diff --git a/memos/memo-vandalism b/memos/memo-vandalism new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..57e4f3ad750f4891e60b31764ebff2869d935f0c --- /dev/null +++ b/memos/memo-vandalism @@ -0,0 +1,42 @@ +# Filters targetting vandalism + +The vast majority of edit filters on EN Wikipedia could be said to target (different forms of) vandalism. +Examples herefor are filters for *juvenile* types of vandalism (inserting swear or obscene words or nonsence sequences of characters into articles), for *hoaxing* or for *link spam*. +In principle, one can open quite a few subcategories here (also check https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Vandalism for a "in-house" classification of vandalism types on Wikipedia). +Some vandalism types seem to be more severe than others (*sock puppetry* or persistant *long term* vandals). +For these, often times, the implemented filters are **private**. +This means, only edit filter editors can view the exact filter pattern or the comments of these. +Although this clashes with the overall *transparency* of the project (is there a guideline subscribing to this value?), the reasoning here is that otherwise, persistent vandals will be able to check for the pattern of the filter targetting their edits and just find a new way around it. +There are also private filters targetting personal attack or abuse cases. +Here, filters are private in order to protect affected person(s). + +According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Vandalism following (mostly disruptive) behaviours are **not vandalism**: +- boldly editing +- copyright violation +- disruptive editing or stubbornness --> edit warring +- edit summary omission +- editing tests by experimenting users: "Such edits, while prohibited, are treated differently from vandalism" +- harassment or personal attacks: "Personal attacks and harassment are not allowed. While some harassment is also vandalism, such as user page vandalism, or inserting a personal attack into an article, harassment in itself is not vandalism and should be handled differently." +- Incorrect wiki markup and style +- lack of understanding of the purpose of wikipedia: "editing it as if it were a different medium—such as a forum or blog—in a way that it appears as unproductive editing or borderline vandalism to experienced users." +- misinformation, accidental +- NPOV contraventions (Neutral point of view) +- nonsense, accidental: "sometimes honest editors may not have expressed themselves correctly (e.g. there may be an error in the syntax, particularly for Wikipedians who use English as a second language)." +- Policy and guideline pages, good-faith changes to: "If people misjudge consensus, it would not be considered vandalism;" +- Reversion or removal of unencyclopedic material, or of edits covered under the biographies of living persons policy: "Even factually correct material may not belong on Wikipedia, and removing such content when it is not in line with Wikipedia's standards is not vandalism." +- Deletion nominations: "Good-faith nominations of articles (or templates, non-article pages, etc) are not vandalism." + +Several of these behaviours could actually be conceived as **good faith** edits. +And, for several of them (as noted in the **good faith memo**), it is not immediately distinguishable whether it's a **good faith** or a **vandalism** edit. +Ultimately, the "only" difference between the two arises from the motivation/context of the edit. + + +## Properties/Characteristics + +- maliciously intended disruptive editing + +motivations: +- seeking attention +- misusing the encyclopedia for own purposes (self-promotion, seo..) +- spreading wrong information +- defacing topics