that misuse occurred. This will prevent access even if the user would be automatically eligible or has been granted access through a community process.