Policy talk:Privacy policy: Difference between revisions

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== Red link ==
== Lokalisatie van nieuwe privacy-beleid ==


There is a red link in [[Policy:Privacy policy/Frequently asked questions#There is outdated or inaccurate information about me in a Wikipedia article! How do I update my information?|this section]], please change it to correct link to Privacy policy, thanks. [[User:Ата|<span style="color:SteelBlue">Ата</span>]]&nbsp;<sup>[[User talk:Ата|<span style="color:#80A0FF">(talk)</span>]]</sup> 17:09, 14 January 2024 (UTC)
Het zou nuttig zijn in de vertaling van de nieuwCfcdd
e privacy-beleid om een definitie van het begrip "persoonlijk identificeerbare informatie" hebben. Kan iemand deze leveren? [[User: Lloffiwr | Lloffiwr]] 14:11, 1 januari 2009 (UTC)
: Hij wees mij aan [[w: Persoonlijk identificeerbare informatie]]. '''[[ Gebruiker: Cbrown1023 | <span style="color:green"> Cbrown1023 </ span >]]''''' '<small> [[User talk: Cbrown1023 | <span style = "color: # 002bb8 "> Talk </ span >]]</ small>'' '21:00, 2 februari 2009 (UTC)
:: Dank je, ik begrijp dit veel beter nu, en hebben de link naar het artikel op de overlegpagina van de vertaling verzoek om anderen te volgen. [[User: Lloffiwr | Lloffiwr]] 23:26, 6 februari 2009 (UTC)


:@[[User:Ата|Ата]]: Thank you for pointing this out - I have gone ahead and fixed it. --[[User:GVarnum-WMF|Gregory Varnum (Wikimedia Foundation) [he/him]]] ([[User talk:GVarnum-WMF|talk]]) 20:39, 16 January 2024 (UTC)
== How do I report ==
How do I report someone adding something to my view ie. Chris Brown as if it's coming from me? <small>&mdash;''The preceding [[w:Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment was added by'' [[User:65.95.40.84|65.95.40.84]] ([[User talk:65.95.40.84|talk]]&nbsp;&bull;&nbsp;[[Special:Contributions/65.95.40.84|contribs]]) 05:32, 25 February 2009 (UTC).</small><!--Inserted with Template:Unsigned-->


== policy violation? ==
== Interwiki to enwiki ==
The policy says that info on page visits are not exposed publically, but there is a bot which is publishing page after page of user's search terms along with their username and I think for non-users IP address: here are many such pages:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Newpage_bot_search_results]
also failed search terms are logged:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:AlexNewArtBot/BadSearchResult]
(there are dozens of archives of the above page stretching back several months, with page names of the form ../archive26). Given the controversy over search engines retaining user data and in some cases publishing it, these pages seem a gross violation of user privacy. Do wikipedia visitors know that the search terms they use have become a matter of public record? I doubt it.
[[User:Weeksinput|Weeksinput]] 03:36, 27 February 2009 (UTC)


[[Policy:Privacy policy/Frequently asked questions]] has an interwiki link to [[w:en:Wikipedia:Username_policy]], which is strange. Is it intended? [[User:Ата|<span style="color:SteelBlue">Ата</span>]]&nbsp;<sup>[[User talk:Ата|<span style="color:#80A0FF">(talk)</span>]]</sup> 17:11, 14 January 2024 (UTC)
:You're mistaken. The bot is posting its ''own'' search results. It searches new pages and posts a list of those it finds. The username you see next to each page is the page's creator. This is confirmed by looking at the history of the page. That bot is not publishing users' search results. -[[User:Kotra|Kotra]] 17:14, 25 March 2009 (UTC)


:@[[User:Ата|Ата]], can you elaborate on what you find odd? The linking to that specific page, the formatting of the link, or something else? Thank you! --[[User:GVarnum-WMF|Gregory Varnum (Wikimedia Foundation) [he/him]]] ([[User talk:GVarnum-WMF|talk]]) 20:40, 16 January 2024 (UTC)
== translation of page view ==
::I find it weird that [[File:OOjs UI icon language-ltr-progressive.svg|20px]]<span style=color:#3f6fcf>1 language</span> button on top of the page links to that specific page. Privacy policy FAQs ≠ enwiki username policy. [[User:Ата|<span style="color:SteelBlue">Ата</span>]]&nbsp;<sup>[[User talk:Ата|<span style="color:#80A0FF">(talk)</span>]]</sup> 15:29, 18 January 2024 (UTC)
:::Fixed! It was [https://foundation.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Policy:Privacy_policy/Frequently_asked_questions&diff=prev&oldid=310909 a mis-ordered link]. Thanks! [[User:Quiddity (WMF)|Quiddity (WMF)]] ([[User talk:Quiddity (WMF)|talk]]) 02:37, 19 January 2024 (UTC)


== Discusssion at en WP ==
Regarding ''Where the information pertains to page views generated by a spider or bot and its dissemination is necessary to illustrate or resolve technical issues'' in the section 'Access to and release of personally identifiable information'. I have looked at the definition of [[W:en:Page view|page view]] on Wikipedia. But I am still not sure that I understand what 'page views generated by a spider or bot' are. Can anyone explain this in layman's terms? [[User:Lloffiwr|Lloffiwr]] 11:16, 26 April 2009 (UTC)


There is a privacy related discussion on en.wiki; you can read the discussion and give advice [[w:en:Wikipedia:Village_pump_(proposals)#Allowing_editors_to_opt_out_of_private_information_on_XTools.|here]]. [[User:Cremastra|Cremastra]] ([[User talk:Cremastra|talk]]) 13:11, 29 February 2024 (UTC)
:[[w:Internet bot|Bots]] and [[w:Web crawler|spiders]], in this context, are computer programs set up to automatically visit webpages, without anyone actually sitting behind the screen. For example, search engines like Google have spiders that run around the web, reading webpage after webpage, to create an index of the web that you can search. Email spammers use bots too, to search the web for email addresses.


== ru link ==
:"Page views generated by a spider or bot", then, would occur whenever a bot visited a webpage. Wikimedia's software would detect the bot's visit as a page view, just like the page views of actual humans.


Please make [[Политика конфиденциальности]] a redirect to [[Policy:Privacy policy/ru]]. [[User:Colt browning|colt_browning]] ([[User talk:Colt browning|talk]]) 13:11, 23 April 2024 (UTC)
:One reason I can think of why they would have this line is so administrators, checkusers, and other volunteer editors can take action against bots that are set up to add commercial links (linkspam) into articles. There are probably other reasons as well, or they may just be putting that out for unforeseen contingencies.


:@[[User:Colt browning|Colt browning]]: That has been fixed. However, if that link is actively used anywhere - please let me know and we may be able to update its usage. Thank you! --[[User:GVarnum-WMF|Gregory Varnum (Wikimedia Foundation) [he/him]]] ([[User talk:GVarnum-WMF|talk]]) 20:22, 6 May 2024 (UTC)
:If you're really curious, though, you might try to track down [[User:UninvitedCompany]], who [http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Privacy_policy&diff=next&oldid=23698 originally added the text] back in 2003. -[[User:Kotra|Kotra]] 03:04, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

::Thank you for the clear and detailed explanation - I now have a much better idea of how to translate this sentence. [[User:Lloffiwr|Lloffiwr]] 12:49, 20 May 2009 (UTC)

==Scope of the policy - certain aspects of browsing==
Regarding ''Interactions with the Projects not covered by this Policy include, but are not limited to, '''aspects of browsing''' and editing pages'' in the section ''Activities on Foundation projects''.

The paragraph is mostly dealing with some ways that the user can '''voluntarily''' disclose her own private data. When the user is sending email or creating OTRS ticket, it is obvious that by the very nature of those communications some private data will be disclosed. It is clear, that anonymous editing is one of the the '''aspects of editing pages''', since the IP address becomes public by the very nature of that interaction and becomes ''publicly available data'' and therefore not covered by this policy, although they may be covered by some other policies (like that one of the OTRS).

However, I do not to understand the which '''aspects of browsing''' may constitute ''publicly available information'' not covered by this policy. The policy deals extensively with Web server access logs as well as with privacy implications of certain HTTP features like cookies.

So, the question is, which '''aspects of browsing''' the Wikimedia sites are not covered by this privacy policy? I understand that this is just list of examples ("...not limited to...") but my understanding to date that all aspects of passive browsing were covered under this policy.

&nbsp;«&nbsp;<span style="font-family: monospace, courier; font-size:90%">[[User:Saper|Saper]]<span style="font-size: 70%">&nbsp;//&nbsp;</span>[[User talk:Saper|@talk]]</span>&nbsp;»&nbsp; 02:04, 20 May 2009 (UTC)

==disclosure of user realnames - no policy?==
I've always thought that the disclosure of the realname of a person behind a user account by another user on talkpages or in edit-commentaries, as it happens sometimes in edit-conflicts between users, is a no-no in all Wikimedia projects. However, when looking for written policy, I couldn't find anything about that. Any hint? --[[User:Túrelio|Túrelio]] 08:26, 14 September 2009 (UTC)
: I don't think that a global "anonymity policy" exists for that. The current privacy policy certainly doesn't cover it. However, such edits are allowed to be deleted by [[Oversight]] policy (#1) from which I would deduce that they are not allowed in any project. --[[User:Tinz|Tinz]] 01:26, 16 December 2009 (UTC)
::Thanks. Better late than never ;-). --[[User:Túrelio|Túrelio]] 19:22, 1 January 2010 (UTC)

What if that information is available in the history of the user's page? Isn't all the material on the user's page history covered by the same content rules that apply to all Wikimedia material?

Sincerely,

Virgilio A. P. Machado

[[User:Vapmachado|Vapmachado]] 03:37, 10 July 2010 (UTC)
: I'm not sure if I understand your question correctly. It should not matter whether personal information of a user is disclosed in an article or on a user page. You can ask any [[Oversight]] (or [[Steward]], if your project has no oversights) to remove that information. Or do you mean cases in which the user himself has made his own information public at some earlier point? I don't think that a global policy exists for this, but in the projects I know, the wish to become anonymous is respected. The old versions are deleted and other users are asked to respect his wish to "become" anonymous. --[[User:Tinz|Tinz]] 17:47, 22 July 2010 (UTC)


Thank you so much for addressing my question. I'll take you and all other readers, particularly my very good friend and member of our mutual admiration society [[User:Sir Lestaty de Lioncourt|Sir Lestaty de Lioncourt]], through a step by step example, to make it easier on everybody, and present a clear case, hopefully without violating anybody's privacy. You are welcome to post your answers right after each question.

Consider [[pt:Usuário:Alexanderps|Alexanderps]].

I would like to know if it is disclosure of private data of another user account without that user permission, to post on one of your own subpages the following:

1) The name [[pt:Usuário:Alexanderps|Alexanderps]] uses in his signature, like on this example [http://pt.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Usu%C3%A1rio_Discuss%C3%A3o:Alexanderps/2010-I&diff=19409069&oldid=19409061] ?

(You are welcome to post your answers right after each question on the space below.)



2) Space for next question

Sincerely,

Virgilio A. P. Machado

[[User:Vapmachado|Vapmachado]] 18:27, 22 July 2010 (UTC)

:Sorry, I don't really like this interview style, it makes me feel like a student about to get outwitted by Socrates :-)
:As a former ombudsman, I visit this page from time to time to help in case of problems with the understanding of the privacy policy.
:If you think that the privacy policy was broken then you should contact the current [[Ombudsman commission]].
:However, your problem doesn't really seem to be related to any violations of the privacy policy (which deals mostly with private information that checkusers have). It sounds more like a problem that you have with other users of pt Wikipedia or maybe with the anonymity policies of ptwiki (which I don't know). In any case, this talk page is the wrong place to resolve these problems. A better way would be to seek conflict resolution on pt-wiki itself. Alternatively, you could probably start a [[RFC]] here. Regards, --[[User:Tinz|Tinz]] 13:57, 26 July 2010 (UTC)


Thank you so much for your suggestion, according to which this [[Requests for comment/Public or non-public personal information|request for comment]] has been started and [[Talk:Oversight#Public or non-public personal information|announced]].
As a former ombudsman you must surely know something that might help answer my question. It would be an honor if you were the first to post your comment there.
Thanks for your compliment, but it is highly exaggerated. There's no comparison between Socrates and me. I believe that the Socrates you're referring to is dead :-)

Sincerely,

Virgilio A. P. Machado

[[User:Vapmachado|Vapmachado]] 23:11, 26 July 2010 (UTC)
=== Two layers of privacy ===
<B><U>''Draft amendments to the rules''</U></B><BR>
The case of [[:w:Privacy|privacy]] policy has at least two 'layers' both focusing upon certain civil rights of an individual seeking to defend his [[:w:Anonymity|anonymity]].

Encouraging everybody to post, edit and discuss articles, Wikimedia (as well as thousands of other interactive facilities in the Internet) offers an option to show his authorship:
#as some [[:w:IP address|IP]] which automatically appears as a 'singature' above/under/besides his message;
#as some [[:w:Pseudonym|pseudonym]] which one may choose for that purpose
Since an IP is automatically generated upon some technical data which to a certain extent ''may'' show the way to the originating computer and through this to a specific individual — the formula for the first 'layer' is ”'''IP vs nick'''”.

Since the very first days of the Internet folks preferred to identify theirselves by pseudonyms ([[:w:Nick|nicks]]). With the further development of Internet (especially since the namespace boundaries have been overcome) people found it possible to use their actual civilian names as 'nicks'. Although it's obvious that it was their ''personal will'' to disclose their anonymity in this way (below I'll make some reservations upon that), another disputable layer of privacy appeared in the Internet communities, that is '''”real” vs fictitious nick'''.

In addition to the explicit writing of personal data I shall mention some indirect means, as [[:w:Uniform Resource Locator|URLs]] and other kind of [[:w:Hyperlink|external links]] to the sources where their personal data is written. The [[:w:Netiquette|netiquette]] explicitly treats as a gross breach when a third person discloses somebody's private information in that way. Having occured within some community (e.g. Wikipedia registered users) and its common editable workspace — it is suppressed by its in-law. However this case is too flat to deserve a thourough investigation here. I suppose that to be sufficiently covered in the existing rules of behaviour in Wikimedia.

The yawning gap in our rulings here is in unsufficient clarity and unambiguity concerning the case when somebody claims that equating his «”real” name nick» to an apparently fictitious nick is a violation of his privacy. The most recent example:
*Arbiter '<b>A</b>' creates a sockpuppet '<b>S</b>' for his personal investigation purposes
*Checkuser '<b>C</b>' founds that a sockpuppet '<b>S</b>' = '<b>A</b>'.
*Arbiter '<b>A</b>' [http://ru.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?diff=31255506&oldid=31254436 insists, that] '<b>C</b>' has infringed his privacy by revealing that '<b>S</b>' = '<b>A</b>', since he claims '<b>A</b>' to be an abbreviation of his real name.
Let us leave aside all derivative issues that may arise in connection with the specific circumstances of this case. I shall rather insist that both this one and the series of similar disputes shall have their doubtful grounds until Wikimedia shall clearly define that

<div class="usermessage" style="-moz-border-radius:1em;font-weight:normal">
#Observing privacy is primarily a matter of a user. He is personally responsible for the chosen degree of similarity between his nick and his real name and other personal data.
#Since Wikimedia has no legal means to certify that '<FONT color=navy>&#x5B;User:John Johnson&#x5D;</FONT>' is exactly that ''Mr.&nbsp;John&nbsp;Johnson'' (<small>age, address, driver licence…</small>) who opened an abovenamed user account, it shall not support any claims of <FONT color=navy>&#x5B;User:John Johnson&#x5D;</FONT> of infringment against his privacy as ''Mr.&nbsp;John&nbsp;Johnson'', in particular because<BR>a) it was <u>his</u> original will to appear in the community with a certain extent of disclosure of its personality;<BR>b) the opposite treatment shall discriminate the owners of a really fictitious nicks against the owners of «”real” name» nicks putting the latter in the privileged position.
#Identification of personalities by Wikimedia is limited within the scope of issues related to the further public interaction with users outside the virtual workspace (jobs, conferences etc.) However this data as well as technical and other evidences of identity between <FONT color=navy>&#x5B;User:John Johnson&#x5D;</FONT> and ''Mr.&nbsp;John&nbsp;Johnson'' which might have been forwarded to Wikimedia shall be ignored in all judicial and extrajudicial sues which derive from a prerequisite of identity between an individual and his nick.
</div>
''Note''. Clause 2-a is necessary for the case when checkusers and stewards are required to establish compliance between nicks and IP's — for example, in investigation of abuses with open proxies.

''Example'' (has a [http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%8F:%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D1%83%D1%87%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2/85.140.130.136#.D0.94.D0.B8.D1.81.D0.BA.D1.83.D1.81.D1.81.D0.B8.D0.B8_.D0.BF.D0.BE_.D0.B8.D1.82.D0.BE.D0.B3.D1.83 real basis], however not investigated yet). User '<b>X</b>' (assume he is unknown) enters Wikipedia aiming to set an article for deletion (AfD). Since the article is outside his 'national' workspace, he
* sets his browser to work via a foreign open proxy server, so his AfD request is 'signed' with an IP of this proxy.
* having suddenly found an error in his edit, he urgently switches to another browser seeking for solution. For some reason (rush, carelessness) he corrects his error from another window which is not set to an open proxy. This edit is signed with an IP ''originally'' assigned by his [[:w:Internet service provider|ISP]]
* last, the AfD discussion page is 'signed' again with a faked IP (of an open proxy).
Now suppose that a checkuser establishes an identity: '<b>X</b>'='<b>Quasi Real Name</b>'. But the underlying evidences of this output are IPs, so in the absence of ruling that the 'reality' of a nickname is a problem of an account owner, '<b>Quasi Real Name</b>' shall have the grounds to counter-claim against the violation of his 'privacy'. Such lawlessness shall undermine all our further attempts to halt cross-wiki-vandalism!
<CENTER>* * *</CENTER>
I realize that a lack of knowledge of local regulations may weaken certain [[:w:Thesis statement|statements]] of my proposals. However the underlying problems in my examples are actual and they are awaiting their solution. Anyway I hope that the discussion of this subject shall contribute to the strengthening of the rules for all the projects of Wikimedia. Thank you in advance for the studying of this project. [[User:Cherurbino|Cherurbino]] 06:48, 31 January 2011 (UTC)

== Typo on the foundation mirror ==

The last edit to this page fixed a typo in the Cookies section (back in October), but this change was never implemented on the [http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Privacy_policy#Cookies Foundation mirror of this site]. Is there anyone with Foundation access that can fix this typo (visted -> visited). We received an OTRS e-mail about this (2010010210021971). Thanks. -[[User:Andrew c|Andrew c]] 15:38, 3 January 2010 (UTC)
:{{Done|Fixed}} [http://wikimediafoundation.org/w/index.php?title=Privacy_policy&curid=2551&diff=44813&oldid=36376 here]. Thank you. - [[User:Rjd0060|Rjd0060]] 16:22, 3 January 2010 (UTC)


== COPPA ==
== COPPA ==


Hello. Can people under 13 edit Wikipedia? [[User:Wimajo15|Wimajo15]] ([[User talk:Wimajo15|talk]]) 08:17, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
This policy doesn't comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children's_Online_Privacy_Protection_Act]. Shouldn't it say what the policy is towards children?
--[[User:Aled D|Aled D]] 15:26, 14 May 2010 (UTC)
: Let me quote from the article you cite:
:"The Act applies to websites and online services operated for commercial purposes that are either directed to children under 13 or have actual knowledge that children under 13 are providing information online. Most recognized non-profit organizations are exempt from most of the requirements of COPPA.[1] However, the Supreme Court ruled that non-profits operated for the benefit of their members' commercial activities are subject to FTC regulation and consequently also COPPA."
: Wikimedia is not commercial and not operated for the benefit of their members' commercial activities. Therefore, it seems to me that COPPA does not apply to wikimedia's projects. --[[User:Tinz|Tinz]] 12:23, 17 May 2010 (UTC)

== What is being collected? ==

I like your privacy policy, but I have two small issues:

"When a visitor requests or reads a page, or sends email to a Wikimedia server, no more information is collected '''than is typically collected by web sites'''."

That's not really informative, unfortunately. What is a typical website these days? And what do they (i.e. you) actually collect?

Also, I didn't see any mention of search history. What is your policy with that?
: I would say that only technical staff of the wikimedia foundation can answer these questions and I am not sure whether they read this page. All I can say is that the community, including trusted users in special roles like [[Checkuser|checkusers]] or [[Stewards|stewards]], have no access to this kind of information. --[[User:Tinz|Tinz]] 14:29, 27 September 2010 (UTC)
::(This is just my personal opinion, and may not reflect reality). The ''average'' apache webserver log entry looks like:
127.0.0.1 - - [12/Nov/2010:02:25:24 -0400] "GET /w/phase3/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&search=image%3AExample.jpg&go=Go HTTP/1.1" 200 146 "http://localhost/w/phase3/index.php/Main_Page" "Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.9.0.11) Gecko/2009061212 Iceweasel/3.0.6 (Debian-3.0.6-1)"
It contains the IP address, user name for HTTP authentication (mediawiki doesn't use HTTP authentication for accounts, so normally this is a - regardless of if you're logged in or not), date, the method (GET in 99% of the time), the url, HTTP protocol version (HTTP/1.1 99%) of the time, the HTTP status code (200 is the most common, meaning success. Other common codes are 404 for file not found, and 403 for forbidden), the number of bytes transferred (146 in my example), the referrer (the page where you came from to get to the page you are currently visiting), the user-agent (which web browser you're using. Usually also contains information on your operating system). This is just the "typical" example. Wikimedia servers could be configured differently (not to mention that a large portion of their logs would be squid logs not apache logs). [[User:Bawolff|Bawolff]] 22:18, 12 November 2010 (UTC)

== MediaWiki message ==

What is the MediaWiki message which should be used?

The current text suggests [[MediaWiki:Privacy]], which [http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=delete&user=&page=MediaWiki%3APrivacy&year=&month=-1&tagfilter= was deleted] as "no long required". Besides, the pages in other languages (e.g. French, Portuguese,...) suggests [[MediaWiki:Copyright]], which is also deleted in most projects (e.g. [[MediaWiki:Copyright|en.wiktionary]]) with the same reason. [[b:pt:User:Helder.wiki|Helder]] 12:50, 21 November 2010 (UTC)

== anon/general ==

Is the policy sufficiently comprehensive. These seem like important questions as 200x dates start to feel like the relatively distant past. Technology continues to advance and how can we create a global environment in which a meaningful conversation is possible. [[Special:Contributions/24.59.179.184|24.59.179.184]] 23:34, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

== Document structure and formatting ==

It seems to me that there is something wrong with the document structure and headings.
"Reading projects", "Editing projects", "Discussions" are level 5 headings under one paragraph "User contributions". I guess they should be promoted to the same level as "General expectations" (level 3), since this makes little sense otherwise. I am not sure what was the original format presented to the board, however. &nbsp;«&nbsp;<span style="font-family: monospace, courier; font-size:90%">[[User:Saper|Saper]]<span style="font-size: 70%">&nbsp;//&nbsp;</span>[[User talk:Saper|@talk]]</span>&nbsp;»&nbsp; 12:52, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

== PHPSESSID ==

PHPSESSID is not anormal cookie, but asession, i will ask to agnolege the user about this,.

== Editing: spelling notes ==

=== General scope ===


There's written there: «Consistent with its Data Retention Policy, the Foundation collects and retains the least amount of personally identifiable information needed to '''fulfill''' the Projects' operational needs.»

'''“''Fulfill''” is underlined red by my spell-checker.'''

'''LONGMAN Dictionary of English:'''
:„'''ful-fil''' /.../ ''v'' '''-ll-''' (also '''fulfill''' ''AmE'') ...“ ''(and so on)''.

:What standard of spelling are we to keep to?

[[User:Lincoln Josh|Lincoln Josh]] 13:14, 4 March 2011 (UTC)

== Request to include the ACC Tool user privileges (access to IP and email addresses) in the privacy policy ==

A majority of ACC Tool users[http://toolserver.org/~acc/statistics.php?page=Users] are not checkusers and have not been formally identified by the Foundation. They have critical access and knowledge about the ip addresses and email addresses of users requesting new accounts at the English Wikipedia. Can we, therefore, include references to the ACC Tool in the privacy policy? (''Note: We also have the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:ACC_tool_users%27_pledge Wikipedia:ACC tool users' pledge] that attempts to voluntarily encourage ACC Tool users to adhere to our privacy policy'').[[User:Wifione|♪ ♫ Wifione ♫ ♪]] 12:37, 23 March 2011 (UTC)

: hm, I'm not sure if I understand this ACC tool completely: These users see only the data of users who tried to create an account on the english Wikipedia, had problems (e.g. failed to decipher the captcha), and then applied for an account manually. They don't see the data of users who register the usual way, right? It surprises me that a team of ~100 users is needed for this task, maybe our captcha needs to be improved?
:But it seems to me that their role is somewhat comparable to the role of the OTRS volunteer response team, so did you think of mentioning ACC in the section on OTRS of the privacy policy? --[[User:Tinz|Tinz]] 17:48, 24 March 2011 (UTC)
::Hi Tinz. You are right. The ACC tool allows users to apply for an account when they're not able to decipher the captcha or when their name is perchance too similar to an existing name. The role of ACC tool users is somewhat similar to the OTRS volunteer response team, the difference being that the OTRS team is identified by the Foundation, while the ACC tool volunteers remain anonymous by choice. And yes, I wished to mention them in the OTRS section of the privacy policy. My intent is that any person reading our privacy policy gets informed that even on the ACC tool, the interface account handlers have access to ip addresses, email addresses of new account requesting users. Thanks.[[User:Wifione|♪ ♫ Wifione ♫ ♪]] 18:11, 24 March 2011 (UTC)

== Батбаатарын батням ==

Боржигин овогт Батбаатбрын Батням нь 1991,04,21 нд Монгол

== Browsing triggers publically logged account creation - violation of privacy policy ==

Please see the discussion at http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Wikisource:Scriptorium#User_talk:page_created_on_it.wikisource. Basically, when I visit a Mediawiki site for the first time, ''even if only to read a page'', the server detects that I have a globally unified account, and creates my account on that site, and this account creation is publicly logged. This would seem to be a straight-forward violation of the privacy policy as currently worded:
:"When a visitor requests or reads a page... no more information is collected than is typically collected by web sites. The Wikimedia Foundation may keep raw logs of such transactions, but '''these will not be published or used to track legitimate users'''." (my emphasis)
[[User talk:Hesperian|Hesperian]] 01:05, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

*When you first log in to Wikipedia make sure you uncheck the "Log me in globally" check box. That way you'll be logged only into the Wikipedia you log in to. If you leave the box checked you will create a new local account each time you visit a new wiki for the first time. Although each person gets a global account they also get local accounts at each wiki they join. Since you would have had "log me in globally" checked you created accounts every where you visited. The global account and local accounts are separate entities. Hope this helps. '''''<font color="#9966CC">[[User:Fr33kman|fr33k]]</font><font color="navy">[[:m:User talk:Fr33kman|man]]</font>''''' 02:54, 24 June 2011 (UTC)
:So does the information around global login explicitly explain that that this will happen? That is to say, that when you tick this box, that an account will be created on your first visit to a site and that account names are visible to all users; typically that you will be welcomed to the site. [[user:billinghurst|billinghurst]] ''<span style="font-size:90%;">[[user talk:billinghurst|sDrewth]]</span>'' 02:59, 24 June 2011 (UTC)
::I don't think it does. I'm not a mediawiki technical type. I suppose it's a interesting question, but wouldn't it be mostly moot since if a person has a user account they are a person likely to make an edit and hence divulge their username in any event. Still, I guess it is something for those that maintain it to answer. '''''<font color="#9966CC">[[User:Fr33kman|fr33k]]</font><font color="navy">[[:m:User talk:Fr33kman|man]]</font>''''' 03:07, 24 June 2011 (UTC)
:::In fact, in the name of transparency, there is an IRC channel where these "unifications" scroll by live whilst they are being made. '''''<font color="#9966CC">[[User:Fr33kman|fr33k]]</font><font color="navy">[[:m:User talk:Fr33kman|man]]</font>''''' 03:10, 24 June 2011 (UTC)
::::From the technical aspect, the centralauth extension automatically creates your account when you view a Wikimedia site for the first time. I would also not classify the extension's automatic actions as in violation of the privacy policy (from a practical standpoint, anyways), as the website is not collecting data from the viewer's computer, but from Wikimedia's servers, and the information that is collected is well within the "no more information is collected than is typically collected by web sites" clause. I won't get too much into that, though, as I am not a lawyer. The event is publicly logged, though it does not appear in the recent changes, and as fr33kman alluded to, the log is public for transparency. [[User:Ajraddatz|Ajraddatz]]<small> ([[User Talk:Ajraddatz|Talk]])</small> 03:49, 24 June 2011 (UTC)
:''I've emailed the general consul with a link to this thread.'' [[User:Mono|<span style="border:2px solid grey;background:black;padding:1px;color:gold;text-shadow:white 0.2em 0.2em 0.4em"><font face="Papyrus"><big>&nbsp;'''ℳ'''</big><font color="white">ono</font>&nbsp;</font></span>]] 05:32, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

:RESOLVED DUPLICATE / This bug has been marked as a duplicate of [[bugzilla:19161|bug 19161]].<!-- aren't I cute? --> '''[[User:Cbrown1023|<span style="color:green">Cbrown1023</span>]]''' '''<small>[[User talk:Cbrown1023|<span style="color:#002bb8">talk</span>]]</small>''' 15:47, 24 June 2011 (UTC)


I'm not really happy with the response I've received here. Fr33kman assumes that I don't understand global login, and if I did I wouldn't have a problem. Fr33kman, I've been around Wikimedia projects for nearly seven years, longer indeed than the GlobalAuth extension, I know perfectly well what it does, and I don't need you to teach my grandmother to suck eggs.

Cbrown1023 makes the legitimate and interesting point that this could be used to in an exploit that extracts further information that ought to be private. But I'm not talking about this as a vulnerability that might release further information. I'm talking about the information that has already been released. The privacy policy clearly states that ''When a visitor requests or reads a page... the Wikimedia Foundation may keep raw logs of such transactions, but '''these will not be published'''....'' Here we have a real-world non-hypothetical situation where a visitor has read a page, the fact that they did so has triggered an entry in a public log, so that they cannot deny that they have read a page on that site, and they are uncomfortable with this. Is that not a straight-forward violation of the privacy policy, already, non-withstanding any further information that might be released via an exploit?

[[User talk:Hesperian|Hesperian]] 02:34, 26 June 2011 (UTC)
:I'm sorry for being nice and trying to help, since that offends you. '''''<font color="#9966CC">[[User:Fr33kman|fr33k]]</font><font color="navy">[[:m:User talk:Fr33kman|man]]</font>''''' 04:18, 26 June 2011 (UTC)
::It didn't offend me that you were "being nice and trying to help". That's twice now you've been too eager to reply, to bother to try to understand what I actually said. [[User talk:Hesperian|Hesperian]] 13:22, 26 June 2011 (UTC)
:::I understand, and understood, what you were/are trying to say but since I don't know who you are I thought I'd tell you how to stop the auto creation log in case you were unaware. I can't really speak to the privacy policy since the board decided that, not the community. Perhaps asking [[User:Philippe (WMF)]] about it may help? '''''<font color="#9966CC">[[User:Fr33kman|fr33k]]</font><font color="navy">[[:m:User talk:Fr33kman|man]]</font>''''' 18:42, 26 June 2011 (UTC)
::::You're sending me elsewhere?? I'm pretty sure ''Talk:Privacy policy'' is the right forum for someone to raise concerns about a possible privacy policy violation. It might possibly be the wrong forum for someone who "can't really speak to the privacy policy" to nonetheless expound on unrelated matters. [[User talk:Hesperian|Hesperian]] 04:29, 27 June 2011 (UTC)
:::::While it doesn't bother me that my reading of various wikis has been logged, I can see how it could be a big problem to some people, and it looks to me like it still happens. [[User:WereSpielChequers|WereSpielChequers]] 23:11, 29 September 2011 (UTC)
==IRC==
The bit about IRC probably needs updating to reflect the fact that there are now official WMF office hours on IRC. [[User:WereSpielChequers|WereSpielChequers]] 12:53, 27 November 2011 (UTC)
==Watchlists and preferences==
There's quite a bit of "private" information that some users accumulate here, especially in things like their watchlists. Some of this information is then collected and used in an aggregated way, for example unwatched pages are available to trusted editors but we try not to release them to vandals. I think the Privacy policy should cover this - at present I think it insufficiently covers reality. [[User:WereSpielChequers|WereSpielChequers]] 13:06, 27 November 2011 (UTC)

==Meetups==
One area which has grown has been meetups, and these especially the residential ones do tend to require disclosure of real names. I would suggest that the Privacy policy should cover this [[User:WereSpielChequers|WereSpielChequers]] 13:06, 27 November 2011 (UTC)

==Identification to the office==
Certain tools such as Oversight and checkuser are only available to editors who have identified to the Office. I would suggest that this policy should cover that process and in the process disclose whether the identity information is held and if so how long for. [[User:WereSpielChequers|WereSpielChequers]] 13:14, 27 November 2011 (UTC)

== IP information stored.. how long? ==

Hi... Sorry if this should be placed elsewhere... The Privacy Policy states that, "When a page is edited by a logged-in editor, the server confidentially stores related IP information for a limited period of time. This information is automatically deleted after a set period. "
Can you tell me how long the "limited period of time" / "set period" is? Thanks! [[User:Wikipelli|Wikipelli]] ([[User talk:Wikipelli|talk]]) 15:41, 4 March 2012 (UTC)
:The previous privacy policy stated "the raw log data is not made public, and is normally discarded after about two weeks." Presumably, this is no longer the case? I am a bit unsure, but the new policy seems to say the following about IP address retention:
:* Editors who are not logged inn: IP addresses are retained indefinitely and published.
:* Readers: IP addresses may be retained indefinitely (in server logs) but not published.
:* Editors who are logged in: IP addresses are are retained for a limited but unspecified period of time, and not published.
:I find it a bit peculiar that readers have less privacy than (registered) editors. Besides, even Google hashes IP addresses after a specified period of time (and one would think Wikipedia searches is no less sensitive than Google searches). [[Special:Contributions/62.212.73.103|62.212.73.103]] 21:06, 6 April 2012 (UTC)
:Disclosing exactly how long the WMF keeps IP data on registered editors for would make it easier for sockpuppeteers to evade the checkusers, so there is a good reason for not being too public here. However I'm pretty sure that the wording needs amendment as I'm reasonably confident that data is kept for much longer when it involves certain longterm banned users. [[User:WereSpielChequers|WereSpielChequers]] ([[User talk:WereSpielChequers|talk]]) 20:54, 11 May 2012 (UTC)
*To the best of my knowledge, reader data is only kept for a couple of weeks. Data specific to logged-in editors is kept 3 months. Data specific to abusive editors may be retained for a longer period, and is linked to how long that person remains an abusive editor; it is not stored on the server logs, however. [[User:Risker|Risker]] ([[User talk:Risker|talk]]) 20:59, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

== Cookie expiry ==

"If one saves a user name or password in one's browser, that information will be saved for up to 30 days, and this information will be resent to the server on every visit to the same Project." This sentence is incorrect now that the expiry has been changed to 180 days as part of the MediaWiki 1.19 deployment. [[User:PleaseStand|''Please'''''Stand''']] ([[User talk:PleaseStand|talk]]) 21:42, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

==Privacy policy violation in si.wikipedia==
Please See [http://si.wikipedia.org/wiki/මාධ්‍යවිකි_සාකච්ඡාව:Common.js#Privacy_policy_violation this] discussion on sinhala language wikipedia. Our active user community is small. Please comment & advice. [[User:Singhalawap|Singhalawap]] ([[User talk:Singhalawap|talk]]) 15:56, 28 March 2012 (UTC)
:This has been taken care of by [[si:Special:Contributions/Reedy|Reedy]]. –''[[User:Krinkle|Krinkle]]''<sup>[[User talk:Krinkle|talk]]</sup> 19:58, 27 May 2012 (UTC)

== help me please ==

i have old account .. but now i forgot password ..
and my email . not received any message from " wiki ... " help me please >..
my old account is " w.halawani "

== IRC message ==

It should be noted that even on IRC channels that do not allow for logs to be published, that they occasionally are published, and that the WMF has neither the legal right nor the responsibility to chase after the people that have done so. [[User:This is also Sven Manguard|This is also Sven Manguard]] ([[User talk:This is also Sven Manguard|talk]]) 19:08, 26 June 2012 (UTC)

== Display different template depending on country? ==

Hi all -- I believe in the past, I've seen ads for the Wikipedia Ambassador Program on Wikimedia sites, specifically asking for Canadian reps. Based on that, I presume we have permission within the privacy policy to customize content based on location? -- [[User:Zanimum|Zanimum]] ([[User talk:Zanimum|talk]]) 15:23, 5 July 2012 (UTC)

==Cookies==
:''See also [wikitech-l] [http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.science.linguistics.wikipedia.technical/65913 Anonymous user id on Wikipedia?]

{{Block quote|The sites set a temporary session cookie on a visitor's computer whenever a Project page is visited. Readers who do not intend to log in or edit may deny this cookie; it will be deleted at the end of the browser's session. More cookies may be set when one logs in to maintain logged-in status. If one saves a user name or password in one's browser, that information will be saved for up to 30 days, and this information will be resent to the server on every visit to the same Project. Contributors using a public machine who do not wish to show their username to future users of the machine should clear these cookies after use.}}

This is confusing. There are two different things could be meant by this paragraph

# If you save your name and password in your browser it is saved until it is deleted
# When you log in you have a check box which will save your login for "up to 180 days"

30 days doesn't enter into it, though 180 days is wildly optimistic (I have had to log in thirce today alone).

''[[en:User:Rich Farmbrough|Rich ]] [[en:User talk:Rich Farmbrough| Farmbrough]]'' 01:35 9 November 2012 (GMT).

:Thanks, Rich. I've added a note explaining that the information is out of date. --[[User:Mdennis (WMF)|Maggie Dennis (WMF)]] ([[User talk:Mdennis (WMF)|talk]]) 20:22, 26 December 2012 (UTC)

== IP addresses associated with user feedback ==


:@[[User:Wimajo15|Wimajo15]]: Hello, the term of use and the privacy policy don't prevent children from editing Wikipedia. However, if you are a younger user, it is recommended reading [[:en:Wikipedia:Guidance_for_younger_editors|the Guidance for younger editors]] and [[:m:Staying safe on Wikimedia as a young person|the Staying safe on Wikimedia as a young person]] page before editing. Happy editing! [[User:SCP-2000|SCP-2000]] ([[User talk:SCP-2000|talk]]) 09:22, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
See [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Article_feedback#Complaint_at_Talk:Main_Page_about_IP_addresses_showing_up_in_Feedback_without_prior_warning]. If no changes are made to the feedback tool, the privacy policy should probably mention that your IP shows up publicly if you use the feedback tool while not logged in. [[Special:Contributions/209.131.76.183|209.131.76.183]] 13:09, 13 November 2012 (UTC)

Latest revision as of 20:22, 6 May 2024


Archives
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1

Red link

Latest comment: 3 months ago2 comments2 people in discussion

There is a red link in this section, please change it to correct link to Privacy policy, thanks. Ата (talk) 17:09, 14 January 2024 (UTC)Reply

@Ата: Thank you for pointing this out - I have gone ahead and fixed it. --Gregory Varnum (Wikimedia Foundation) [he/him] (talk) 20:39, 16 January 2024 (UTC)Reply

Interwiki to enwiki

Latest comment: 3 months ago4 comments3 people in discussion

Policy:Privacy policy/Frequently asked questions has an interwiki link to w:en:Wikipedia:Username_policy, which is strange. Is it intended? Ата (talk) 17:11, 14 January 2024 (UTC)Reply

@Ата, can you elaborate on what you find odd? The linking to that specific page, the formatting of the link, or something else? Thank you! --Gregory Varnum (Wikimedia Foundation) [he/him] (talk) 20:40, 16 January 2024 (UTC)Reply
I find it weird that 1 language button on top of the page links to that specific page. Privacy policy FAQs ≠ enwiki username policy. Ата (talk) 15:29, 18 January 2024 (UTC)Reply
Fixed! It was a mis-ordered link. Thanks! Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 02:37, 19 January 2024 (UTC)Reply

Discusssion at en WP

Latest comment: 2 months ago1 comment1 person in discussion

There is a privacy related discussion on en.wiki; you can read the discussion and give advice here. Cremastra (talk) 13:11, 29 February 2024 (UTC)Reply

ru link

Latest comment: 7 days ago2 comments2 people in discussion

Please make Политика конфиденциальности a redirect to Policy:Privacy policy/ru. colt_browning (talk) 13:11, 23 April 2024 (UTC)Reply

@Colt browning: That has been fixed. However, if that link is actively used anywhere - please let me know and we may be able to update its usage. Thank you! --Gregory Varnum (Wikimedia Foundation) [he/him] (talk) 20:22, 6 May 2024 (UTC)Reply

COPPA

Latest comment: 17 days ago2 comments2 people in discussion

Hello. Can people under 13 edit Wikipedia? Wimajo15 (talk) 08:17, 26 April 2024 (UTC)Reply

@Wimajo15: Hello, the term of use and the privacy policy don't prevent children from editing Wikipedia. However, if you are a younger user, it is recommended reading the Guidance for younger editors and the Staying safe on Wikimedia as a young person page before editing. Happy editing! SCP-2000 (talk) 09:22, 26 April 2024 (UTC)Reply
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