WMF Global Ban Policy - Meta-Wiki

WMF Global Ban Policy - Meta-Wiki
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Policies and guidelines
WMF Global Ban Policy
Shortcut
WMFBAN
OFFICEBAN
This page is also a
Wikimedia
official policy, established and endorsed by the Foundation. This page is technically open for editing, but edits do not constitute a change to policy; be advised to view the recent changes history when viewing it, in case someone has vandalized it and it has not yet been corrected or in case well-intentioned modifications do not align with actual policy.
This page in a nutshell:
Sometimes the Wikimedia Foundation may have to enforce a global ban against an individual without going through the typical site/community process(es). This is an extraordinary measure to help assure the safety of users of the Wikimedia projects and/or assist in preventing prohibited behavior that hinders dialogue, project development and expansion. This page details the policy and practices regarding the revocation of access or editing privileges of users on any Wikimedia site, as implemented by the Wikimedia Foundation.
Foundation global ban
is an
office action
the Foundation may take, pursuant to our
, in order to address multi-project misconduct, to help ensure the safety of the editing and reading communities of all Wikimedia sites, the public, or to assist in preventing prohibited disruptive behavior that interferes with contributions and dialogue. A global ban is applied to individuals representing themselves or others and is an extraordinary action that only supplements, without replacing, the
community global ban process
The procedures followed by the Trust & Safety team when considering and implementing a Foundation global ban can be found under the
relevant process page
For the safety and privacy of users, the projects, and itself, the Wikimedia Foundation refers potential criminal violations to the relevant authorities, when appropriate.
Purpose and scope
The purpose of this policy is to help improve the safety of Wikimedia community members, the movement itself, and the public in circumstances where actions on local community governance level are either insufficient or not possible.
Global and project-specific bans are also implemented by local Wikimedia community governance mechanisms. Foundation global bans are not a replacement for on-wiki processes, and are not to be used to correct perceived “mistakes” that resulted from legitimate on-wiki process; local policies remain primary on all Wikimedia projects, as explained in the
, and Foundation global bans are complementary to those local policies. However, there may be some rare cases where the Wikimedia Foundation must override local policy to protect the safety of the Wikimedia communities or the public or preserve the sites, especially when the Foundation has access to information that cannot be shared with local policy enforcers.
Bans under this policy refer to global bans implemented by the Foundation; any equivalent bans performed by the communities are explicitly called out. Accordingly, the terms “global ban” or “ban” under this policy refer to global bans implemented by the Foundation, even though similar bans may be placed by the Wikimedia Community.
This policy has been published to aid in transparency and understanding, but the document here records rather than establishes policy. Any updates to policy will be recorded as soon as possible, but may go into effect before the public document is changed. Changes to this document, unless made by designated Foundation staff, may not reflect official policy and practice. Questions about changes or current practice may be addressed at the talk page or emailed to
ca
wikimedia
org
Implications of a global ban
A global ban prohibits individuals, either in their own capacity or as agents of others, from all editing or other access privileges in Wikimedia Foundation websites, platforms and activities. This includes, but is not limited to, any site listed at
www.wikimedia.org
, mailing lists hosted by the Foundation, Wikimedia Cloud Services and Wikimedia technical infrastructure such as Phabricator as well as any in-person events hosted, sponsored or funded by the Foundation. Accordingly, an individual globally banned by the Foundation may not edit, contribute, or otherwise modify any content on those sites, platforms, or lists, without the explicit permission of the Wikimedia Foundation. Additionally, a globally banned individual may not coordinate activity that results in the aforementioned situations on Foundation sites, platforms and activities, via others. Whether the banned individual or others believe the outcome of such activities would be positive or not, such activities are prohibited by the ban. Further involvement to the Wikimedia projects by the globally banned user, after their ban, does not diminish the ban’s scope or validity. Any contributions made by a banned individual, directly or indirectly, may be reverted or removed as part of ban implementation.
Criteria for consideration of a global ban
Foundation global bans are considered a last resort and are generally implemented upon receipt of complaint, investigation, extensive review and explicit approval by
several Foundation staff members
They are considered an appropriate course of action when any of the following situations apply:
there is a lack of ability by the communities to self-police the above scenarios or take action to resolve or mitigate them;
all possible community-led efforts to address the situation have been attempted and seem to have failed;
the Foundation has knowledge of a situation that we can not make public; such instances may include, but are not limited to, situations that involve personally sensitive information, are linked to an ongoing police investigation or court proceedings, or may present a security risk.
In combination to any of the aforementioned situations, activity that may lead to a Foundation global ban includes, but is not limited to:
engaging in significant or repeated harassment of users on multiple projects;
engaging in significant or repeated harassment off of the Wikimedia sites so as to threaten (emotionally or physically) users;
endangering, significantly compromising or otherwise threatening the trust or safety of our users or employees;
repeatedly or egregiously violating our
, such as through hosting illegal content on Wikimedia servers; or
threatening or compromising the security of Wikimedia infrastructure.
Parties affected by a global ban
A Foundation global ban is placed against an individual instead of against a specific username. It therefore applies to any alternate accounts an individual may control and any accounts they might create after the ban has been enacted. It can also apply to anonymous / “IP accounts” the banned individual may be using or may use in the future. As noted above, it applies to any action initiated by such individuals, including if conducted on their behalf by other parties.
Notice of global bans
When a Foundation global ban is implemented, a brief, public note of a global ban appears on the affected individual’s user account, or on their primary user account, when they have been using multiple accounts. The same note appears on their account’s talk page. The banned individual’s account is also linked from the
Foundation’s Globally banned users
list.
On the day the ban goes into effect, globally banned users are notified of their status and appeals options privately, when possible, unless such notification increases a credible threat to the victim or other users, or such notification hinders an ongoing investigation. Private notification of a global ban is issued via email, when the user has registered it or submitted it through a Wikimedia site or platform. If no email address is available, no private notice is issued.
Notice of a global ban may also be issued to the reporting individual(s), as a matter of courtesy.
Appeals
Some office actions, including global bans,
may be appealed
. With regards to office actions undertaken around investigations into the behavior of specific users, the volunteer
Trust & Safety Case Review Committee
has been formed to review appeals of eligible Trust & Safety office actions until a permanent process is created through the Universal Code of Conduct Conversations. Only individuals directly involved in a case may request review, either as an individual who requested the initial case or as an individual under investigation. Reviews may be requested following our decision (i.e whether or not to take an office action). Instructions to submit appeals may be found on the
Trust & Safety Case Review Committee
page.
Requesting a global ban
Requests for a global ban consideration can be placed to the Foundation’s
Trust and Safety
(T&S). To expedite consideration of the request, it should include the following:
a succinct summary of the reasons for the request;
evidence (URLs) that there have already been attempts to have the issue resolved through local community governance structures, where such efforts are appropriate;
any crucial information and evidence in support or the request, including pertinent documentation. This can include, but is not limited to, URLs to the abusive conduct being reported, community-led investigations concerning the reported individual, screenshots of off-wiki information (when directly relevant to the request), etc;
if the request regards a situation taking place in a language other than English, it is helpful to also provide English translations of any key texts, as this speeds up the review process.
Requests for global bans made through any other venue, including Wikimedia project talk pages, personal messaging forums, or in person, may not be considered.
If a global ban is deemed appropriate according to policy, this may be implemented by any member of the Trust & Safety team, as prescribed by the
Office actions policy
. It should be noted that not all requests for a global ban result in implementation of such; in some situations the Foundation may proceed with alternative office actions instead, or no actions, depending on the outcome of the evaluation process. The lack of action (or the lack of public action) does not necessarily mean that a report has been perceived as invalid or illegitimate. The majority of on-wiki or user conduct issues are appropriately dealt with by the community, and the Wikimedia Foundation will default towards deferring issues to community wherever possible.
Timeline of global bans
Requests for consideration of a global ban are typically handled within a 4-week timeframe. This may be extended depending on the material that needs to be reviewed. For instance, requests for a global ban against users of non-English speaking communities may extend the review, as translation may be time-consuming.
General information
A Foundation global ban is one of several
office actions
the Foundation may enforce. It is important to help clarify a few points regarding Foundation global bans, in addition to
office actions in general
Positive contributions to the projects and a global ban are not mutually exclusive.
Extensive positive contribution to the Wikimedia projects does not grant immunity against a global ban; neither does holding of a respected position within a local Wikimedia community, membership in an affiliate group or position with the Foundation. Consideration for a global ban is based on the merits of the reported activity, which may not be offset by an individual’s positive prior contribution to the Wikimedia movement, if that activity falls within one of the aforementioned scenarios.
Breaches to a global ban are not acceptable.
Breaches to a Foundation global ban may result in immediate actions against the banned individual; those may include, but are not limited to, global locks, IP address blocks, IP range blocks or content removal.
Helping a globally banned user evade their ban may result in sanctions.
Knowingly facilitating the contributions of a globally banned individual, acting as a proxy for such a person, or attempting to interfere with Foundation staff or volunteer administrators, bureaucrats or functionaries enforcing a global ban in line with relevant policies may result in sanctions, including loss of advanced user rights or suspension of contributing access to Wikimedia sites. Instances of enabling a globally banned user to evade a ban can be brought to the Foundation’s attention by notifying T&S at
ca
wikimedia
org
Details of global bans are confidential.
In order to protect the privacy of all parties involved, the Wikimedia Foundation generally will not publicly or privately comment on the reason for any specific banning action. The immediately affected individual may reach out to T&S, via
ca
wikimedia
org
, should they need clarifications to any of the notices they have received regarding their global ban and further information may be provided as a courtesy. However, we will not share any information that may identify the reporting parties, compromise their right to report their experiences and/or concerns privately, or place the reporting party in danger. We will also not negotiate the merits of the ban.
Global bans are not automatic.
Foundation global bans – which are used only in extraordinary circumstances – are never automatic. Instead, they are based on extensive individual evaluation, triggered by specific circumstances. A recommendation for a global ban goes through several layers of review by Foundation staff members, including by the Trust & Safety manager, the Trust and Safety Director, the Community Engagement Chief Director, the General Counsel (or appropriate delegate) and, in many cases, the Executive Director. It is possible for a global ban recommendation to be dismissed at any point in the process. Only when all necessary reviewing parties have granted their unanimous approval, is a global ban implemented.
There may be many reasons a global ban is not implemented. In some situations, a global ban may compromise the privacy and safety of the reporting and immediately affected individual(s), even if we don’t share information about them with the reported person. In other situations, enforcing a global ban may hinder ongoing police work. It’s also possible that reported conduct may rise to the level of community or Foundation sanctions, but not necessarily to that warranting a Foundation global ban.
Non-users may also be subject to a global ban.
Global bans are usually implemented against individuals who have been active contributors to the Wikimedia projects at some point. However, it is also possible for individuals who have never made contributions to the projects to be prohibited from accessing or participating in any websites or activities supported, sponsored or funded by the Wikimedia Foundation. This is because global bans are not restricted to people who have some kind of affiliation with the projects; rather they are implemented when an individual’s activity constitutes a serious threat to the trust and safety of the editing and reading communities of any Wikimedia project and/or they disrupt contributions and dialogue.
Questions about this policy.
For further information about Wikimedia Foundation global bans, questions may be left on the discussion page of this policy, or sent by email to the
Trust and Safety team
at
ca
wikimedia
org
. Please note that questions about specific global bans enforced by the Foundation will not be addressed, to protect the privacy of all involved. You may find
further information on community banned users
List of global bans placed by the Wikimedia Foundation
For the full log (including, for example, alternate accounts also locked under
this policy
), visit the
WMFOffice log
Beta M
, since 15 March 2012
Demiurge1000
, since 3 December 2014
Dcoetzee
, since 3 December 2014
Amorrow
, since 17 January 2015
Leucosticte‎
, since 17 January 2015
Poetlister
Quillercouch
, since 17 January 2015
Russavia
, since 17 January 2015
Meco
, since 23 March 2015
Irada
İrada
, since 11 June 2015
Francis Kaswahili
, since 23 July 2015
Scalhotrod
, since 2 November 2015
Liliana-60
, since 22 April 2016
John F. Lewis
, since 22 April 2016
WayneRay
, since 22 April 2016
Ktr101
, since 22 April 2016
Styron111
, since 17 June 2016
Jake Christie of Southern California,
since 8 October 2016
Reguyla
Kumioko
, since 13 April 2017
MyWikiBiz
Thekohser
, since 19 April 2017
Graaf Statler
, since 19 April 2017
Messina
, since 29 August 2017
Krisdegioia
, since 11 September 2017
守望者爱孟
, since 1 December 2017
Aydinsalis
, since 13 December 2017
Classiccardinal
, since 9 January 2018
INeverCry
, since 30 January 2018
Abd
, since 24 February 2018
Elbasyouny
, since 20 June 2018
Galaxyharrylion
, since 8 August 2018
BrillLyle
, since 8 August 2018
VivaVoltaire
, since 10 September 2018
ISECHIKA (いせちか)
, since 20 September 2018
George Reeves Person (Projects)
, since 18 October 2018
MelVic
, since 20 March 2019
WhenDatHotlineBling
, since 20 March 2019
*SM*
, since 25 March 2019
Wikinger
, since 23 September 2019
Laportehistorian
, since 30 September 2019
Pitufo.Budista
, since 7 October 2019
EMans
, since 7 October 2019
Comunicacionsocial
, since 7 October 2019
Cruks
Tokota
, since 21 October 2019
Carlos Eduardo1989
, since 21 October 2019
Mukdeng
, since 28 October 2019
Kompowiec2
, since 12 November 2019
Hasive
, since 19 November 2019
Codex Sinaiticus
Til Eulenspiegel
, since 20 November 2019
JarlaxleArtemis
Grawp
, since 25 November 2019
Jaredgk2008
, since 2 December 2019
Timothy Usher
Proabivouac
, since 8 January 2020
Cervello99
, since 21 January 2020
জঙ্গলবাসী
, since 24 February 2020
Joaquinito01
, since 2 March 2020
Alexcocopro
, since 30 March 2020
FFA P-16
, since 13 April 2020
مينا جمال صبحي
, since 14 April 2020
Maitreidmry
Jim167
, since 16 June 2020
Icewhiz
, since 22 June 2020
Cimbail
Robert Dabringhaus
, since 29 June 2020
Bodiadub
Crazyalien
, since 20 July 2020
Zawl
Flooded with them hundreds
, since 27 July 2020
Peadar
Borgatya
, since 27 July 2020
Meganesia
Ashurpedia
Assyriandude
Cirflow
, since 4 August 2020
عبد الله
, since 29 September 2020
Moj92
, since 5 October 2020
Willwill0415
, since 2 November 2020
James Salsman
, since 17 November 2020
SpokojneFale
, since 17 November 2020
ChemWarfare
, since 7 December 2020
Lascava
MaoMio
, since 4 February 2021
Equinoxepart5
, since 8 February 2021
Gigatomix
, since 23 February 2021
VideoGamePhenom
, since 8 March 2021
Arshifakhan61
, since 23 March 2021
Davidwr
, since 31 March 2021
Uri Even-Chen
, since 3 May 2021
Eissink
, since 24 May 2021
Futurist110
, since 1 June 2021
Lustucri
Melcch
, since 14 June 2021
Milivojevsasa
Sasamilivojev
Ana-africana
Diana-agnel
Jana.Mexicana
Sumaya-DXB
Maha-uae
, since 12 July 2021
A Den Jentyl Ettien Avel Dysklyver
Arthur Kerensa
, since 20 July 2021
Rgalo10
, since 26 July 2021
Keegscee
, since 26 July 2021
Mr. J.M. Vázquez
, since 26 July 2021
AttackTheMoonNow
, since 24 August 2021
, since 6 September 2021
Techyan
, since 13 September 2021
游魂
, since 13 September 2021
尤里的1994
, since 13 September 2021
ArthurLau1997
, since 13 September 2021
Walter Grassroot
, since 13 September 2021
城市酸儒文人挖坑
, since 13 September 2021
蟲蟲飛
, since 13 September 2021
A.Vajrapani
, since 5 October 2021
Mr. Roomba
Amerikkkka
, since 5 October 2021
Krassotkin
, since 12 October 2021
Леонид Макаров
, since 6 December 2021
Rodhullandemu
, since 13 December 2021
Gimli2001
, since 4 January 2022
Kiko4564
, since 5 January 2022
Tamara787
Angela Criss
, since 5 January 2022
Ikip
Okip
, since 1 February 2022
Norbert IP, since 7 February 2022
1Goldberg2
, since 8 February 2022
Yael Weiler / Yael Israel / יעל י
, since 9 February 2022
Miss Mart miss
, since 9 February 2022
Cheep
, since 1 June 2022
Shōkakū24
, since 1 June 2022
Maurice Roux
, since 1 June 2022
Salomegrd
, since 1 June 2022
Bookowr
, since 22 June 2022
Atac2
, since 2 December 2022
جار الله
, since 6 December 2022
Glory20
, since 6 December 2022
M.Nadian
, since 6 December 2022
مصعب العبود
, since 6 December 2022
فاطمه جان
, since 6 December 2022
Aye1399
, since 6 December 2022
أسامة
, since 6 December 2022
وسام
, since 6 December 2022
صالح
, since 6 December 2022
بندر
, since 6 December 2022
سامي الرحيلي
, since 6 December 2022
FShbib
, since 6 December 2022
حاتم العتيبي
, since 6 December 2022
4nn1l2
, since 6 December 2022
Shiasun
, since 6 December 2022
Shobhe
, since 6 December 2022
Waggie
, since 14 December 2022
NMasiha
, since 18 January 2023
Kolega2357
, since 30 January 2023
Avoided
, since 2 February 2023
Suzuki063
, since 17 February 2023
ByteOr
, since 23 February 2023
PlanespotterA320
, since 17 March 2023
Safaque
Safaque123
Podcaster7
TP495
AAComposer
Drbenzene
InitiumNovum
, since 21 March 2023
Samatics
, since 28 March 2023
Skiyomi
, since 21 June 2023
Luca Poma
LoSpecialista
, since 28 June 2023
Drbug
, since 25 July 2023
86sedan
, since 26 July 2023
Alex-h
, since 8 August 2023
ParadaJulio
, since 8 August 2023
Ypatch
, since 8 August 2023
Idealigic
, since 8 August 2023
Роман Беккер
, since 23 August 2023
Belteshazzar
, since 4 September 2023
Doxastic1000
Researcher1000
, since 5 September 2023
OvskMendov1
, since 5 September 2023
Pokelova
, since 5 September 2023
Drummyfish
, since 5 September 2023
Gustin Kelly
, since 18 October 2023
Naleksuh
, since 22 November 2023
Blue Barette Bam
, since 25 March 2024
Mardetanha
, since 8 April 2024
Benoît Prieur
, since 13 May 2024
Nipponese Dog Calvero
/KAGE/影武者, since 9 July 2024
Flamelai
, since 11 September 2024
Anatoly Shariy, since 12 September 2024
Devoter
, since 28 October 2024
Andrew5
, since 5 November 2024
Christophervincent01
, since 20 November 2024
MidAtlanticBaby
, since 2 December 2024
HenryFriedberg
, since 12 February 2025
Acmeism.Data
, since 12 February 2025
BettyWik21
, since 12 February 2025
Mrb Rafi
, since 18 February 2025
TheElkyKid
, since 25 February 2025
Pórokhov
, since 3 March 2025
Dorothy Scarpa
, since 4 March 2025
Shlomo je sadistická zrůda
, since 5 March 2025
Hansmuller
, since 28 April 2025
TheMediaHistorian
, since 28 April 2025
Calcetín Andrea
, since 1 May 2025
Иван Абатуров
, since 12 May 2025
BSanders46
, since 28 May 2025
Alpasli
, since 4 June 2025
Tulsi
, since 8 July 2025
DIVINE
, since 8 July 2025
Tani Stoyanova
, since 21 October 2025
Gapazoid
, since 21 October 2025
Владимир Нимчевић
, since 3 November 2025
Meena Kurian
George Boggs
, since 24 November 2025
Lkcl
, since 1 December 2025
Nguyentrongphu
, since 3 December 2025
Vigilant~enwiki
, since 8 December 2025
NatsirttheMan
, since 9 February 2026
Henry200034
, since 9 February 2026
Slowking4
, since 10 February 2026
Ohlumon
, since 12 February 2026
Beautiful Pony
, since 2 March 2026
Adfgeeyl
, since 30 March 2026
Sadko
, since 30 March 2026
CarRadovan
, since 30 March 2026
MareBG
, since 30 March 2026
Боки
, since 30 March 2026
Ruach Chayim
, since 30 March 2026
НиколаБ
, since 30 March 2026
Biofase
Drew McNish
, since 7 April 2026
Rvitaletx
, since 9 April 2026
Apokrif
, since 14 April 2026
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