2025-08-06 –, MOMBASA (🗣️ ar, es, fr, sw)
Language: English
This year we are launching Temporary Accounts to all our projects. They are intended to replace IP addresses as the default identifier for editors who register without an account. We want to protect the privacy of our unregistered editors while balancing that with the need for our patrollers to see IP addresses to combat vandalism. This session will go into the details of temporary accounts followed by a discussion to gather feedback from the audience.
Wikimedia projects have relied on IP addresses as an identifier for contributions from unregistered editors since the very beginning of the time. With the introduction of Temporary Accounts, we are making a fundamental change to our anti-vandalism workflows as well as our mental models for how we understand an unregistered editor.
The goal for this legally-mandated project is to replace IP addresses with auto-generated temporary accounts. With this change, IP addresses will be accessible only to those users who require access for anti-vandalism purposes.
Our goal for this session to share the work that has happened so far, the learnings from our pilot launches and the plan for the future. We'll reserve some time for seeking feedback and answering questions about the project.
- What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?
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Everyone can participate in this session
- How do you plan to deliver this session? You will be asked to confirm this closer to the date in case of changes to the format.
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Pre-recorded video followed by live Q&A
- Should your session be selected for the program, do you agree to release your session and supporting materials on-wiki and on the eventyay platform under CC BY-SA 4.0?
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I agree
- What other themes or topics does your session fit into? Please choose from the list of tags below.
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Product development, Other
- How does your session relate to the event theme: Wikimania@20: Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability?
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The goal for our project is to enhance user privacy and safety, thereby making our projects a more inclusive and welcoming space for newcomers to the platform. There are also legal reasons for us to pursue this work, which speaks to making our projects sustainable for the future as the world evolves around us.
My name is Niharika Kohli. I am the Lead Product Manager for the Trust & Safety Product team at the Wikimedia Foundation. I have been with the Foundation for over 10 years in several different roles. I am currently based in Singapore.