Test Wiki:Blocks and bans

This is an information page which exists to document some practice, platform, or other aspect of Test Wiki. It is not policy, as it has not formally been approved by the community, and compliance is not mandatory.

Blocks

Blocks are technical measures, and they are placed either to prevent disruption, or for testing. Blocks placed to prevent disruption are usually placed by one of two groups: Bureaucrats or Stewards. They are most often placed due to disruptive editing such as, but not limited to, vandalism or spamming. However, blocks to prevent obvious and ongoing or imminent disruption may be placed by any Administrator. Blocks can be made for testing purposes by any Administrator, and are most often placed on an alternate account or another person. Blocks placed on another person for testing should last up to two hours. Blocks are also made by the AbuseFilter extension for actions matching certain filters. It is not advisable to revert blocks that are marked as suppressor/oversight blocks without the consent of a suppressor, nor to revert steward actions without the consent of a Steward.

Bans

Bans are formal measures, which may have a block imposed to enforce them. Bans can be placed by any Steward, or by community consensus. Bans can either be partial, such as restricting someone from a certain namespace, or they can be sitewide, prohibiting all editing by a particular user. Bans may be implied (most often by the community declining an unblock request) or explicit. They may have a set duration or be indefinite. You may face repercussions for reverting a block clearly marked as being part of a community ban/sanction without the consent of the community, or for reverting a block marked as a Steward action based entirely on public evidence without the consent of a steward or the community.