IP block exemption is already automatically granted to admins, at least on the English Wikipedia; it’s rarely needed enough that further automatic exemption doesn’t really make sense. VPNs, typically costing money, aren’t an accessible workaround, anyways. Let’s redirect attention back to getting Commons unblocked.
From, I dream of horses She/her > On Mar 19, 2024, at 2:40 PM, Alessandro Marchetti via Wikimedia-l > <wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org> wrote: > > > It's intriguing (to me) to contemplate how the notion of restricting IP > editing in specific circumstances is often viewed as a violation of > principle, even when supported by examples or data, yet a restriction like > requiring long-standing users to jump through hoops just to use a VPN for > privacy—something standard nowadays—is considered necessary and acceptable. > Both policies aim to address issues while weighing the pros and cons and > inevitably curbing some degree of freedom. > > Personally, I question the efficiency of the VPN restriction. I hold a > different perspective: implementing a one or two-year, 100-500-edit > registration threshold for automatic exemption of registered users seems > reasonable. > > Nevertheless, it's important to recognize that nothing is inherently > necessary; these are always political and not technical choices. > > It's not just vandals ruining it; it's also the approach taken. By granting > trolls immense power to disrupt everyone's activities, you fuel their > mischief. Thus, every time these extreme measures are enforced and > standardized, they inevitably lead to wasted time and endless debates about > the status quo, and regular users pay a price. Not hypothetically, for > real.... we know. Whoever prioritizes the pursuit of trolls and vandals over > the work of regular users, de facto feeds the troll. > > It's important to clarify: as seasoned users, many of us have kinda learned > to navigate this "mess" and endure it... similar issues have been grappled > with for years, Commons management shows little sign of improvement and we > just don't care anymore. > > However, for those who haven't mastered it or are stuck in some nationwide > quagmire as this one, suggesting VPNs as a solution is impractical—unless you > anticipate tens of thousands of users from a country with millions of > inhabitants to individually request IP exemptions. It's evident that the log > of such a system would not be sustainable. > > I remain skeptical that an alternative solution will be implemented, given > the likelihood that the approach will mirror that of the VPN case or other > instances—utilizing massive and/or indefinite self-referential strict > measures that are seldom evaluated on the long term with some metrics. > > > > Il martedì 19 marzo 2024 alle ore 20:24:15 CET, Neurodivergent Netizen > <idoh.idreamofhor...@gmail.com> ha scritto: > > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > Public archives at > https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/5BTBH6H4PEHX7CCUBYKUDKDXDC3VOAX5/ > To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org > <mailto:wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org> > Unfortunately, there’s a history of an overwhelming amount of vandals using > VPNs to, well, vandalize Wikipedia, hence the block on known VPN and the > bureaucracy surrounding them. If the block is removed, it’ll quite likely > become a problem again. It really is a situation of people behaving poorly > ruining it for everyone. > > From, > I dream of horses > She/her > > > > > >> On Mar 19, 2024, at 12:17 PM, Alessandro Marchetti via Wikimedia-l >> <wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org> wrote: >> >> >> That doesn't seem logical or fair. If a user is registered and not already >> blocked, the IPs they are using shouldn't matter at all. >> >> Personally, I've never used a VPN before I got it this way (even living in >> the PRC), but I understand that some people might need to do so for privacy >> reasons. So, this restriction should be removed. Registered users should >> have the freedom to access the platform how they want. If there's an issue >> with a specific user, it's more appropriate to block their username rather >> than restricting their access when logged in based on IP addresses. Adding >> more bureaucracy isn't the solution if there isn't a problem to begin with. >> >> In any case, nothing will probably change. But please don't say that VPN is >> a solution. People have already enough problems that adding more and more >> passages. >> >> Il martedì 19 marzo 2024 alle ore 19:51:42 CET, Neurodivergent Netizen >> <idoh.idreamofhor...@gmail.com> ha scritto: >> >> >>> A few years ago, I acquired a VPN as part of an antivirus package. However, >>> when I tried to use it for other services, I encountered an unexpected >>> issue switching on wiki platforms: despite being there as a registered >>> user, I found myself unable to edit them. >>> >>> So how can VPN be a solution? >> >> Right, you would’ve had to use IP block exemption, which would require some >> level of trust from the community that you aren’t a vandal or other blocked >> user trying to circumspect said block. >> >> From, >> I dream of horses >> She/her >> >> >> >> >> >>> On Mar 19, 2024, at 11:23 AM, Alessandro Marchetti via Wikimedia-l >>> <wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org> wrote: >>> >>> Why is there so much discussion about using VPNs as a solution? A few years >>> ago, I acquired a VPN as part of an antivirus package. However, when I >>> tried to use it for other services, I encountered an unexpected issue >>> switching on wiki platforms: despite being there as a registered user, I >>> found myself unable to edit them. >>> >>> So how can VPN be a solution? >>> >>> A. >>> >>> Il martedì 19 marzo 2024 alle ore 18:17:52 CET, Saqib Qayyum >>> <saqibqayy...@gmail.com> ha scritto: >>> >>> >>> Hello Mr James >>> >>> Certainly, using a VPN is a workaround, but it's worth noting that >>> obtaining an IP block exemption is still necessary to edit Commons, and >>> this is not always feasible for all users. Many may not even be aware of >>> its existence. For instance, I couldn't edit Commons since October 2020 >>> until I discovered the option for IP ban exemption. . >>> >>> And because of this, contributions to Commons from Pakistan have >>> significantly dwindled. For instance, I recall organizing Wiki Loves >>> Monuments Pakistan from 2014, where we used to receive thousands of images >>> annually. However, in recent years, the number of uploads has drastically >>> declined, with only a maximum of 100 photos being uploaded each year. This >>> trend underscores the challenges Pakistani users face in accessing and >>> contributing to the site. >>> -- >>> Saqib Qayyum >>> >>> >>> On Tue, Mar 19, 2024 at 9:55 PM James Heilman <jmh...@gmail.com >>> <mailto:jmh...@gmail.com>> wrote: >>> Can you not just use a VPN? >>> >>> James >>> >>> On Tue, Mar 19, 2024 at 9:29 PM Saqib Qayyum <saqibqayy...@gmail.com >>> <mailto:saqibqayy...@gmail.com>> wrote: >>> TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: >>> >>> I am writing to you as a concerned volunteer from Pakistan regarding a >>> critical issue that has been persisting for several years now. Despite >>> multiple attempts to communicate this matter to members of the WMF's >>> communication team, there has been a disappointing lack of response or >>> acknowledgment. >>> >>> For the past several years, Commons has been blocked in Pakistan. While >>> Wikipedia was briefly blocked last year, the swift response from both >>> Pakistani and international news media led to its unblocking. However, the >>> blockade of Commons, being a less prominent site in comparison, has gone >>> largely unnoticed. >>> >>> Furthermore, several journalists I have spoken to have also expressed >>> frustration over their attempts to reach out to WMF staff regarding this >>> issue, only to receive no response. >>> >>> I urge the WMF to prioritize this matter and take immediate action to >>> address the ongoing blockage of Commons in Pakistan. >>> >>> Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. >>> -- >>> Saqib Qayyum >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Saqib >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org >>> <mailto:wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org>, guidelines at: >>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >>> Public archives at >>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/H5SMMTKRTUI5QLDKOCLZNWCABGDK3UHL/ >>> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org >>> <mailto:wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org> >>> >>> -- >>> James Heilman >>> MD, CCFP-EM, Wikipedian >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org >>> <mailto:wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org>, guidelines at: >>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >>> Public archives at >>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/53DBHAHGEAWIH5VI2X7YMEWYSWDHCBXM/ >>> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org >>> <mailto:wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: >>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >>> Public archives at >>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/SPUJHE3YFDHS2OBQT6KTJOFK7WOSGDZF/ >>> >>> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org >>> <mailto:wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org>_______________________________________________ >>> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: >>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >>> Public archives at >>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/RPS6LSQ7DFBOI2FVML4F2TYTKEUVPSFQ/ >>> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >> Public archives at >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/CMD6ZMRBLVEYSLR7A5OREASGAJPPTB6T/ >> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org >> <mailto:wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org>_______________________________________________ >> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >> Public archives at >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/RWXA44WQNH2K4PVXLSDHCTBGQ3PR4JF7/ >> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > Public archives at > https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/EJI2VJIUIR2NGW7IDPL3GR6DOUQHEG7S/ > To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org
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