This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Splash (talk | contribs) at 15:51, 28 June 2006 (→Notes: rm link to media; this is a policy page). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 15:51, 28 June 2006 by Splash (talk | contribs) (→Notes: rm link to media; this is a policy page)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) | This page documents an English Misplaced Pages policy.It describes a widely accepted standard that editors should normally follow, though exceptions may apply. Changes made to it should reflect consensus. | Shortcut
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- Please note: If you've arrived here from a link on a page displaying a protection message and/or a small 'padlock' icon (
) in its upper right hand corner, it is because that particular Misplaced Pages page is currently semi-protected in accordance with this policy.
Pages that are semi-protected cannot be edited by unregistered users or from accounts less than 96 hours (four days) old.
A page can be temporarily semi-protected by an administrator in response to serious vandalism, in which the page is getting a large number of vandalism edits from so many different anonymous or newly-created accounts that blocking them individually is not a solution. It can also be used to stop banned users with dynamic IPs from editing an article. Semi-protection is a temporary measure used to stem vandalism against a page until it is no longer such a target, and this protection should generally be removed within hours or days (but some very high profile articles with a history of vandalism, such as George W. Bush or Jew, may be semi-protected on a continuous basis).
Pages that are semi-protected are indicated with {{sprotected}} and listed at Misplaced Pages:Protected page#Semi-protection and Category:Semi-protected. To request that semi-protection be lifted, leave a note on the protecting admin's talk page, on the article's talk page, the Misplaced Pages:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents, or Misplaced Pages:Requests for page protection.
When to use semi-protection
Semi-protection should only be considered if it is the only option left available to solve the problem of vandalism of the page, if the amount of vandalism is difficult for editors to keep up with. Just like full protection, it is a last resort, not a pre-emptive measure.
Jimbo has suggested that semi-protection may be used in the cases of "minor bios of slightly well known but controversial individuals" which are not widely watchlisted, if they "are subject to POV pushing, trolling vandalism".
When not to use semi-protection
Semi-protection should not be used:
- as a pre-emptive measure against the threat or probability of vandalism before any such vandalism occurs;
- as a response to regular content disputes, since it may restrict some editors and not others (see the protection policy for how to deal with this);
- in the case of a few static IP vandals hitting a page (blocking the vandals is a much better option than semi-protection);
- on the day's Featured Article, which should almost never be protected;
- to prohibit anonymous editing in general.
Talk pages are not protected as a rule, except in special circumstances. User talk pages subject to persistent vandalism or trolling may be semi-protected or protected on request.
How
Semi-protection can be requested at Misplaced Pages:Requests for page protection, the article's talk page or, in cases where a very fast response is needed, the administrators' noticeboard.
Administrators:
- In the protection interface, choose "Block new and unregistered users" for editing
- The tag {{sprotected}} should be added to the top of the page, which automatically adds the article to Category:Semi-protected.
- List the page at Misplaced Pages:List of protected pages#Semi-protection. Remember to remove the listing when you unprotect.
- When protecting a user or user talk page, {{usertalk-sprotect}} may be used instead.
Tools
- While the recent history of an article should be checked before semi-protecting, this tool is useful for tracking vandalism on a particular page over a longer period. It's not perfect, however, and can be misleading. For instance, it will show a high vandalism rate if a low-traffic page gets just one instance of vandalism per day.
See also
- Misplaced Pages:Protection policy, which deals principally with full-protection, but contains much of Misplaced Pages's philosophy regarding protection.
- m:Protected pages considered harmful.
- Template:Editprotected, process for protected edit requests applicable to protected pages of any level.
Notes
- ^ "Proposal: limited extension of semi-protection policy", Jimmy Wales, WikiEN-l, May 19, 2006