User:6SJ7/My Work in Progress/Privacy arb

• Principles

1) Wikipedia is not a soap opera: Reasonable measures which forestall the drama associated with interactions between naive children, predatory pedophiles, and sting operations by law enforcement are appropriate.

2) Ban for disruption: Users who seriously disrupt Wikipedia may be banned. In the context of this case, users who self-identify as children, project a sexually tinged persona, and disclose personal information such as links to sites devoted to social interaction are engaging in disruptive behavior and may be banned.

3) Consequences of absence of policy: If there is no specific policy which addresses a problem, it is handled on a case by case basis.

4) Editing by children: Users, including children, are permitted to edit anonymously without submitting identifying information.

5) Reasonable efforts to protect privacy of children: Reasonable efforts to discourage children from disclosing identifying personal information are appropriate.

• Findings of fact

1) Wikipedia:Protecting children's privacy: Wikipedia:Protecting children's privacy is an attempt to adopt the principles of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act to the particular circumstances of Wikipedia.

2) Current practice: When a user self-identifies as a child, especially if they provide personal information, the matter is frequently a subject of discussion among administrators, Wikipedia:Requests_for_arbitration/Protecting_children's_privacy/Evidence#Discussion_at_the_noticeboard. Sometimes the user is immature and ends up being blocked for disruption. If they are not disruptive, personal information may be removed and the user counseled.

3) Failure to achieve consensus: Wikipedia:Protecting children's privacy and alternative policies addressing the same matters have failed to achieve consensus.

4) Self-identified children: Self-identified children may be children, adult predators, trolls, adult privacy-watchers testing our policies, or law enforcement personnel.

• Proposed remedies

1) Continued work needed: The community is encouraged to continue working to achieve an acceptable formulation of Wikipedia:Protecting children's privacy, or an alternative, which addresses problems presented by disruptive users, while avoiding the creation of a hostile atmosphere for children who are editing in good faith.

2) Ban for disruption: Users who disrupt Wikipedia by posing as children, projecting a provocative persona, and disclosing personal information may be banned on a case by case basis.

3) Counseling: Users who appear to be children editing in good faith who disclose identifying personal information may be appropriately counseled. Deletion and oversight may be used in appropriate cases to remove the information.

[edit] Principles

Users who seriously disrupt Wikipedia may be banned. In the context of this case, users who self-identify as children, project a sexually tinged persona, and disclose personal information such as links to sites devoted to social interaction are engaging in disruptive behavior and may be banned.Reasonable measures which forestall the drama associated with interactions between naive children, predatory pedophiles, and sting operations by law enforcement are appropriate.

Users, including children, are permitted to edit anonymously without submitting identifying information. Reasonable efforts to discourage children from disclosing identifying personal information are appropriate.

If there is no specific policy which addresses a problem, it is handled on a case by case basis.

[edit] Findings of fact

Under current practice, when a user self-identifies as a child, especially if they provide personal information, the matter is frequently a subject of discussion among administrators, Wikipedia:Requests_for_arbitration/Protecting_children's_privacy/Evidence#Discussion_at_the_noticeboard. Sometimes the user is immature and ends up being blocked for disruption. If they are not disruptive, personal information may be removed and the user counseled.

Self-identified children may be children, adult predators, trolls, adult privacy-watchers testing our policies, or law enforcement personnel.

[edit] Policy remedies

Users who disrupt Wikipedia by posing as children, projecting a provocative persona, and disclosing personal information may be banned on a case by case basis. Users who appear to be children editing in good faith who disclose identifying personal information may be appropriately counseled. Deletion and oversight may be used in appropriate cases to remove the information.

The community is encouraged to continue working to achieve an acceptable formulation of Wikipedia:Protecting children's privacy, or an alternative, which addresses problems presented by disruptive users, while avoiding the creation of a hostile atmosphere for children who are editing in good faith.