Free Software Directory:Administrative dispute resolution

On user moderation

• Moderation actions made by operators and administrators are to be assumed in good faith, unless there is concrete evidence to prove otherwise;
• IRC channel moderation is a topic for FSF staff so users and administrators must contact them in private if there is a serious issue (repeated trolling, insults, distribution of illegal material and so on);
• Administrators may use Template:AdministrativeNotification for peacekeeping before taking counter-measures on Free Software Directory user accounts;
• Administrators and staff members may concord to contact users in private (ie. IRC query or via email) for peacekeeping and assistance, keeping a private log of the communications for future reference.

Spotting vandals and internet trolls

It can sometimes be difficult to distinguish legitimate accounts from those created for vandalism. This is a list of suggestions for identifying temporary accounts or accounts not well associated with a real person.

• The following are hints of legitimate IRC accounts, in ascending order of importance:
  • The output of /WHOIS nickname says the user is using a secure connection;
  • The output of /WHOIS nickname does not show the ~ before the nickname, means the user was authenticated using ident and thus the IRC connection is approved by the network administrator;
  • The output of /WHOIS nickname does not show an IP address, means the user account received a virtual cloak from the server staff (and was checked by an IRC operator);
  • The output of /msg NickServ INFO nickname shows the user is registered from at least 8 weeks and uses similar nicknames;
  • The user confirms the reception of an email sent using /msg MemoServ SEND nickname emailtext;
  • The user owns an account with exactly the same nickname (wiki/User:Nickname) on the Free Software Directory.
• The following are hints of legitimate Free Software Directory accounts:
  • The user has an User Page (wiki/User:Nickname) with plausible content;
  • The user has a valid email address configured and allows email contacts from other users and admins;
  • The user does not use macros, bots and automated systems to create or alter pages without permission;
  • The user does not create many pages in a short timespan (ie. 10 pages in an hour can be considered unnatural);
  • The User Page lists a valid PGP fingerprint or a valid certificate;
  • The User Page lists a paid domain name clearly owned by the user.
• Users who often start flames, go off-topic on purpose after admins asked to stop, are voluntarily offensive, voluntarily lack respect towards the staff or repeatedly harass other users are the ideal subjects of moderation.

This list is not exhaustive and administrators are encouraged to enrich it.

External resources

More information on:

• Flames
• Sockpuppets
• Internet trolls
• Cyberharassment