Wikipedia:Arbitration Committee

The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.

In addition to its role in dispute resolution, the Committee determines which editors have access to CheckUser and Oversight permissions, and considers certain matters where exceptional factors such as privacy preclude a public hearing.

Arbitrators are volunteer users—usually experienced editors and administrators—whom the community of editors at large elects to resolve the most complex or intractable disputes that may arise within the community, and to oversee the few areas where access to non-public information is a prerequisite.

Clerks
The Committee's clerk team assists the Committee with procedural tasks, such as opening and closing cases, maintaining arbitration pages, and issuing notifications of decisions. Parties with questions about the arbitration process are encouraged to consult a clerk for assistance.

Contacting the Committee
The arbcom-en mailing list is the primary venue for internal Arbitration Committee discussion on all matters under the Committee's remit. It can also be used by any user as a means of contacting the Committee privately (but see Communications and privacy below). The mailing list address is . It may also be reached through the "Email this user" feature at "User:Arbitration Committee". All current arbitrators are subscribed to this list.

Mailing lists
In addition to the arbcom-en list, the Committee operates several other official mailing lists:

What happens to incoming ArbCom email?
The committee is not necessarily the most appropriate body for every matter we are contacted about. Therefore, emails are shared with other trusted permissions holders on Wikipedia when, in an arbitrator's judgement, they cannot or must not be handled by the committee alone.


 * Spam:  Almost all incoming email is spam that we delete at moderation. Please include an informative subject line to avoid deletion. Messages are normally acknowledged by an arbitrator within 48 hours.
 * Child protection / child pornography:  Reports should be made to WMF Legal..
 * Content change requests:  Referred to VRT, either by forwarding or by an arbitrator writing back to recommend you send to there.
 * Suppression requests:  Normally forwarded to the Oversight team, unless immediately actioned by an arbitrator.
 * Requests for checkuser/sockpuppetry investigations:  Normally referred either to the Functionaries mailing list or to an individual checkuser.
 * Legal matters outside ArbCom's scope:  Referred to the WMF Legal and Community Liaison.
 * Threats of harm to self or to others:  Referred to the WMF emergency address,.
 * Appeals of blocks or bans directly related to Arbitration Committee decisions or arbitration enforcement:  Discussed and decided by the full committee.
 * Requests about "checkuser" or "oversighter" blocks or bans:  Appeals reviewed by the committee, or forwarded to the Functionaries.
 * Requests to review actions of checkusers or oversighters:  Discussed and decided by the full committee.
 * Emails about currently open arbitration cases:  Handled according to the arbitration policy.
 * Emails relating to closed cases:  Normally referred to Arbitration Enforcement unless private or non-public personal information is involved.
 * Other:  Handled on a case-by-case basis, according to applicable policy and convention.

Communications and privacy
 Arbitrators usually seek to treat communications with the committee, including emails, as confidential. That said, we cannot guarantee against public disclosure for a number of reasons, including potential security limitations. Accordingly, you should not disclose sensitive personal information in your communications with us.

Once received, your communications may be shared with committee members and – in some limited cases – with third parties as deemed appropriate. Your communications may be archived indefinitely and made available to future members of the committee.

Your email address may contain personal information that could reveal your real-life identity. Many people create email accounts specifically for Wikipedia use. Further information about safeguarding your privacy may be found at On privacy and How to not get outed on Wikipedia. 