User talk:Jeffrey Newman 85.210.255.81

cc from Jimbo Wales User talk page:

Regaining Identity! User:Jeffrey Newman
I spent a little time with Wikipedia in 2005 and have returned occasionally to read stuff but could never log-in. My impatience level is high so I did not hang around. These past couple of days, I have realised that, since I want to do some serious work, it is worth persisting. But I am told that since when I originally created my account, I did not supply an e-mail address, it is impossible. Nothing is impossible - so I've come here to ask for help, hoping that you will not personally have to be involved but that someone else may pick up this request. As far as my queries re CIA, perhaps I watch too much West Wing (I received the whole set as a "65th" present from my family - I'm in the UK) but they would be stupid NOT to be ensuring Wiki survives - and though 'intelligence' might not be a characteristic, that level of stupidity is unimaginable. Experiences logging in to Wikipedia in Moscow were also interesting! But, since I have nothing to hide, I might as well join in. More than anything else, however - many congratulations on getting this whole enterprise up and running. It is 'awesome' (which is not an everyday word from an elderly Brit! Thank you. 85.210.255.81 01:52, 16 April 2007 (UTC) P.S. Why does "User Name:Jeffrey Newman" come out in red, not blue? - Jimbo: I really do NOT expect you, personally, to have to answer this!


 * The email reqirement is I believe for those who lose their password and want a new one emailed to them. If "nothing is impossible" them remember your old password. Otherwise, some things are impossible and you perhaps should create a new account. WAS 4.250 02:14, 16 April 2007 (UTC)


 * I presume you mean User:Jeffrey Newman, and that is your real name. The procedure to recover your account would be as follows: Find an administrator (or other well-respected Wikipedian) who lives close to you and prove your identity to them. They should then contact a developer, who will set the email address on your account to the address you choose, and you can then use the normal password recovery system.


 * Developer time is a precious resource, and they probably would prefer not to get such requests, so as an alternative, consider getting a new account, perhaps User:Jeffrey X Newman where X is your middle initial, or User:JeffreyNewman without the space, or User:Jeff Newman if you don't mind the contraction of your name, and then move the old user and talk pages to the new name. This is the easiest way to go.- gadfium 03:47, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks. NZ is almost as far from UK as it is possible to be (though we shall be there in December!) How do I find out if there is an Administrator in London, to whom I could pay a visit, or send a copy of my passport, or something? 85.210.255.81 04:59, 16 April 2007 (UTC)
 * Look at Category:Wikipedians in London, and pick a name you recognise from 2005, or look for an intersection with Category:English Wikipedia administrators, neither of which will be comprehensive lists. You could also ask at the talk page of the English Wikipedians' notice board. Before you go to any trouble, wait to get some responses to my idea, as the developers might not be willing to do such a thing, or it might not be possible for technical reasons (if the email address is encrypted in the database, for example).- gadfium 05:09, 16 April 2007 (UTC)
 * I don't see any intersection of those categories, so the notice board is probably your best bet.- gadfium 05:17, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

It is generally quite rare for an account to be usurped, especially if the account does not have any permissions beyond "user" (though even then it's rare) and especially if no e-mail address was specified for the account. Nonetheless, proving your identity should not be all that difficult. I'm going to assume that you have an e-mail address with pipex.net. If this is the case, please contact privacy@pipex.net and ask them to e-mail me (or another admin) with confirmation that the e-mail address belongs to Jeffrey Newman, and then send me (or the same admin) an e-mail from that account verifying that it was you who made this request. Per the terms of their privacy policy this should be acceptable, and it should serve as adequate proof of your identity. The request can then be passed on to the devs, though it will likely take a very long time to complete. AmiDaniel (talk) 07:33, 16 April 2007 (UTC)
 * Or, an interesting thing I just ran across, you might register with Trufina.com. Never used it before, but it looks like a fairly reliable way to prove one's identity. AmiDaniel (talk) 07:48, 16 April 2007 (UTC)
 * Only for Americans, as far as I can see. It is geared around doing record searches based on a social security number. Metamagician3000 08:47, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

I and my IP address have now been BLOCKED by User:Misza13 AS User:Mstrassburg also says on Jimbos page, the situation is farcical, Kafka-esque but it is also serious and is driving away good and valued peple like User:JMabel I need help. S.O.S. - PLEASE HELP Jeffrey Newman 85.210.255.81 01:58, 22 April 2007 (UTC)