Grants:IdeaLab/Blocking and IP bans

Idealab

Blocking and IP bans

If someone feels they are being harassed, they should have the right to block a user, who should have the right to know why they are being blocked, but if they are serious about harrassment and continue to make new accounts in order to harass that person, then they should be IP banned for a period of time

idea creator• Cursed Phoenix

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created on08:30, 3 June 2016 (UTC)

Project idea

What is the problem you're trying to solve?

I see that there are three types of harrassers:

Those responding to something they feel is unjust and have crossed a line but probably won't do it again. Those who have a personal grudge, and will target a person, or select people. Those who just want to be a troll and harrass anyone, simply for the sake of harrassing people.

And I feel that these three types of harrassers need to be treated differently as they have different reasons and agendas

What is your solution?

To start with a simple user to user block, which would not allow communication. The user who was blocked will have to be informed by the user who blocked them why they were blocked, and staff will be able to view this to ensure that the block is not unjust or harrassment in itself.

If it appears to be a misunderstanding, then the user who blocked the other user will be able to unblock them.

Secondly, if that user who was blocked just makes a second account to harrass that same person, then they should be IP banned for a minimum of three days, but that can be extended depending on severity.

Potential problems: users using the blocking system as harrassment, but this is why staff should have the right to see every user that is blocked, and the reason for them being blocked

Goals

The ultimate goal is to of course put an end to harrassment, but i'm a realist, so it needs to be a vast reduction in harrassment cases, and preventing it happening in the future, as the opportunity to harrass will still exist, for that is the nature of wikipedia

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About the idea creator

I am relatively new to Wikipedia and am yet to see any harrassment here, however I have been a part of some large sites before which have tried to deal with harrassment, to varying degrees of success.

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