[Accounts-enwiki-l] [ACC Rules - Important] How to handle regular, school, Checkuser, tor, webhost, and proxy blocks

[DeltaQuad Wikipedia]

Hi team,

There seems to be a lot of confusion as to how to handle blocks at the
moment, and I want to go ahead and clarify things.

*Most important, we do update the guide occasionally, which means you need
to be watching for changes (try watchlisting it).* I would ideally love to
write an email outlining each change as it happens...but i'm facing the
reality that it's not possible, especially in time like this where I don't
have internet access at home right now.

Regular blocks: Just because one tool says that an IP is static, *does not
mean it is a static IP*. I'm thinking specifically of whatismyipaddress.com.
It is /not/ reliable for how static a network is or if a proxy exists on
it. It can only offer hints. If you have *a request that you are going to
decline (or drop) due to a block*, you need:
1) To be 100% undoubtedly sure that you are correct that this is the /only/
person on the IP. If it's a rangeblock, this condition does not qualify.
2) Prior direct and clear CU approval or a comment that gives you that
discretion. (I will allow tool admins that know what they are doing to
approve or decline such requests as long as they aren't socking related)
This approval *is required to be documented on the tool*.
*If you do not have either of those*, then you defer it to CU, even if it's
already been there. We had a situation the other day where a shared IP was
treated as one user, and two requests got dropped because of the use of
whatismyipaddress.com and the thought that static == not shared IP.

CheckUser blocks: Always defer to checkuser and wait for direction. This
has to be the clearest and longest standing rule on the tool (well maybe
not the longest, but everyone should know it by now).

School blocks: *The guide was updated on 8 April 2013 to read the following:
*

> IP *or* IP ranges belonging to schools can be ignored *only if it is for
> vandalism, an {{anonblock<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Anonblock>}},
> or {{schoolblock <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Schoolblock>}}
> and the block is older than 2 weeks* as it's likely they are collateral
> damage or CU is unable to tell and AGF<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:AGF>would apply. Otherwise defer 
to checkusers.


Tor blocks: Defer to checkuser unless you can verify for yourself that it
is a tor node. A checkuser or tool admin with the proper knowledge will
then clear it up for you. If it is a verified as a tor node and no other
instructions are given, then *custom close it without creating it*.

Webhost blocks:  Defer to checkuser unless you can verify for yourself that
it is a webhost (please note the colocation webhost stuff below). A
checkuser or tool admin with the proper knowledge will then clear it up for
you. If it is a verified as a webhost and no other instructions are given,
then *custom close it without creating it*.

Colocation webhost blocks: Defer to checkuser unless you can verify for
yourself that it is not hosting a website. A checkuser or tool admin with
the proper knowledge will then clear it up for you. CUs will give you the
result and tell you how to close it. It will have one of two outcomes:
There is a website - and therefore is treated as a webhost and declined, or
it can't be verified - in which AGF create applies.

Proxy block: Defer to checkuser unless you can verify for yourself that it
is an open proxy. A checkuser or tool admin with the proper knowledge will
then clear it up for you. They will give you direction or give you
discretion on this.

If you decided to "verify for yourself" as i've noted above, you take on
the full responsibility of any action that you take because of that
evaluation. If you are ever asked by a CU or tool admin not to make such
decisions, then don't and defer it. Admins/CUs, please let other admins
know at enwiki-acc-admins at googlegroups.com that you have asked a person to
stop so that we can enforce this.

Simon, if you can add this to the privacy email page on TS below it in the
mailman format and append the site notice as necessary, that would be
great. I'm unable to do this at this time. If another tool admin wishes to
update the guide per this email, please feel free, i'll review it...when I
get a chance (which might not be for at least a week).

Thanks guys, I enjoy working with you, and hope you are all doing well.

DeltaQuad
English Wikipedia Administrator and Checkuser