Wikipedia:Arbitration Committee/Conflict of interest reports/July 2024 appointments: Difference between revisions

Bilby (talk · contribs · blocks · protections · deletions · page moves · rights · RfA)

Hi! I would like to put my name forward to assist with the Conflict of interest VRT queue. I have been assisting in managing paid editors on Wikipedia for about 12 years now, and in that time I've gained a picture of the overall scope of the issue, as well as many of the pitfalls we can encounter. It is a constantly growing problem, and there is not currently an approach to managing COIs and paid editing that works on anything other than a case-by-case process. I see the new queue as potentially an excellent tool for managing COI editing while respecting privacy and avoiding outing. However, as always we need volunteers to step up and take on these tasks, and I am hoping that my background with paid editing will assist with keeping the queue manageable. I am willing to provide my personal details to the WMF, and I have prior experience working with and protecting confidential information.

1. Please describe any relevant experience you have for this role.

2. Please list any advanced permissions (checkuser, oversight, bureaucrat, steward) you hold or previously held on any WMF project.

3. Do you have VRT permissions? If so, to which queues?

Extraordinary Writ (talk · contribs · blocks · protections · deletions · page moves · rights · RfA)

I'm Extraordinary Writ, and I'm applying for access to the new VRT queue for conflict of interest reports. Undisclosed paid editing is a serious and large-scale problem for Wikipedia, and I've been helping to investigate it for several years, both before and after my 2022 RfA. This has involved such things as identifying patrollers who misuse their permissions for pay, reporting UPE-related groups of sockpuppets, and sending information to paid-en-wpwikipedia.org. Off-wiki evidence is important but dangerous in the UPE/COI context, and I think COIVRT has potential to let us deal with it in a way that's more efficient but doesn't compromise editors' privacy. My promise is to move cautiously and conscientiously in sensitive situations, as I've tried my best to do during my time as an administrator and editor. Looking forward to any questions or comments.

1. Please describe any relevant experience you have for this role.

   As mentioned above, I've dealt with various forms of undisclosed paid editing over the last few years. Oftentimes this has involved investigating from the on-wiki/SPI side; for a smattering of examples old and new, see [1][2][3][4]. I have also made a handful of off-wiki paid editing reports and am generally familiar with the dynamics of how paid editing works, although I'm sure I have plenty more to learn. The main thing I've taken away from this sort of work is the importance of being diligent—not just digging up enough diffs or checking all the boxes to justify a block, but looking at the totality of the evidence, genuinely considering alternative explanations, searching for biases and holes in your reasoning, and seeking out others' opinions. If you're not serious about that, innocent people are going to end up blocked, and that's a prospect that always weighs on me.

2. Please list any advanced permissions (checkuser, oversight, bureaucrat, steward) you hold or previously held on any WMF project.

   No advanced permissions (beyond +sysop).

3. Do you have VRT permissions? If so, to which queues?

   No.