User:Tamzin/Block and ban audit/2022/May

When I ran for admin, I told Barkeep49 that I expected to make a numerically large number of blocks as an admin, but that I don't plan to be a "blocking admin"—by which I meant someone who overly relies on blocking and underestimates the effect it has on people. That's a tough line to walk, and so to hold myself accountable I have instated a monthly self-audit of my own blocks, as well as, if applicable, any editing restrictions imposed or sitebans enacted.

I issued 169 blocks and 1 topic ban in May 2022. (Re-blocks of already-blocked accounts are not counted.) Below they are broken down by type.

Sox: 33

 * 24 of these were evading blocks on a previous account/IP. I don't have much to say about these, about the most straightforward kind of block there is.
 * 2 were sockmasters who had previously not been blocked. Generally sockpuppetry is not indeffable on the first offense. To explain these two, then: With there was deliberate deception even after being caught in the act. With  there was a COI aspect and a history of warnings.
 * 5 were sockpuppets being blocked at the same time as those 2 masters.
 * 1, was a sockpuppet of a first-time sockmaster who was not themself indeffed (although later was).
 * 1,, edited logged out after warnings

The rest: 47

 * 14 were vandalism-only accounts. Again, not much to say.
 * 15 were uw-spamublocks. I've taken a fairly hard line on these. Someone who creates an account with an organizational username, and then acts to promote that organization, is not going to be deterred by warnings or rehabilitated by friendly messages, even moreso than vandals.
 * 4 were other kinds of username+disruption blocks. 2 could have been blocked just for their edits. 1 was engaged in outright impersonation and could also have been blocked as a sock. 1 was making at least moderately constructive edits, and thus I started by asking them to rename, blocking only when they doubled down and got increasingly trollish.
 * 2 for NPA/harassment. One was a disruption-only account, but the other was a moderately experienced user, Dreamkd. There was a case to be made for a tempblock, but they had ignored clear warnings already, and I didn't feel that a tempblock would convinced them. I noted that the block was indefinite but not infinte. As much as I try to be the nice guy, I don't want to be naïve and think that 72 hours off will magically make someone stop constantly insulting people.
 * 1,, for legal threats. That's a COI case I'd been monitoring since I warned them when I was a new trainee SPI clerk, and frankly the clear-cut NLT violation was a relief. I did take the threat to BLPN for review, per WP:DOLT, and some changes were made to the article in question.

Topic bans: 1

 * I banned from the topic of COVID-19 here. Given that the community escalated that to a siteban shortly thereafter, I think it was a measured response.