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.

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.

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.

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)

Misconduct Cases Currently Under Consideration

Nubis

This edit.

The page was protected due to an edit war issue between two groups of users. Nubis made the aforementioned edit whilst the page was still protected. The edit was not made as part of sysop duties, it was to insert an (incorrect) opinion into the page. This allowed other users no right to reply in the same space.

Nubis therefore used his sysop abilities for a personal edit. The correct conduct would have been to place the comment on the talk page along with other users. He did not, and therefore exploited his abilities as a trusted user for his own convenience and to attempt to force the perception that his opinion was correct. This must be ruled misconduct.

Request appropriate warning. -- . . <== DDR Approved Editor 10:38, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

I'm a sysop editing an admin page. I'm not the one that locked the page. I wasn't involved in the edit war/VB storm. Are trying to say that sysops can't post their opinions on admin pages? So, if I locked A/M and some other sysop posted on it to warn me that would be misconduct? Come on.--– Nubis ^NWO 12:02, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

I think he is trying to say that, you shouldn't be allowed to post your personal opinion on a locked page, where regular users could not post their personal opinions. Like, the page is blocked because it is in an edit war and the intention is to preserve it in its current state. Also there was similar posts happening on the discussion page, yet you posted on the main page instead, just because you can. You should have posted where everyone else was, coz being a Sysop doesn't mean your personal opinion on this is any more valid than the next users, but I don't think that it is misconduct?--CyberRead240 12:28, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

So, furthering his own agenda by using sysop abilities is not misconduct? --Midianian^|T|DS|C:RCS| 12:39, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Well I would normally say yes, but precedent or policy hasn't really been upheld in the past few days. Btw, it was a quizzical ? not a self-righteous one :P.--CyberRead240 12:48, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

to which somebody could aptly respond to once the page was unlocked.... these misconduct cases are starting to get silly.--THE Godfather of Яesensitized, Anime Sucks ^{Yalk | W! U! WMM| CC CPFOAS LOE ZHU | Яezzens} 12:51, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Yes I don't know if it is misconduct, I don't care if it is, I was just clarifying what Iscariot meant because Nubis didn't seem to get it. He could have posted on the talk page like everyone else though...--CyberRead240 12:52, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Also, was the page marked that it was protected? Cuz if I remember right, protected pages dont show as protected for those who can edit any page.--THE Godfather of Яesensitized, Anime Sucks ^{Yalk | W! U! WMM| CC CPFOAS LOE ZHU | Яezzens} 12:57, 27 October 2008 (UTC)