Wikimedia IP Information Tool Policy
 | This policy or procedure is maintained by the Wikimedia Foundation. Please note that in the event of any differences in meaning or interpretation between the original English version of this content and a translation, the original English version takes precedence. |
The IP Information tool helps users protect the Wikimedia projects by providing information they need about IP addresses. As a condition of access, users must agree to the following policy.
Background
Wikimedia Sites are the collaborative product of a global community of volunteer users. The Sites can be edited with or without signing into a Wikimedia account. Certain logged-in users are given access to limited amounts of information about IP addresses to help them to enforce or investigate potential violations of Wikimedia Foundation or user community-based policies.
Purpose
The IP Information tool was developed to help streamline anti-abuse work centered on the edits of unregistered and non-logged-in contributors.
Requirements for access
Users who meet the Minimum Requirements for Access set out in the Wikimedia Access to Temporary Account IP Addresses Policy are eligible to use the IP Info tool and all data offered by it. To gain access, users must enable the tool in Special:Preferences. Doing so signifies your acceptance to be bound by the terms of the present Policy (the IP Information Tool Policy).
Removal of access
Users may voluntarily give up their access to the tool at any time by visiting Special:Preferences.
Concerns about potential abuse of the IP Information tool may be brought to a steward by placing a request on Steward requests/Permissions#Removal of access. Stewards are authorized to terminate a user's access to the IP Information tool if the user is determined to have misused the tool. If necessary, requests for review by Foundation Trust & Safety staff can be made through ca
wikimedia.org and user access removed in line with the Office actions policy. Complaints about infringements of the Privacy Policy will be escalated for review by the ombuds commission.
To ensure accountability, a log is kept of tool usage and of which users have access to the tool. Further details are provided below.
Use and disclosure of IP information
Use of the IP Information tool is limited to certain circumstances and contexts. This section covers the situations in which the tool may be used and when information obtained through this tool ("IP information") may be disclosed.
Use of IP information
The permitted purposes of use are set out in the Wikimedia Access to Temporary Account IP Addresses Policy, in the section Use of temporary account IP addresses.
The tool should not be used in an illegal manner and should not be used to inappropriately threaten or pressure users of the Sites who are not engaged in prohibited activity.
Information provided by the tool is not guaranteed to be accurate. The IP Information tool currently displays data from Spur feeds via the iPoid service and MaxMind's GeoLite2 databases. Use of the tool is subject to the Spur Intelligence Corporation General Terms & Conditions and the MaxMind End User License Agreement. Unfortunately, because no freely-licensed alternative exists for this information, it is subject to more restrictions than typical tools on Wikipedia. In particular, the following restrictions must be complied with:
- Do not use, copy, or create derivative works of any information from the tool except as reasonably required in use of the tool.
- Do not allow anyone other than yourself to use the tool.
- Do not use the tool for the purpose of identifying a user's real name or physical address.
Externally hosted software will not be granted permission to use the IP Information tool due to the use of Spur and MaxMind proprietary data in the tool.
Disclosure
In the course of keeping the Sites and its users safe, users may sometimes need to disclose IP information to third parties. Permissible disclosures are limited to the following circumstances:
- All users of this tool may disclose IP information to other users of the IP Information tool with access rights on an as-needed basis. To check if a user has access to the tool, please confirm within the local Site's Special:Log/rights page for the ipinfo-viewer right. When possible, users should direct other users of the tool to the relevant contributions page rather than disclose IP information directly.
- Users who have agreed to the separate Access to nonpublic personal data policy may also disclose IP information as permitted under that policy (including any approved exceptions under that policy).
If IP information needs to be disclosed in connection with a threat of imminent physical harm, immediately email emergencywikimedia.org with details of the request so that it can be evaluated for possible disclosure by or on behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation.