Wikipedia:Pending changes/Request for Comment 2012

Pending changes/Request for Comment 2012

Background information

WP:PCRFCWP:PCRFC

Pending changes
Interface: Pages with pending edits · Pages under pending changes · Pending changes log ·
Documentation: Main talk · Reviewing guideline · Reviewing talk · Protection policy · Testing · Statistics

2010 Trial and 2012 Implementation

Historical: Trial proposal · Specifics · Reviewing guideline · Metrics · Terminology · Queue · Feedback · Closure · 2012 Implementation
Discussions:

Summary information for editors

Current status - Pending changes (level 1) was re-enabled on December 1st, 2012 by community consensus according to the 2012 RFC.
Logged in users – Logged in users (or users choosing to view pending changes) will see all edits as usual (unless the relevant setting has been changed in their preferences). All edits will still be added to the wiki and inappropriate edits must still be reverted or fixed as usual.
Logged out users – Until checked for obvious vandalism or superseded by appropriate editing, edits by new and unregistered users to "pending changes protected" pages will not be seen by users who are not logged in until approved. Edits by autoconfirmed users are approved automatically at level 1 when the prior revision is approved.
Policy – See the pending changes usage policy and the guideline on reviewing
Reviewer rights – Become a reviewer!.
Support and testing – Test page: Wikipedia:Pending changes/Testing. Bugs: Report them at WT:PC. For more information visit the IRC channel: #wikipedia-en-pc ^connect
Provide feedback and suggestion – Feedback page: Wikipedia talk:Pending changes. Your feedback and suggestions are appreciated.

Protection levels and their impact on various Wikipedia user groups^[α]
F	Protection level	New or unregistered editors	Confirmed	Extended confirmed	Template editor^[β]	Admin	Interface admin^[γ]	Appropriate for...
Editing	None	Normal editing						The vast majority of pages.^[δ]
	Pending changes	Can edit Changes are only visible to logged-in users until reviewed by a pending changes reviewer or administrator.^[ε]	Can edit Changes are visible to everyone if there aren't any unreviewed pending changes. Otherwise, they are only visible to logged-in users until reviewed by a pending changes reviewer or administrator.^[ε]			Can edit If there are any unreviewed pending changes, the administrators will be required to review them before they can edit the page.^[ε]		Infrequently edited pages with high levels of vandalism, BLP violations, edit-warring, or other disruption from unregistered and new users.
	Semi	Cannot edit	Normal editing					Pages that have been persistently vandalized by anonymous and newly registered users. Some highly visible templates and modules.
	Extended confirmed	Cannot edit		Normal editing				Contentious topics authorized by ArbCom, pages where semi-protection has failed, or high-risk templates where template protection would be too restrictive.
	Template	Cannot edit			Normal editing			High-risk or very-frequently used templates and modules. Some high-risk pages outside of template space.
	Full	Cannot edit				Can edit^[ζ]		Pages with persistent disruption from extended confirmed accounts.
	Office	Cannot edit				Can edit^[η]		Pages that the Foundation has determined to be exceptionally sensitive.
	Cascade^[θ]	Cannot edit				Can edit		Particularly visible pages, such as the Main Page, to prevent vandalism to pages that are transcluded onto them.
	Interface^[ι]	Cannot edit					Normal editing	Scripts, stylesheets, and similar objects fundamental to operation of the site or that are in other editors' user spaces.
Creating pages	None	Cannot create^[κ]^[λ]	Can create					The vast majority of page titles.^[δ]
Creating pages	Create	Cannot create^[λ]		Adjustable Protection may be applied to neither, either, or both groups.		Can create		Pages that have been repeatedly and problematically re-created. This form of protection is often called "salting".
Moving pages	None	Cannot move	Can move					The vast majority of pages.^[δ]
Moving pages	Move	Cannot move		Adjustable Protection may be applied to neither, either, or both groups.		Can move		Pages that have been the subject of move wars. Pages that are edit-protected are usually also move-protected at the same level.
Uploading files	None	Cannot upload	Can upload					The vast majority of file names.^[δ]
Uploading files	Upload	Cannot upload		Adjustable Protection may be applied to neither, either, or both groups		Can upload		Files that have been repeatedly uploaded after deletion
Notes: ^ Details about historical protection levels and user groups no longer in use are available at Wikipedia:Protection policy § Retired protections. ^ This table assumes that template editors are also extended confirmed, which is almost always the case for non-bot accounts. ^ This table assumes that an interface administrator is also a "regular" administrator, which is almost always the case in practice. ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d This is the default protection level. ^ ^a ^b ^c However, if any editors (including unregistered editors) revert all unreviewed pending changes back to the latest accepted version, that revision is automatically accepted and pending changes reviewers and administrators aren't prompted or notified. ^ Only noncontroversial changes or requested changes following an achieved consensus should be performed. ^ Only with the approval from the Wikimedia Foundation. ^ Cascade protection extends to all pages that are transcluded onto the protected page, unless the transcluded page is at the same protection level or higher. Cascade protection can only be applied to pages that are fully or office-protected because otherwise it creates a workflow flaw. ^ The interface protection level is automatically set by the MediaWiki software to a specific set of pages, such as pages in the MediaWiki namespace, system-wide CSS and JavaScript pages, and personal CSS and JavaScript pages of other users. It is not a protection level that an administrator can manually apply to any page, nor is it a protection level that can be modified on pages currently under interface protection. Because of this, administrators also cannot cascade-protect pages that are Interface-protected. ^ This has been in effect for unregistered users since 5 December 2005. The restriction was extended to newly registered users on a six month trial basis starting on 14 September 2017. The extension became permanent on 18 April 2018. ^ ^a ^b Under the default no protection, unregistered and newly registered users can create talk pages in all namespaces and draft articles in the Draft namespace. For these namespaces, it would therefore be possible for the creation protection to only apply to unregistered and newly registered users view talk edit

Purpose

The purpose of this request for comment is to determine what the future of Pending Changes on the English Wikipedia will be. Due to problems with the previous discussions this phase will again be restricted in its scope. There will be three positions presented. Each participant will choose one position only to endorse. If you change your mind and decide to switch positions, please strike out your previous endorsement but do not remove it entirely. Unregistered users may participate in the discussion section but may not endorse a position due to the risk of sockpuppetry.

Rationale

The official pending changes trial ended some time ago. For a period of time the tool was used without any clear policy regarding how it was to be used, or even if it was supposed to be used at all. This RFC aims to resolve these issues. The policy presented below is based on the provisional policy used during the trial period, with modifications based on input at the previous RFC in 2011 that ended with the tool being temporarily taken out of service. That action was taken more or less to "clear the air" for further debate, but at the time interest in further discussion of these issues was on the decline and the matter has remained more or less unresolved for most of a year. The format will be similar to other RFCs, however users will not be allowed to add additional positions. This may seem overly restrictive but it is necessary in order to arrive at a clear result. The three positions presented are designed to be mutually exclusive of one another, and to only address the very core issues involved as the smaller details will change over time anyway, as with all Wikipedia policies. Users may add a brief comment to their endorsement, but all threaded discussions should take place in the discussion section. Any overly long comments or threaded discussion will be removed to the discussion section.

Position #1

The negative aspects of pending changes outweigh the positive. Therefore the tool should not be used at all on the English Wikipedia.

users who endorse this position

Position #2

Despite the flaws of the trial period pending changes has proven to be a useful tool for combatting vandalism and other types of problematic edits. The tool should be used in accordance with the following draft policy. This policy is intended to reflect the community input in discussions. It is not set in stone and after use of the tool is resumed there may be unanticipated problems which can be corrected through normal consensus gathering processes.

User:Beeblebrox/pc draft

users who endorse this position

Position #3

Pending changes should be kept in the long term, but the draft policy is insufficient and/or out of step with what the community wants from the tool. Pending changes should not be rejected entirely but should remain unused until such time as there is a more complete policy in place that has been explicitly approved by the community.

users who endorse this position

Discussion

(a separate discussion subpage will be transcluded here)

[1] Details about historical protection levels and user groups no longer in use are available at Wikipedia:Protection policy § Retired protections.

[2] This table assumes that template editors are also extended confirmed, which is almost always the case for non-bot accounts.

[3] This table assumes that an interface administrator is also a "regular" administrator, which is almost always the case in practice.

[default-4] This is the default protection level.

[unless-5] However, if any editors (including unregistered editors) revert all unreviewed pending changes back to the latest accepted version, that revision is automatically accepted and pending changes reviewers and administrators aren't prompted or notified.

[6] Only noncontroversial changes or requested changes following an achieved consensus should be performed.

[7] Only with the approval from the Wikimedia Foundation.

[8] Cascade protection extends to all pages that are transcluded onto the protected page, unless the transcluded page is at the same protection level or higher. Cascade protection can only be applied to pages that are fully or office-protected because otherwise it creates a workflow flaw.

[interface-9] The interface protection level is automatically set by the MediaWiki software to a specific set of pages, such as pages in the MediaWiki namespace, system-wide CSS and JavaScript pages, and personal CSS and JavaScript pages of other users. It is not a protection level that an administrator can manually apply to any page, nor is it a protection level that can be modified on pages currently under interface protection. Because of this, administrators also cannot cascade-protect pages that are Interface-protected.

[10] This has been in effect for unregistered users since 5 December 2005. The restriction was extended to newly registered users on a six month trial basis starting on 14 September 2017. The extension became permanent on 18 April 2018.

[creation-11] Under the default no protection, unregistered and newly registered users can create talk pages in all namespaces and draft articles in the Draft namespace. For these namespaces, it would therefore be possible for the creation protection to only apply to unregistered and newly registered users

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