User:RHaworth/CUOS


 * Your nomination statement


 * Please outline, in no more than 250 words, why you are a suitable candidate for the permissions(s) for which you are applying.


 * I am applying for Checkuser and Oversight permissions. I have been an editor for nearly seven years and an admin for six years. I take no special pride in having deleted 70,000 articles - if I had not deleted them, someone else would have. But it does indicate that I spend most of my time on new page patrolling. Acquiring these permissions will help me do patrolling more effeciently.


 * Your background




 * Are you 18 years of age or older, and of the age of majority in your country of residence?


 * Yes.


 * What is your Wikipedia username?




 * How long have you been editing Wikipedia?


 * since 2005 Jan 1


 * Do you operate, or have you ever operated, other accounts on Wikipedia?


 * Yes


 * If yes, please list the user names:


 * just


 * Are these accounts linked to your current user name?


 * Yes


 * (If applicable) When did you pass Requests for Adminship:


 * 2005 August


 * Do you hold advanced permissions (checkuser, oversight, bureaucrat, steward) on this or other WMF projects? If so, please list.


 * No


 * Do you have OTRS permissions? If so, to which queues?


 * No


 * What country do you live in:


 * England


 * What time zone do you live in (do not use abbreviations please):


 * Whaddya mean no abbreviations? I live about 15km from the G in GMT - go figure.


 * What off-wiki communications would you use in your role? (e.g., Gmail, other email system, IRC, etc) Please note that you must be willing to receive and respond to email messages.


 * I can't stand IRC. I have a Gmail account (why mention it specifically - how does it differ from any other e-mail account?) and I am happy to accept e-mail.


 * How often will you be available to assist? (e.g., available a few hours a day, or three days a week, etc) Do you anticipate any need for extended absence (more than two weeks) during your term?


 * My edit history speaks for itself - I spend far too much time here! As to absence, one of the nice things about editing Wikipedia is that you do not have to book time off. I reserve the right to absent myself without warning for as long as I want. (Chances are that if I am holiday, I will at least check my talk page and e-mail.)


 * Tell us about any conflicts you've been involved in. Please be descriptive, and feel free to include links or diffs.


 * Can't remember - nothing serious.


 * Tell us about an on-wiki situation where you have had to say "no" to someone. Feel free to include links or diffs.


 * Saying no? I spend most of my time saying "no"! Look at my user talk page contributions.


 * How do you deal with pushy or aggressive editors? Do they annoy you? Do you find it stressful to deal with them?


 * Calmly. Sadness rather than annoyance is probably the best term but I try to keep emotion out of it. I do not find it stressful.


 * How would you describe the risks you are taking personally by accessing or receiving private or confidential information about another person? What liability and responsibility do you feel you have?


 * "Risk" - what a curious term to use in this context. I feel no sense of risk. I have a proven record of ensuring that confidential information remains confidential.


 * Auditing and policy


 * Do you have strong feelings about transparency/privacy? How, for example, should checkusers or oversighters handle Freedom of Information requests?


 * I have no strong feelings. If I received an FoI request, I would probably say that the Wikimedia projects have a clear policy of allowing editors anonymity; refuse the request and direct the requester to the Wikimedia Foundation if they were not satisfied. (But surely FoI is about state information and Wikipedia is, thankfully, not a state body.)


 * How do you perceive that the privacy policy, oversight policy and checkuser policy interact?


 * Privacy policy overrides the other two.


 * In your opinion, what limits do you see in the use of the tools?


 * Checkuser is almost exclusively for proving sock puppetry - I am dubious about whether it should be used to prove COI. Oversight is for removing sensitive personal information - I would not usually bother to use it to hide copyvios. (Am I missing something - are there other aspects of these tools that I need to comment on?)


 * Describe your experience in data analysis, particularly any data analysis you have done with respect to Wikipedia.


 * Not quite sure what you mean. I think I am pretty thorough in checking contribution histories, etc.


 * Describe any situations where someone has thought you had given out any personal information about another user.


 * I vaguely remember one but there has been nothing serious.


 * Describe any situations where someone has significantly disagreed with your interpretation of a Wikipedia policy.


 * Not quite sure what you are looking for here. I would say it happens all the time - that is why we have AfD. Some of my AfD nominations close with keep - I accept those decisions.


 * Use of advanced permissions


 * Please tell us what kinds of requests you expect to see and how you expect to handle them.


 * Oversight - requests to remove personal or defatory material. Checkuser - sockpuppet and vandalism investigations. Both will be handled on their merits.


 * Tell us, in as much detail as you can without violating your own privacy, about what technical expertise you have that will help you fill this role.


 * Strange question. Surely six years as an admin is ample technical expertise? (I have more than forty years experience in computers - so what?)


 * Do you have experience working with people from other projects?


 * I have submitted a few hundred photos to the Commons. I surprise myself how many edits I have done in projects apart from en: and commons: but I do not see them as particularly relevant to this application.


 * Please specify any languages other than English that you are able to read/write:


 * Sadly none - a smattering of most of the Western European languages. But Google translate is amazingly good!


 * Oversight


 * Have you ever requested that edits/edit summaries/usernames be suppressed or oversighted? What was the result?


 * I don't think so


 * (If an administrator) Please list all situations where anyone has disagreed with your use of revision deletion and provide your comments.


 * I don't think it has ever happened.


 * Checkuser


 * Have you assisted in any sockpuppetry investigations in the past? In particular, do you have any experience in reviewing editing patterns and behaviours when considering whether accounts are sockpuppets? Please describe your experience.


 * Plenty. See for example this burst of activity.


 * There is a remote possibility that you may receive an external request for information collected during a checkuser. What support do you expect from the Wikimedia Foundation if you receive such a request? What steps will you take if you receive such a request?


 * I would probably instruct the requester to contact the Foundation directly.


 * How do you expect checkusers to deal with information which appears to be about a serious risk of harm to a person or persons (e.g., suicide or bomb threats)? Do you expect them to evaluate whether the risk is realistic?


 * If I thought the threat realistic, I would contact the Foundation immediately - using the telephone if it seemed really serious.


 * Your questions for ArbCom

If so, please list them below:
 * Do you have any questions about this role that you would like answered?