UDWiki:Administration/Misconduct

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This page is for the reporting of administrator (sysop) misconduct within the Urban Dead wiki. Sysops are trusted with a considerable number of powers, many of which have the capacity to be abused. In many circumstances, it is possible for a sysop to cause considerable havoc. As such, users are provided this page to report misconduct from the System Operators. For consistency and accountability, sysops also adhere to the guidelines listed here.

Contents 1 Guidelines for System Operator Misconduct Reporting 2 Administrative Abilities 3 Example of Misconduct Proceedings 4 Misconduct Cases Currently Under Consideration 4.1 The Grimch

[edit] Guidelines for System Operator Misconduct Reporting

The charge of Administrative Misconduct is a grave charge indeed. If misconduct occurs, it is important that the rest of the sysop team be able to review the charges as necessary. Any charge of administrative misconduct must be backed up with evidence. The clearest evidence that can be provided for administrative misconduct is a clear discrepancy between the relevant action log (deletion, block, or protection log) and the archives of the relevant administration service page, and this is a minimum standard of evidence admitted in such a tribunal.

Misconduct is primarily related to specific Administrator Services, not standards of behavior. As such, situations including verbal attacks by sysops, while frowned upon, do not constitute misconduct. Sysops on a wiki are in theory supposed to have no more authority than a regular user - they merely have a greater scope of power. Personality conflicts between sysops and regular users should be treated just as a personality conflict between two regular users. If, in the course of such a conflict, a sysop abuses their administrative powers by banning a user, blocking or deleting a page without due process, that is misconduct, and should be reported to this page.

There is, however, an exception to this rule - excessive bullying, or attempts to treat the status of sysop as a badge of authority to force a sysop's wishes on the wiki may also come under misconduct. Any accusations of this should come with just as clear evidence, and for such an action to be declared misconduct, there should be a clear pattern of behavior across a considerable period of time.

All discussion of misconduct should occur on this page, not the talk page - any discussion on the talk page will be merged into this page once discovered. Once a misconduct case has been declared closed, a member of the sysop team will mete out the punishment (if deemed necessary), and then move the case to the Archive.

[edit] Administrative Abilities

For future reference, the following are sysop specific abilities (ie things that sysops can do that regular users cannot):

• Deletion (ie complete removal, as opposed to blanking) of pages (including Images and any other page-like construct on this wiki), through the delete tab on the top of any deletable construct.
• Undeletion (ie returning a page, complete with page history) of pages (including any other page-like construct on this wiki (Images are not included as deletion of an image is not undoable), through the undelete tab on the top of any undeletable construct
• Protection of pages (ie removing the ability of regular users to edit or move a particular page), through the protect tab on the top of any protectable construct.
• Moving of pages (ie changing a page complete with the page's history to a different namespace).
• Warning users reported in Vandal Banning.
• Banning of Users (ie removing the ability of a specific user to edit the wiki), through the Block User page.
• Editing of Protected pages by any means.
• Research IP activity using the CheckUser extension.
• (Bureaucrats Only) Promotion (providing the above abilities) of User to Sysop/Bureaucrat status.

If none of the above abilities were abused and the case doesn't apply for the exception mentioned above, then this is a case for UDWiki:Administration/Arbitration or UDWiki:Administration/Vandal Banning.

[edit] Example of Misconduct Proceedings

Sysop seems to have deleted Bad Page, but I can't find it in the Archives of either the Deletion or Speedy Deletion pages. The Logs show a deletion at 18:06, October 24th 2005 by a System Operator, but this does not seem to be backed up by a request for that deletion. I would like to know why this is the case -- Reporter 13:42, 28 Oct 2005 (BST)

The deletion was asked through my talk page. I give my Talk page as proof of this. -- Sysop 13:42, 28 Oct 2005 (BST)

You know the rules, Sysop. All deletion requests have to go through the Speedy Delete page. Next time, please inform the user where they should lodge the request. This is a clear violation, will you accept a one-day ban as punishment? -- Sysop2 13:42, 28 Oct 2005 (BST)

I'm not liking it, but I clearly broke the rules, I'll accept the ban. I'll certainly remember due process next time... Sysop 13:42, 28 Oct 2005 (BST)

As punishment for failing to follow due process, Sysop has been banned for a period of 24 hours. This will be moved to the Archive shortly. -- Sysop2 13:42, 28 Oct 2005 (BST)

[edit] Misconduct Cases Currently Under Consideration

[edit] The Grimch

(Old header: Survivors of Newtown. Duplicate of what he posted on A/PT, -The Grimch)

The discussion section of this page is getting flamed by one of your sysops. I have asked The Grimch to stop cursing and making a mockery of the page but he persists. He also will not stop reverting the edits I make to his langauge (I bleep it out with *'s) and has threatened that he will supposedly report me for vandalism. His actions are not very admin-like and I find his behaviour repulsive. The page is recieving an incredible number of hits (before it was moved it was at 1030, then in it's new location it is up to 300+) and that was in only 5 days of being active. I will be leaving the wiki soon as well as this game because the Survivors of Newtown were my one last attempt at making this game fun. We had a large group of players supporting us and it was turning out to be a cool survival group. Mr. Grimch thinks he can bully others around because of his status on this wiki, which is not something to be proud of. He is under the misguided impression that we are cheating (I disagreed but stated that the group would stop such actions), and so he has gone on a crusade to destroy our discussion page with slander. I hope that he receives some kind of repremand, though I won't really be present to see what happens anyway. Thank you, for some of your admins are respectable and fair in dealing with people new to the site. --Lostcauseman 20:14, 18 July 2008 (BST)

Helpfully retitled to fit required format (Old header noted). Will defend myself later, if thats even needed given how patently absurd this case is. --The Grimch ^{U! E!} 20:39, 18 July 2008 (BST)

Except for the fact that you WERE vandalizing a page, justifying it with your absurd anger at our group. Your opinions are wonderful, but defying the respectfull requests time and again to stop cursing on a user's page is not excusable. You'll get away with it obviously because you have so many times. But after a stack of these maybe the wiki will change. Your defense is that I did something wrong, no NO you DEEMED something I did wrong, so the rules don't apply to you. Thanks for ruining our site. GERK.--Lostcauseman 21:21, 18 July 2008 (BST)

As far as I know foul language is not an offence that will give any results in a case brought up in misconduct or vandal banning. He hasn't thus far misused any of the powers granted to him as a sysop. And editing his submissions on the talk page, and him reverting, sounds more like an arbitration case to me. - User:Whitehouse 21:25, 18 July 2008 (BST)

Case restored. Even cases with no basis in reality must stay until ruled on, and then moved to the archive. I refer you to the first case in my misconduct archive Nubis, where Amazing made a similiar case, as well as the cases by Krazy Monkey and Jon Pyre. --The Grimch ^{U! E!} 05:28, 19 July 2008 (BST)

It's Not Misconduct, and while I don't like that aspect of the community Kevan has made it necessary as the only way to prevent what he has deemed violation of the game's rules, he's certainly not the first person to give people a hard time about violating what is seen as trust put into the players and he certainly won't be the last. That being said you do have other options, the one that will probably save you the most time is to simply stop responding to it.--Karek^maps?! 05:59, 19 July 2008 (BST)

Not Misconduct Abusive?...Yes. Inappropriate?.... yes. Self-important aggrandizement?... yes. Unprofessional?... yes. Misconduct as defined by the current rules, Guidelines, and historical trends... Most assuredly not. Conndraka^{mod TTBA CFT} 09:55, 19 July 2008 (BST)

I do not see how the third and fourth apply, since at no point did i mention my status as a system operator. he found that out on his own. You're just jealous i beat you to the punch ;) --The Grimch ^{U! E!} 10:13, 19 July 2008 (BST)