This conversation has gone in multiple directions. It started with reading Wikipedia through a hidden service. I am interested only in talking about editing Wikipedia with Tor.
I feel that the negativity in this thread against Tor is unwarranted and ignorant. I can confirm that Wikipedia needs its defense and should not open pathways to let problematic users vandalize Wikipedia. I dispute that there is any reason to believe that having a safe process for granting editing rights to certain vetted Tor users should be problematic. In fact, block exemptions are not granted in a reasonable way. In discussions about Tor often I feel like users become wild and accusatory. When I hear harsh accusations, I often feel that they are coming from people who do not understand the proposals that have come in over the years for allowing Tor access to certain users. The big recurring idea is that users with registered accounts can request review for their wiki editing, or new accounts could be watched or sponsored by established users. If they pass review, they get to edit from Tor. If they do not pass review, then they cannot. Anyone who says, "No Tor, it would create a flood of bad edits" is probably unaware of what Tor advocates are requesting, or at least, I have never heard from anyone who has this view and who could have a conversation. Here are some stories I have heard from established Wikipedia editors who want to edit with Tor: - A well known LGBT+ activist and contributor to projects in the open movement lives in a country where being LGBT+ is a serious crime. - A person who is in the witness protection <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/witness_protection> program of their country and is willing to share government provided proof of their need for privacy has made a request for an en:Wikipedia:IP block exemption <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IP_block_exemption>, and was denied and cannot edit with Tor. - A major international conference in the open movement hosted a speaker and presenter who claimed to be a refugee from their own country and expected never to return, and claimed that editing Wikipedia was the primary factor in their government's persecution of them. Restricting these kinds of users is sad and unnecessary. On-wiki and by email are not paths to reasonable conversation on this topic. If anyone wants to have conversation I would talk by phone or video chat. I also posted a lot about this on-wiki, but it is a lot to take in. More reading - RfC: Grant exemptions to users in good standing on request < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:IP_block_exemption#RfC:_Grant_exemptions_to_users_in_good_standing_on_request > Partnership between Wikimedia community and Tor community < https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:IdeaLab/Partnership_between_Wikimedia_community_and_Tor_community > On Tue, Jun 13, 2017 at 4:34 PM, John Erling Blad <[email protected]> wrote: > Blocking a registered user on TOR is not different from blocking a > registered user outside TOR. > > 5. jun. 2017 21.02 skrev "John" <[email protected]>: > > > Im not going to violate BEANS, but even allowing accounts to edit without > > further hurdles isn't going to work. Because of the anonymity that tor > > provides its fairly easy to cause widespread issues. When the vandals > start > > actually using tactics the flood gates of TOR will cause massive issues > > cross wiki that requires steward level intervention on a regular basis. > > > > On Mon, Jun 5, 2017 at 2:53 PM, Gabriel Thullen <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > > > > I imagine registered users could edit through TOR. That is how it works > > > with my school IP: anonymous edits are blocked, account creation as > well, > > > but you can sign in an edit. > > > > > > On Mon, Jun 5, 2017 at 7:47 PM, John <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > > > enabling read access via Tor shouldn't be an issue, however editing > > > should > > > > not be allowed due to high volume of known abuse from that vector. > > > > > > > > On Mon, Jun 5, 2017 at 1:43 PM, David Gerard <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > Editing may be a tricky one, particularly on en:wp, which has found > > > > > Tor exit points to overwhelmingly be fountains of garbage, and > > > > > automatically blocks them. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > - d. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 5 June 2017 at 18:30, David Cuenca Tudela <[email protected]> > > > wrote: > > > > > > I think that's an excellent idea and very much aligned with our > > > > > commitment > > > > > > to provide free information also for those who are living under > > > > > unfavorable > > > > > > conditions. > > > > > > > > > > > > I personally endorse it. > > > > > > > > > > > > Thanks Cristian for suggesting it. > > > > > > > > > > > > Regards, > > > > > > Micru > > > > > > > > > > > > On Jun 5, 2017 19:11, "Cristian Consonni" <[email protected]> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > >> Hi, > > > > > >> > > > > > >> I have written a proposal about setting up an onion (hidden) > > service > > > > to > > > > > >> serve Wikipedia over Tor: > > > > > >> > > > > > >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:IdeaLab/A_Tor_ > > > > > >> Onion_Service_for_Wikipedia > > > > > >> > > > > > >> I was thinking about this and I also discovered that the > Internet > > > > > >> Archive is experimenting with a very similar idea: > > > > > >> www.hackerfactor.com/blog/index.php?/archives/750- > > > > > >> Freedom-of-Information.html > > > > > >> > > > > > >> I would like to have some feedback on this, I am also in contact > > > with > > > > > >> the author of the aforementioned proxy which could be able to > give > > > > some > > > > > >> help in setting it up. > > > > > >> > > > > > >> Thank you. > > > > > >> > > > > > >> Cristian > > > > > >> > > > > > >> _______________________________________________ > > > > > >> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > > > > >> wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > > > > >> wiki/Wikimedia-l > > > > > >> New messages to: [email protected] > > > > > >> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/ > > > mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l > > > > , > > > > > >> <mailto:[email protected]?subject= > > > unsubscribe> > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > > > > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > > > > wiki/Wikimedia-l > > > > > > New messages to: [email protected] > > > > > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/ > > > mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > > > <mailto:[email protected]?subject= > unsubscribe> > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > > > > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > > > > wiki/Wikimedia-l > > > > > New messages to: [email protected] > > > > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/ > > mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > > > <mailto:[email protected]?subject= > unsubscribe> > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > > > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > > > wiki/Wikimedia-l > > > > New messages to: [email protected] > > > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/ > mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > > wiki/Wikimedia-l > > > New messages to: [email protected] > > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > wiki/Wikimedia-l > > New messages to: [email protected] > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > wiki/Wikimedia-l > New messages to: [email protected] > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> > -- Lane Rasberry user:bluerasberry on Wikipedia 206.801.0814 [email protected] _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l New messages to: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe>
