Bharatpedia:User access levels: Difference between revisions

The '''user access level''' of editors affects their abilities to perform specific actions on Wikipedia. The user access level depends on which rights (also called permissions, [[Internet forum#User groups|user groups]], [[bit (computing)|bits]], or [[flag (computing)|flags]]) are assigned to accounts. There are two types of access leveling: automatic, and requested. User access levels are determined by whether the [[WP:Wikipedian|Wikipedian]] is logged in, the account's age and edits, and what manually assigned rights the account has.

Anyone can use the basic functionalities of Wikipedia even if they are not logged in. Unless they are [[WP:BLOCK|blocked]], they may freely edit most pages. Being logged in gives users many advantages, such as having their public [[IP address]] hidden and the ability to track one's own contributions. Additionally, once user accounts are more than a certain number of days old and have made more than a certain number of edits, they automatically become autoconfirmed or extended confirmed, allowing the direct creation of articles, the ability to move pages, to edit semi-protected and extended-protected pages, and upload files. Further access levels need to be assigned manually by a user with the appropriate authority. An editor with more experience and good standing can attempt to become an [[WP:SYSOP|administrator]], which provides a large number of advanced permissions. Many other flags for specialized tasks are also available.

Other flags are only given upon request; some, such as {{mono|'[[#Rollback|rollbacker]]'}}, {{mono|'[[#Pending changes reviewer|pending changes reviewer]]'}}, or {{mono|'[[#Bot|bot]]'}}, are granted unilaterally if the user demonstrates a need for them (see [[Wikipedia:Requests for permissions]] and [[Wikipedia:Bots/Requests for approval]]). Others, such as {{mono|'[[#Administrator|sysop]]'}} and {{mono|'[[#Bureaucrat|bureaucrat]]'}}, are given only after community discussion and consensus at [[Wikipedia:Requests for adminship]]. Users are made members of such groups as {{mono|'[[#Oversight|oversight]]'}} and {{mono|'[[#Checkuser|checkuser]]'}} only with the approval of the [[Wikipedia:Arbitration Committee|Arbitration Committee]], after signing the [[Wikipedia:Access to nonpublic information|Wikimedia Foundation's confidentiality agreement for nonpublic information]].

Users who are not [[Special:UserLogin|logged in]] are identified by their [[IP address]] rather than a [[User (computing)|user name]], whether or not they have already [[Special:UserLogin/signup|registered an account]]. They may read all Wikipedia pages (except restricted [[Help:Special page|special pages]]), and edit pages that are not protected (including pending changes protected/move-protected articles). They may create talk pages in any talk namespace but need to ask for help to create pages in some parts of the wiki. They cannot upload files or images. They must answer a CAPTCHA if they wish to make an edit which involves the addition of external links, and click a confirm link to purge pages.  

Registered users may immediately e-mail other users if they activate an email address in their [[Special:Preferences|user preferences]]. All logged-in users may mark edits as minor. They may purge pages without a confirmation step, but are still required to answer a CAPTCHA when adding external links. Edits that they make to a page that is under pending changes protection immediately go live, unless other pending changes need to be reviewed. They may save books to their userspace but not the Books namespace. They may also customize their Wikimedia interface and its options as they wish - either via [[Special:Preferences]], or by adding personal CSS or JavaScript rules to their [[Special:Mypage/vector.css|vector.css]] or [[Special:Mypage/vector.js|vector.js]] files.

Several actions on the English Wikipedia are restricted to user accounts that are at least 5 days old and have made at least 20 edits to the encyclopedia. Users who meet these requirements are considered part of the pseudo-group {{mono|'autoconfirmed'}}. The conditions for autoconfirmed status are checked every time a user attempts to perform a restricted action; if they are met, permission is granted automatically by the MediaWiki software. Although the precise requirements for autoconfirmed status vary according to circumstances, most English Wikipedia user accounts that are more than five days old ''and'' have made at least 20 edits (including deleted edits) are considered autoconfirmed. However, users with the IP block exemption flag and who are editing through the Tor network are subjected to much stricter autoconfirmed thresholds: 90 days and 100 edits.

Bureaucrats have access to [[Special:UserRights]], enabling them to add users to the {{mono|'bureaucrat'}} group (but not remove them),<ref>[[MediaWiki]] [https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/diffusion/MW/browse/master/includes/DefaultSettings.php default settings] are that the 'bureaucrats' group has the {{mono|userrights}} flag (giving access to [[Special:UserRights]]) and can add or remove any flags. However this can be modified by [[mw:Manual:$wgAddGroups]] and [[mw:Manual:$wgRemoveGroups]] to restrict adding/removing flags to specified ones. Wikimedia's settings file [http://noc.wikimedia.org/conf/highlight.php?file=InitialiseSettings.php uses these], and by default bureaucrats can only ''remove'' {{mono|bot}} flags and ''add'' {{mono|administrator, bureaucrat}} and {{mono|bot}} flags. English Wikipedia, or 'enwiki', settings additionally permit adding {{mono|accountcreator}} and removal of {{mono|ipblock-exempt}} and {{mono|accountcreator}}; which administrators can do anyway, and removal of {{mono|sysop}}.</ref> and add users to and remove users from the {{mono|'administrator'}},<ref>Since August 2011, per {{phab|20390}}</ref> {{mono|'[[#Bots|bot]]'}}, and {{mono|'[[#Interface administrators|interface administrator]]'}} user groups.

The file mover user right is intended to allow users experienced in working with files to rename them, subject to policy, with the ease that autoconfirmed users already enjoy when renaming Wikipedia articles. This right is automatically assigned to administrators.

The page mover user right ({{mono|'extendedmover'}} user group) is intended to allow users who have demonstrated a good understanding of the Wikipedia page naming system to rename pages and subpages without leaving redirects, subject to policy. They are also able to create and edit [[WP:editnotice|editnotices]] as well as move categories. This right is automatically assigned to administrators.

The account creator user right ({{mono|'accountcreator'}} user group) is intended for users involved in the [[Wikipedia:Request an account|request an account process]] (ACC), and so have signed the [[Wikipedia:Access to nonpublic information|Wikimedia Foundation's confidentiality agreement for nonpublic information]]. They are not affected by the 6 account creation limit per day per IP, and can create accounts for other users without restriction. Users in this group can also override the anti-spoof checks on account creation. Additionally, account creators are able to create accounts with names that are otherwise blocked by the [[MediaWiki:Titleblacklist|title blacklist]]. This right is automatically assigned to administrators and bureaucrats.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Project:Account_creators|title=Project:Account creators|accessdate=2015-02-01|publisher=[[MediaWikiWiki:Project:About|MediaWikiWiki]]|quote= [[mw:Manual:DefaultSettings.php|DefaultSettings.php]] grants the <code>noratelimit</code> [[mw:Manual:User rights|user right]] to [[Project:Bureaucrats|bureaucrats]] and [[Project:Administrators|sysops]].|date=2015}}</ref>

Users who are given the templateeditor flag ({{mono|'templateeditor'}} user group) are allowed to edit pages protected with [[Wikipedia:Protection policy#template|template protection]], as well as create and edit [[Wikipedia:editnotice|editnotices]]. Template protection is only applied to pages in the [[Wikipedia:Template namespace|template]] and [[Wikipedia:Lua|module]] namespaces, as well as a few pages in the Wikipedia namespace. This right is intended to allow experienced template and module coders to make changes without having to request that an administrator make the edits for them. This right is automatically assigned to administrators.

Users who are given the CheckUser flag ({{mono|'checkuser'}} user group) have access to [[Special:CheckUser]], a [[WP:SPEC|function page]] that allows them to view a list of all [[IP address]]es used by a user account to edit the English Wikipedia, an extended list of ''all edits'' made from an IP (which includes edits that were made by any user accounts while using the specific IP), or a list of all user accounts that have used a given IP address. They also have access to the Checkuser log, which logs each time a Checkuser uses their tools to view any of the information listed. This user right is only granted to ''exceedingly few users'' and after a high level of scrutiny and review by the community, and after review and the support of the [[WP:ARB|Arbitration Committee]]. Users must also be at least 18 years old and have signed the [[Wikipedia:Access to nonpublic information|Wikimedia Foundation's confidentiality agreement for nonpublic information]]. As CheckUsers have access to deleted revisions, they are also required to have passed an "RFA or RFA-identical process" first.<ref name="wmf"/>

Users who are given the oversight flag ({{mono|'oversight'}} user group) have access to additional functions on the page deletion, revision deletion, and block [[Help:Special page|function pages]] through which they can hide logs or revisions of pages (partially or entirely) from any form of usual access by all other users, including [[WP:ADMIN|administrators]]. They also have access to the [[Special:Log/suppress|suppression log]], where they can view actions made by other oversighters, as well as the content of the hidden revisions. This user right is only granted to ''exceedingly few users'' and after a high level of scrutiny and review by the community, and after review and the support of [[WP:ARB|Arbitration Committee]]. Users must also be at least 18 years old and have signed the [[Wikipedia:Access to nonpublic information|Wikimedia Foundation's confidentiality agreement for nonpublic information]]. Oversighters are also required to have passed a "RfA or RfA-identical process" first.<ref name="wmf">The Wikimedia Foundation has [[Special:Diff/545773892|stated]] that an "RfA or RfA-identical process" is required for users to be granted access to deleted revisions.</ref>

 

Any user account can be blocked, regardless of which user group(s) it belongs to. During the duration of the block, the blocking flag disables the user or IP's existing editing privileges depending on which [[WP:OPTIONS|block options]] are set by the administrator. A [[Wikipedia:Partial blocks|partial block]] still allows some parts of Wikipedia to be edited.

 

Users who are members of the {{mono|'steward'}} user group may grant and revoke any permission to or from any user on any wiki operated by the [[Wikimedia Foundation]] which allows open account creation. This group is set on [[meta:Main Page|MetaWiki]], and may use [[meta:Special:Userrights]] to set permissions on any Wikimedia wiki; they may add or remove any user from [[bugzilla:12518|any group configured on metawiki]]. Stewards generally act only when there is no user on a particular wiki that can make the necessary change. This includes granting of the {{mono|'administrator'}} or {{mono|'bureaucrat'}} access levels on wikis which do not have any local bureaucrats, and removing such flags if the user resigns or the account is acting maliciously. Stewards are also responsible for granting and revoking access levels such as {{mono|'oversight'}} and {{mono|'checkuser'}}, as no other group is capable of making such changes except [[meta:System administrators|Foundation sysadmins]] and [[meta:Trust and Safety|Trust and Safety]] staff.

* Generally, bureaucrats on the English Wikipedia are also administrators, and so have all the permissions of the {{mono|'sysop'}} user group in addition to those rights from the {{mono|'bureaucrat'}} group. However, this is not a requirement of the [[MediaWiki]] software nor is it a formal requirement of the [[Wikipedia:Requests for adminship#About RfB|Requests for Bureaucratship]] process; it is technically possible for a user to be a bureaucrat without also being an admin, although this has never happened on the English Wikipedia.

* The userright ''proxyunbannable'' is assigned to administrators but has no effect since WMF wikis use [[mw:Extension:TorBlock]] instead of the default MediaWiki proxy blocker. Administrators are not exempt from tor blocks, only users in the IP block exemptions usergroup are, due to the ''torunblocked'' userright.

* IPs and new users are limited to 8 edits per minute. Autoconfirmed or confirmed users who are in no usergroup with the ''noratelimit'' userright are limited to 8 moves per minute. Rollbackers in the same situation are limited to 100 rollbacks per minute.<ref>The API query https://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php?action=query&meta=userinfo&uiprop=ratelimits|groups can be used to check those values.</ref> Account creations are subject to an IP based limit, [[mw:Manual:$wgAccountCreationThrottle|set at 6]] for WMF wikis, but users with ''noratelimit'' are unaffected.

* [[Wikipedia:Editorial oversight and control]] (explains the access structure from the perspective of quality control on Wikipedia)