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Grants:Project/Rapid/SQL/IPCheck

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SQL/IPCheck
IPCheck is a tool that utilizes outside API's in order to help detemine if a given IP is a webhost, proxy, or VPN. We are nearing the free limit for the provider with the lowest free limit, IPQualityScore.
targetAll
start dateAugust 1
end dateAugust 1
budget (USD)600
grant typeIndividual
grantee• SQL
contact(s)• sqlatenwiki(_AT_)gmail.com


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Project Goal

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Briefly explain what are you trying to accomplish with this project, or what do you expect will change as a result of this grant. Example goals include, "recruit new editors", "add high quality content", or "train existing editors on a specific skill".

IPCheck is a tool used across wikimedia projects to provide information that helps determine if an IP is an open proxy, VPN, Webhost, or colocation service. It does so by querying several API sources, both free and non-free. Open proxies are not permitted per m:NOP globally, as well as per many local project policies.

Project Plan

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Activities

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Tell us how you'll carry out your project. What will you and other organizers spend your time doing?

The project is already in place, and source code is available.

How will you let others in your community know about your project (please provide links to where relevant communities have been notified of your proposal, and to any other relevant community discussions)? Why are you targeting a specific audience?

My community is very aware of IPCheck. It's used in our checkuser templates on enwiki, the account creation project uses it, and I am aware of users from other language wikis that use it. Wikimedia Commons uses it in their IP contributions template (Proxy Checker).

What will you have done at the end of your project? How will you follow-up with people that are involved with your project?

I will have continued to help projects across wikimedia limit disruption from open proxies.

Impact

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How will you know if the project is successful and you've met your goals? Please include the following targets and feel free to add more specific to your project:

Number of distinct users: Currently 176. Goal: 300
Queries per month: Currently: 3662. Goal: 7500

Resources

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What resources do you have? Include information on who is the organizing the project, what they will do, and if you will receive support from anywhere else (in-kind donations or additional funding).

The project is currently hosted on WMCS / Tool Labs. I have run the project for over a year, MusikAnimal has helped me with code, and opinions on design.
Teoh.io has generously donated me an API key for 5000 queries per day.

What resources do you need? For your funding request, list bullet points for each expense:

  • IPQualityScore API access, see [1]. Last month, we used 3662 queries, and this month - 3 days in, we have already used 461 queries, which means that this month we will likely end at around 4610 queries. Following this trend, next month, we will probably run out of queries (we get 5000/mo), and we will not be able to use this datasource for the full month. The next plan up is $50/mo for 50,000 queries.

Endorsements

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  • Used extensively by CheckUsers and sysops on multiple Wikimedia projects. One of the most useful volunteer developed tools we have. TonyBallioni (talk) 04:29, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
  • Per TonyBallioni. This would be a valued contribution and, as framed, the proposal seems like an effective use of grant funding. AGK ■ 04:35, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
  • Ascertaining if an IP is a proxy is challenging, tedious work for most admins. It shouldn't be this hard. This is why IPCheck was created, and from personal experience and the feedback from others, it's clear it has been of invaluable help. I support funding this effort. To me $600 doesn't seem like that much, and as you can see the money is directly going to IPQualityScore ($600 / year), as opposed to development of a tool that may or may not actually pan out. IPCheck has already proven itself, and development remains a purely volunteer effort thanks to the hard work of User:SQL. If we end up with ample excess quota, we could make use of it through bots or research in order to get our money's worth.

    As an alternative, it may be worthwhile for the Foundation to contact IPQualityScore about getting free quota, given it is for protecting our non-profit wikis. Attempts were made from a volunteer capacity but they did not pan out. Perhaps a more official request would be successful, and then we wouldn't need any funding :) — MusikAnimal talk 04:36, 4 July 2019 (UTC)

  • This tool is immensely helpful in helping us protect our communities from long term abuse through open proxies. Though I'd really prefer if the Foundation directly supports and funds this kind of infrastructure, the least we can do is fund the actual costs of running it. Best, Kevin (aka L235 · t · c · enwiki) 05:10, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
  • This project is exactly the type of thing that the grants system was created to help. Great job by the nominator. Killiondude (talk) 05:22, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
  • I think this is a relatively cost effective tool that is being utilized more and more. The use of VPNs are becoming increasingly popular not only by legitimate users but also by those seeking to disrupt the projects. My feeling is that this trend will only continue to increase steadily. Mkdw (talk) 05:30, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
  • I would encourage the foundation to invest in this tool and more like it. CheckUsers are often called upon to help with harassment and vandalism from long-term abusers, and proxies are one way that these users keep coming back. NinjaRobotPirate (talk) 06:29, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
  • A very helpful tool I use about daily when sweeping off IP generated spam on the Commons. --Achim (talk) 07:54, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
  • Excellent tool, deserves grant support. Katietalk 08:05, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
  • Please approve funding for this proposal as this is a very useful tool used on a daily basis.
    ⋙–Berean–Hunter—► ((⊕)) 09:35, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
  • Strong support for this proposal. This tool is especially useful on fiwiki, since you can get into legal trouble for port scanning in Finland ([2], [3], [4], [5] & [6] (page 11)), so that is not a sensible option to use here. –Ejs-80 10:32, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
  • Extremely useful tool, helping on CheckUser checks, and on vandal fighting. —Thanks for the fish! talk•contribs 11:13, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
  • Useful tool --Alaa :)..! 11:29, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
  • Yes please. Very valuable tool for wiki administrators and functionaries, used extensively. —MarcoAurelio (talk) 11:30, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
  • This has quickly become an indispensable tool, so this small amount of funding should be approved to help keep it operational. —DoRD talk 11:34, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
  • I strongly support this proposal. Due to the special circumstances of the Internet in Iran (extensive censorship), the importance of this tool is twofold for my home wiki (fawiki). First, many Internet users use VPN/proxy services to bypass the censorship of the Internet, which is in turn causing problems for checkusers in fawiki. Making sure that these proxies are blocked from editing is very important. Second, most of the IP analysis tools are blocked here, but can be accessed through this API. Furthermore, we have recently started an automated tool with around 50 queries/day to spot open proxies, which relies on this tool. Supporting IPCheck API would be immensely helpful in mitigating the open proxy problem in fawiki that we currently face. Mensis Mirabilis (talk) 12:39, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
  • Helpful to fight against vandals, because there is no way to refrain open proxies from editing. Stryn (talk) 13:09, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
  • Extremely useful tool for both my Checkuser hat and for enwiki's ACC process. stwalkerster (talk) 13:14, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
  • A very useful tool, one that is worth investing in to support Wikimedia policy on No open proxies. Malcolmxl5 (talk) 18:02, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
  • A tool that's very useful for CheckUsers around the wikis. Thank you, --Martin Urbanec (talk) 20:05, 4 July 2019 (UTC)
  • Support Support this very useful tool with a clear use for the funding. Ideally we should provide resources for hosting such infrastructure on WMF servers. --Green Giant (talk) 19:27, 5 July 2019 (UTC)
  • Support Support This tool is very useful and SQL and MusikAnimal have recently improved it even futher. Mensis Mirabilis has summarized why the rapid grant is absolutely justified. I echo his thoughts and strongly endorse this proposal. Huji (talk) 20:22, 5 July 2019 (UTC)
  • usefull tool for spam/vandalism fighting Akoopal (talk) 15:31, 7 July 2019 (UTC)
  • Support Support. Disruptive editing through proxies is an increasing problem, and this tool is indispensable for our efforts to control the situation. Favonian (talk) 21:53, 7 July 2019 (UTC)
  • Support Support I use this tool several times a day to block open proxies found via c:Commons:Open proxy detection. 4nn1l2 (talk) 22:52, 9 July 2019 (UTC)
  • Support Support This is essential for ACC but also frequently for dealing with xwiki spam and abuse. I use this tool almost as much as GUC and COIBot. Praxidicae (talk) 13:44, 10 July 2019 (UTC)
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