"EmergencyCaptcha mode in effect"

[Giraffe Stapler]

There's a long (and still growing) discussion on ANI about someone putting Nazi swastikas, pictures of Hitler and text on pages. It sounds like just another day at the office, but it seems to be happening at a scale that human intervention can't keep up with it. It sounds like captchas were enabled for all IP edits for a while and IP editing was entirely disabled for a couple of hours. I think that mystery edit filters are being used to block it at the moment.

This seems like a lot of effort for not much result. If you have access to dozens of unblocked IPs from different areas and enough knowledge to semi-automate the process, why would you do something as boring as putting swastikas on user talk pages? I mean, obviously I don't approve of vandalizing Wikipedia, but if you're going to do it, at least make it interesting.

Anyone have a guess as to who's behind this?

[MadManz]

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?ti ... 1168422575

IPv4 editing was only disabled for a couple of minutes. Automatic (edit filter) reports at AIV just before editing was disabled/emergencycaptcha was reintroduced

[orangepi]

They should change the name to "RegularCaptcha mode" and leave it on permanently.

If you don't want to do CAPTCHAs, get an account.

[Giraffe Stapler]

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?ti ... 1168422575

Thanks.

IPv4 editing was only disabled for a couple of minutes. Automatic (edit filter) reports at AIV just before editing was disabled/emergencycaptcha was reintroduced

I think it's off again??

Going live soon. With significant regret, I have disabled all IPv4 editing via 684. Will self-rv as soon as the patch is live. -- Tamzin[cetacean needed] (she|they|xe) 16:55, 2 August 2023 (UTC)

[Cheryl]

Anyone have a guess as to who's behind this?

This IP appears to be claiming credit, justifying it as a crusade to get an image undeleted on Commons.

[AndyTheGrump]

Anyone have a guess as to who's behind this?

This IP appears to be claiming credit, justifying it as a crusade to get an image undeleted on Commons.

What a sad life the troll must lead....

[Midsize Jake]

What a sad life the troll must lead....

Indeed, but FWIW this is yet another classic example of how you just don't know what's going to totally set somebody off. That image, ugly and worthless-looking as it appears, might somehow symbolize a whole lifetime of frustrations and who-knows-what-else for this guy, assuming he's even the person responsible (i.e, not just falsely taking credit for the lulz).

[Beeblebrox]

What's extra dumb is that en.wp admins don't havy a say, or at least not any more than anyone else, about what is hosted at commons. I admit I have trouble understanding the motivations of trolls though, it's likely they were aware of that and went after en.wp instead for troll reasons.

[casualdejekyll]

What's extra dumb is that en.wp admins don't havy a say, or at least not any more than anyone else, about what is hosted at commons. I admit I have trouble understanding the motivations of trolls though, it's likely they were aware of that and went after en.wp instead for troll reasons.

Honestly, I'm pretty sure that knowing that commons and enwp are different things with different admin teams is actually quite rare knowledge

[Ron Lybonly]

What a sad life the troll must lead....

It's lonely and boring in Mom's basement, even with all the bandwidth. What are you going to do?

[Zoloft]

What a sad life the troll must lead....

It's lonely and boring in Mom's basement, even with all the bandwidth. What are you going to do?

Yell upstairs for more pizza rolls?

[Boing! said Zebedee]

Anyone have a guess as to who's behind this?

This IP appears to be claiming credit, justifying it as a crusade to get an image undeleted on Commons.

And the chances they just made that up as a trolling distraction are... greater than zero.

[tarantino]

Steward_requests/Global_permissions

I'm a Site Reliability Engineer at the Foundation, with root in Wikimedia production, and currently working on an active incident requiring some on-wiki access. I promise to never use these permissions except in an emergency, and only to the extent necessary to resolve that emergency. Thanks, --RLazarus (WMF) (talk) 18:49, 3 August 2023 (UTC)

Link goes to a thread about enwiki: temp enable emergencyCaptcha on phabricator.

[Randy from Boise]

I have no idea why IP editing is even allowed.

t

[Bezdomni]

I have no idea why IP editing is even allowed.

t

to create addictive whack-a-mole work for people with boring lives? (ps: throwing soap-bubbles here, as from my glass cubicle I am currently watching various Bonn-based IPs bending/breaking sundry rulez so that an entry has the "correct" POV)

[Hemiauchenia]

I have no idea why IP editing is even allowed.

t

I think that IP editing could be useful if it was solely restricted to Wikipedia space, such as making edit requests, making posts at BLPN or ANI etc, but frankly just dealing with the volume of vandalism that IP users create really just sours one on them. Allowing IP editing does not encourage user retention, and arguably adds to the hostility against new users.

[Boing! said Zebedee]

I have no idea why IP editing is even allowed.

I'm in two minds about IP editing.

Allowing it does seem to cause a lot of grief. But then, seeing an error and being able to just fix it was what got me hooked all those years ago.

(Oh, hang on, maybe that's two reasons why it's bad )

[The Garbage Scow]

I have no idea why IP editing is even allowed.

t

Because "encyclopedia anyone can edit"!!!! Why do you hate freedom and kick puppies?????

[AndyTheGrump]

I have no idea why IP editing is even allowed.

t

Because "encyclopedia anyone can edit"!!!! Why do you hate freedom and kick puppies?????

Doesn't freedom include the freedom to kick puppies?

They aren't going to stop IP editing. Any debate about it is too liable to result in awkward questions being asked about editing behind pseudonyms.

[tinyboxs]

My only request to the sysops is that this image be restored to the Commons and allowed on the article. I will then cease all of my operations and deactivate my bots. It's as shrimple as that! ＼(＾▽＾)／

Eggcellent trolling, to be honest.