Wikipedia talk:Counter-Vandalism Unit

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Heavy vandalism in progress / Bobby Boulders

see International_Society_of_Vandals. Apparently numerous sockpuppets since they are not editing at the same time. SB_Johnny | ^talk 23:37, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

He's back again... SB_Johnny | ^talk 17:01, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Current puppet is TheGreatLarryBirdJersey33. ((blatantvandal)) tag was removed by user.SB_Johnny | ^talk 17:03, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

He (Bobby Boulders) has been vandalizing on and off all day. He's also hit a number of other wikis, including Memory Alpha and the French Language Wikipedia. Suggest ArbCom hearing. Dr Chatterjee 21:06, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

• im kind of new to the sock puppets and huge vandalism that he has been committing, what is arb.com?

--Sopranosmob781 21:08, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

ArbCom = Arbitration Committee. Dr Chatterjee 21:09, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, actually managed to figure out the ((sockpuppet|alias)) tag. Does that auto-inform an admin cabal, or does it have to be brought up to arbcom the "old fashioned way"? If it doesn't autoinform, it probably should (I noticed it does add to the category). SB_Johnny | ^talk 21:16, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Can anyone post more information about any patterns in his vandalism? --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · contribs · e@} 21:13, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

(editconflict) Apparently they're edits to random articles, which he replaces or inserts with "This article has been liberated by..."

He's always kind enough to vandalize this page sooner or later, so we can track his edits down.SB_Johnny | ^talk 21:16, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

He seems to operate under the premise that Wikipedia is run by "fascist" administrators, and that this fact needs to be disruptively announced by blanking pages and replacing them with his manifesto. The manifesto incites other users to vandalism, and suggests that their actions (and his) are justified and "righteous." He has a very similar MO to that of the Communism Vandal, only his edits include a manifesto and essay he has authored. If anyone else can add some links or provide further clarification, please, help me out here. Dr Chatterjee 21:19, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

I don't get the impression he's serious about the manifesto thing, really. Seems like a guy just engaging in his annoying favorite pasttime :). SB_Johnny | ^talk 21:21, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

I dunno. Whether he's serious or not, the manifesto is pretty long (and surprisingly well written). It's pretty nonsensical, but I get the impression its author takes it at least somewhat seriously. Dr Chatterjee 21:22, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Also, apparently he has a history of adding hoax articles. His manifesto, and any sentiment behind it, probably stemmed from admins' constantly deleting his hoaxes or calling him out on them. Dr Chatterjee 21:24, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

One of the puppets added a hoax tag to an article earlier today...actually, that was it's first or second edit. Might be a new way of tracking him? SB_Johnny | ^talk 21:26, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Could be a good tracking method. He likes to create sockpuppets with similar names (i.e., BobbyBoulders23, BobbyBoulders24, BobbyBoulders25, etc.), which makes it fairly easy to track his work. On the rare occasion when he gets creative with a sockpuppet name, his edits are easy to track once his manifesto is spotted. Dr Chatterjee 21:28, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

I've noticed that he usually starts by adding his manifesto to this page, and than quickly goes on vandalizing other pages, usually if you keep an eye on this page, you get a good idea when he is around, and can easily track his work and block his sockpuppets.

--Sopranosmob781 21:32, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

True. This page and Hezbollah seem to be frequent and primary targets. Dr Chatterjee 21:34, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

I've added a short WP:LTA entry about him and have added several of his favorite terms to User:Lupin/badwords. I've also reported the link to his Myspace page and his Yahoo! e-mail address to the Spam Blacklist, and have sent Myspace an e-mail requesting that his Myspace page (which promotes vandalism to Wikipedia and other Wikis) be shut down.--The Count of Monte Cristo ^Parley 21:54, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

He has a long and notorious career on hundreds of other wikis, as well. Perhaps a dedicated Long-Term Abuse sub-page is in order for him? Dr Chatterjee 21:57, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Maybe so, though I have mixed feelings about it. Bobby seems to be a very attention-oriented vandal, so creating a page about him might be giving him the trophie he wants an may just encourage more vandalism. If a page is created about him, it should be kept simple and unglamourous.--The Count of Monte Cristo ^Parley 02:00, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Agreed to some extent, but I feel that a dedicated page about Bobby would do him more harm than benefit. For one thing, it would get his name out there among the Counter-Vandalism community, and would enable people to recognize him and respond much more quickly to his outbreaks. Also, given that his pattern is extremely recognizable, a page about him would serve to educate admins and counter-vandal users about his habits, MO, etc. I think it's warranted, and will do more good than harm in the long run. Dr Chatterjee 06:35, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I have no programming knowledge, so I don't know if this is possible, but could a script or bot be written to search for text from his manifesto? That would help find articles he has "liberated," at least until he rewrites the manifesto. --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · contribs · e@} 03:32, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Tawker's bots are really good, maybe someone can try and contact him about this. --Sopranosmob781 03:59, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Just to note something I mentioned earlier, I've begun to wonder if Bobby Boulders is a new identity of Willy on Wheels. The two have many similarities.--The Count of Monte Cristo ^Parley 08:31, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I have created a subpage on Bobby Boulders (WP:BOBBY). Feel free to update it as needed.--The Count of Monte Cristo ^Parley 09:16, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Added some info to the WP:BOBBY sub page. Also tagged a few Bobby sockpuppets that emerged (and were quickly blocked) earlier today. Dr Chatterjee 18:09, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Is this vandalism?

Hello there! User:196.207.36.121 has been taking out what I consider to be legitimate facts from the 2006 Qana airstrike article, and labelling them as "propoganda." The problem is, some of what he is removing has been somewhat borderline, e.g. some light analysis, or repeating the reaction of various groups. I think it's vandalism, but I am hesitant to label it as such, and in any case I don't need a revert war. Can someone more knowledgable than me please comment? Would that user's contribs be considered vandalism? Or should I just AGF? --Jaysweet 20:50, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Another user apparently agrees with me, plus someone who I believe based on context to be the same individual is making accusations on my user page that he/she refuses to justify. Is this enough to report as vandalism and take action against? --Jaysweet 21:31, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Vandalism in Progress

I just reverted the vandalised page Anime. The vandal, 24.64.223.203, seems to have other uncorrected vandalisms, for example at Edward VIII of the United Kingdom which I did not revert. I have to get back to my day job and so can't go through his/her/its edits to see what else is still uncorrected. Someone should take this up. My apologies for not having time at the present. --128.125.196.55 21:09, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Checked it. Its a shared IP for Shaw Communications, all of the contribs I checked are good. Thanks for the heads-up though. CaptainVindaloo ^{t c e} 21:26, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

A Group to watch

Possibly sockpuppets, but more likely at least 2 users behind it. Check the "mischievious" commentors on Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Butlin... they've been uploading and replacing images on various article pages. SB_Johnny | ^talk 16:08, 1 August 2006 (UTC) (Oops, put this on WP:WPSPAM by accident... belongs here)

Stephen Colbert / Bobby Boulders Connection(?)

I'm hearing rumors that Stephen Colbert acknowledged, and possibly even stated his support for Bobby Boulders and/or his "International Society of Vandals" on a recent show. Can anyone confirm or deny this rumor's validity? If true, the attention no doubt emboldened Bobby, and we should be on the lookout for a heavy wave of Bobby-style vandalism soon. Dr Chatterjee 17:50, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

-Ive noticed while scrolling through some of the recent vandals that there have been alot of vandalism that has been trying to sneak through, with stuff about "elephants" like this one [[1]], I wonder if his show has led to this or if Bobby is behind these too. --Sopranosmob781 20:39, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

I watch the Colbert Report quite often, though not religiously, and I have not heard him ever mention Bobby Boulders or Wikipedia vandalism. Was this recent? I should still have the last week or so of the Report still on my TiVo, so I can take a look when I get home.. --Jaysweet 20:51, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

I have also heard that Colbert encouraged viewers to vandalize articles, specifically about elephants. This has shown up even on the Science Reference Desk. Also, this comment currently appears on Talk:Stephen Colbert: As of 31 JUL 2006, the article page associated with this talk page was featured on The Colbert Report, a popular television show. Also see THE NUMBER OF ELEPHANTS HAS TRIPLED IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS! --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · contribs · e@} 20:58, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

I'm an avid Colbert fan, and I haven't seen him say anything about approving Wikipedia edits aside from the elephant incident. EVula 21:10, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

List of The Colbert Report episodes notes that "Wikiality," which aired July 31, contained the exhortation to add false information to Wikipedia. There is nothing there about a Bobby Boulders connection. --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · contribs · e@} 21:32, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Here is an article about what happened: http://spring.newsvine.com/_news/2006/08/01/307864-stephen-colbert-causes-chaos-on-wikipedia-gets-blocked-from-site. - Akamad 21:57, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

LOL! That's great! It would have been more fun if he was blocked while the final show was being taped :). Was it really Tawker, or was it Tawkerbot?

As the saying goes, any press is good press. I wonder how many people got on to experiment a bit, and discovered that anyone really can edit. I saw the elephant thing too on newpage patrol... was wondering what that was about. Makes you really appreciate the genius behind those friendly ((test)) tags. --SB_Johnny | ^talk 23:06, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Bobby at Large Again (sigh)

Vandalizing the wiki templates this time around. Be on the lookout. Dr Chatterjee 17:08, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

I just had an idea! No, don't run away and hide! Can't the Tawkerbots be set to treat any mention of 'BOBBY BOULDERS' or 'INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF VANDALS' like any old swearword and revert it? (ignore me if this has already been done) CaptainVindaloo ^{t c e} 18:21, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Ahem, um, Bobby Boulders gets mentioned on THIS page quite a bit... User:Pedant 06:10, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Location for IP#69.44.58.97

Copied from Wikipedia talk:WoW; posted by Firehawk1717:

I decided to go googling, and i found that one of Willy on Wheels suspected IP addresses (69.44.58.97) is near 5150 Broadway, San Antonio, Texas. Someone check it out, and we can get him arrested. Vandalism is a crime, you know. Thanks Centralops. And thanks Idea.nl (2nd link goes to translated version)

What do you make of it?--The Count of Monte Cristo ^Parley 20:24, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Quick poll

If it's possible to do, should Willy (or Bobby, etc.) be arrested?

• Oppose - He's not evil, he's just annoying. People shouldn't go to jail for being annoying. SB_Johnny | ^talk 23:09, 4 August 2006 (UTC)
• Oppose - There's a fairly famous quote that I'll paraphrase here: "You can't legislate stupidity." Online vandalism may be annoying, but as far as I know, there is no law against disruption or 'vandalism' of open-source web sites like the Wikis. Wikipedia pays a price for being openly editable by everyone, and that price is the Bobbies and Willies of the world. I'm not saying their actions are justified, but I don't see how their actions are illegal in the technical sense. Dr Chatterjee 23:52, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Also, we need to keep in mind that not all instances of such vandals as Willy on Wheels are necessarily the work of the same individual. In the case of someone as long-term and as notorious as Willy, for example, it's almost a given that many of the edits attributed to Willy were the work of imitators or fans. There is really no good, reliable way to isolate widespread vandalism to any one person. Unless a vandal were stupid enough to edit from the same IP every time and never register an account, that is. Dr Chatterjee 23:58, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes, from what I've heard, the original Willy is from somewhere in England (and his grammer testifies to that). — Preceding unsigned comment added by Edmonde Dantes (talk • contribs)

• Comment - And also, I'm not an expert on how the IP system works, but I wonder if this is even reliable information based on how IPs are assigned.--The Count of Monte Cristo ^Parley 00:01, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

What it comes down to is that there are just too many factors working against the prosecution of any Wikipedia vandal or group of vandals. For one, tracking down a vandal is frought with difficulties. Beyond that, finding concrete proof of their actions is equally difficult. And finally, there seems to be no legal precident that criminalizes Wikipedia vandalism in the first place. Wikipedia is open-sourced; it is the online equivalent of a giant chalk board. You can't arrest people for "vandalizing" the chalk board by writing on it with the chalk you provide them -- no matter how silly or offensive their writing may be. Dr Chatterjee 00:54, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

But we're not going to let him clean the erasers, of course (to extend the wonderful chalkboard analogy). They're really not doing any actual harm... it all gets reverted pretty quickly. Best approach in handling them is to keep your sense of humor, and enjoy the challenge of being in the CVU. --SB_Johnny | ^talk 01:08, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

• Oppose As much as I'd love to see persistent vandals removed from the equation and/or society, this isn't 100% absolutely reliable. Add to that the fact that vandalizing Wikipedia, while obviously bad, isn't illegal. EVula 04:14, 5 August 2006 (UTC)
• Oppose arresting him will only make him famous. It is however illegal, under some law about 'interfering with telecommunications' or some such, sorry I can't provide verification, but I'm sure it is illegal to intentionally vandalise or otherwise disrupt wikipedia. It just won't be in our best interests to reward vandals with that level of recognition. User:Pedant 06:14, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Ongoing vandalism

A single user with puppets or possibly a group, see the this RfC. Apparently vandalizing Floral Park, New York, and Gang. --SB_Johnny | ^talk 01:29, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Tricky vandal... admin attention needed

Qmwnebrvtcyxuz (talk · contribs) has been removing markup tags from numerous articles (including an AfD article I was watching). Looked over his contribs, and several articles have been edited since, apparently not realizing the vandalism had occurred. SB_Johnny | ^talk 22:33, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

But I'm not a vandal

I made my first trivial edit a while back, happened to look for it and found that it's been reverted and marked as vandalism. What am I supposed to do? Just edit it back again? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Somerandomnerd (talk • contribs) .

I looked up your edit and it appears you changed a statement in a Star Wars article. You did not provide a reference for the statement, and probably another user incorrectly believed it was vandalism. It may help to know that that user failed to assume good faith. If you change it back, be sure to include a link to the source. Take a look at WP:V and WP:CITE and feel free to ask if you have any other questions. --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · contribs · e@} 23:00, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

Something interesting I've noticed about CapnCrack

Recently on the page about the vandal CapnCrack I posted a sentence which tried to explain his motive for vandalism (based on a post he made to the page himself). The sentence I added stated that he is gay and vandalises the page Oklahoma Christian University because it is intolerant of homosexuals (though the above edit only states that he dislikes the school's stance on homosexuality, not that he is gay himself). This vandal obviously dislikes being called "gay", as twice he has removed this sentence from the page (see [2] and [3]). Even though it isn't completely accurate, I am wondering if keeping that sentence on the page will be beneficial, as it will cause CapnCrack to spend his time removing it instead of vandalising elsewere. What do you think about this?--The Count of Monte Cristo ^Parley 03:44, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Nah, on second thought, it might just encourage more vandalism, so I'm going to remove the part that says he's gay.--The Count of Monte Cristo ^Parley 01:02, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Um, why would that matter in the first place? SB_Johnny | ^talk 01:09, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Because he doesn't like being refered to as "gay".--The Count of Monte Cristo ^Parley 01:29, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Maybe he isn't. I just don't see the relevance of a vandal's sexual preference. (Or pretty much anythng else about the vandal aside from their propensity for and method of vandalizing). --SB_Johnny | ^talk 01:43, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Two of several possibilities: Either he's gay but stating he is doesn't distract him from his vandalism; or he isn't, and stating he is incites him to more vandalism. Either way, I can't see that making unsourced statements, whether the vandal or any other reader would consider them positive, negative, or neutral, would necessarily be beneficial in terms of reducing vandalism. --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · contribs · e@} 03:58, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

So are you suggesting that we feed the vandal? Yanksox 05:48, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

Virtually unmonitored vandalism

Hello, CVU. I have an alarming request to make. The Image, Image talk, Portal, and Category namespaces are extremely underpatrolled (Img and Img talk especially). I frequently find that vandalism and general bad edits go unreverted for hours, days, or even months. This is one extreme example of uncaught bad edits, as far as duration is concerned (I realized that it was 3 months and not 7 months after I had edited). It is common to see more damaging vandalism and nonsense go unnoticed, to the point where it could damage Wikipedia's integrity if it gets into the wrong hands. I have my revert sprees every now and then, but I am only one person. I request that it be broadcast to RC patrollers to saturate these namespaces with checks for vandalism, nonsense, and bad editing. This is a good way to do it, but it doesn't catch everything. Thanks. —BazookaJoe 03:30, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

I see what you mean... went through about 10 using link you provided, and 4 were vandalisms. I could clearly spend all day going through them, but I don't see it as a very high priority: it's primarily just silliness added to the image description, and so has little effect on a reader's experience of reading an article. --SB_Johnny | ^talk 18:15, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Though I agree with you that it isn't nearly as high priority as, say, the vandalism of the current FA, I think it's unfair to marginalize the images just because they don't disrupt an article. Wikipedia, despite the fact that we all believe in it (obviously), is still seen as a hotbed of chaos and anarchy. To let the images go to hell just because they aren't in the main namespace is unfair.

I'll bookmark the link BazookaJoe provided to catch some random crap, but if that link could be posted somewhere on the CVU main page so that other members can use it as well, that would be optimal. Also, is there a comparable link to Special:Random for images? I generally use that on the weekends for random article maintenance, and I'd be happy to add images to my patrolling. EVula 20:58, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for understanding. My other concern about uncaught image vandalism is the removal or malicious modification of copyright tags. And you don't need me to tell you that's a bad thing (for example). :) By the way, my friend told me that it's Special:Random/Image. —BazookaJoe 00:33, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

When I'm Vandal Hunting I trty to catch Image Vandlaism (And caught several attempts at it) I have also listed two images for deletion becaused they were used to vandalise. Æon ^{Insane Ward} 17:47, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

I wonder if a bot could be designed to watch for changes to copyright information? --SB_Johnny | ^talk 09:31, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Suspicious IP

Based on this edit, I wonder if this IP might belong to Johnny Knight (see WP:LTA).--The Count of Monte Cristo ^Parley 17:37, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Vandalism by a CVU "member"

It's quite ridiculous that a vandal is a so-called "member" of the Counter-Vandalism Unit. Does he really believe that adding a {{User wikipedia/Counter Vandalism Unit}} tag gives him immunity? That user has a long history of vandal activities, mostly arbitrary reversion and deletion of articles which does not settle with his POV. Which is also quite ridiculous, as the user is also {{user NPOV}}...

More than 75% of the user "Contributions" are either POV or vandalism, or both. A few examples:

• User_talk:Yousaf465/Archive_1#Content removal
• User_talk:Yousaf465/Archive_1#Vandalism
• User_talk:El_C#more_Yousaf465_vandalism
• 1996 shelling of Qana (diff)
• Zar'it-Ayta ash-Shab incident (diff)

Sincerely, – Fuzzy 18:53, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

Anyone can put a CVU userbox on their userpage, because anyone can edit (...and the fact that anyone can edit seems (unfortunately but inevitably) to lead to vandalism, which is why the CVU exists). Fuzzy, you might want to open a Request for Comment about the user if you find his/her behavior to be problematic, though I'm sure a few members of the CVU will be watching now (I personally haven't looked at the conrtibs yet, but I will later this evening). --SB_Johnny | ^talk 20:07, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

I asked El C to ask the user stop vandalising. I hope no further admin intervention is required. BTW, I also haven't managed to decipher Yousaf465 comment below... – Fuzzy 14:27, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Agreed and removed. Having been banned on 5 July 2006 for vandalism definitely makes it inappropriate for him to be "misrepresenting" himself. --  Netsnipe  ^(Talk)  20:46, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

I think wikipedia is not a place for proving israeli or arab point of view.Why do't you block a person with total zionist(this might seem anti-sem. but this is the correct word other than israeli for the citizens of israel)Pov.The Hassan Page is edit is total Allegation that whole world consider Hibullah a terriost,if Usa does consider it doesn't apply to whole world.Hamas was not the party which fire rockects on Israeli occupied areas.This a well know fact and has been proved by Press(independant press not the kind of propoganda press has was the case in ormer USSR).Gaza beach incident was not a blast it was a clear indication of a artillery use so describing it as a blast is same as proving the two plus two three.Yousaf465

...... what? American Patriot 1776 06:12, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Oh, I should have looked at those summaries. This is an edit-war problem on 2006_Israel-Lebanon_conflict and related articles (which has of course been raging for the past month). --SB_Johnny | ^talk 09:55, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Fuzzy, this issue is about a POV edit war, or perhaps POV andalism. You really should try asking for mediation, or else open an RFC. This issue is a bit outside the scope of the CVU. SB_Johnny | ^talk 14:36, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

IP confirmed to be that of sockpuppeteer

Above I posted a link to an edit by an anonymous IP that hinted that it was used by a sockpuppeter known as "Johnny Knight". I believe that this edit may confirm my suspicions. The IP has since made more edits to his WP:LTA entry claiming to be the vandal.--The Count of Monte Cristo ^Parley 07:09, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

This IP also made two edits to WP:VANDALNAME. One, (which I provided a link to above), added "Johnny Knight" to the list, while the other added "General Tojo", suggesting a possible connection between this IP and the General Tojo vandal as well.--The Count of Monte Cristo ^Parley 07:52, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

There's no connection. Tojo is confined to the 88.104.0.0/13 range and only vandalises the user pages of editors who revert him. All his other edits are POV pushing and reverting all edits of a select few editors. Reread the report on him. --  Netsnipe  ^(Talk)  16:41, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

WikiDefcon

hi, i am just wondering who decides WikiDefcon, has it ever been at level 1 and what differences are there to wikipedia at different levels. i mean do all article become locked at WikiDefcon 1 or something, because i think that would be cool--Greg.loutsenko 23:07, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, the last few days have seemed to have more vandalism than normal or alot more, I usually just look over a few article that I've spent alot of time on and those are being vandalised viciously, namely the Eric Clapton article. Is this more widespread or just limited, the defcon would say I guess but who decides the defcon? - Patman2648 00:05, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

The Defcon is changed by members of the CVU (Any member that can edit a semi protected template) to reflect how much vandalsim is in progress. In some cases such as if Willy on Wheel or the Communism Vandal strike members of the CVU set it to 2 (Due to the nature of the vandalsim and the quantiy). Most cases the highest we go to in a given week is 3. If it is set to one it would be because several Vandalbots got into the Wiki and the CVU and Admins were overwelmed and were unable to keep up. It is all based on what is noticed. If you see it be bold and change it to alert others.

Here is the Critiera for each defcon

LEVEL	Description
1	Very high level of vandalism
2	High level of vandalism
3	Moderate to high level of vandalism
4	Low to moderate level of vandalism
5	Very low level of vandalism
0	Vandalism levels unknown.

Hopefully this should answer your question. Æon ^{Insane Ward} 17:31, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

When would level 0 ever be used? If the current level of vandalism is ever "unknown", then wouldn't it just be assumed to be the most recent confirmed level of vandalism?--The Count of Monte Cristo ^Parley 03:10, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

On that one I have no idea I think it is for the IRC Channels being down or something....not sure Count. Æon ^{Insane Ward} 17:43, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Just for reference, a few days back there was a database lockdown due to network issues, followed by sporadic reachability of the site by several users. Wdefcon was set to zero for this. -- Omicronpersei8 (talk) 19:45, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

Just a reminder

I just wanted to remind everyone to monitor the "current issues" section of WP:CVU and see that it is up to date. When I updated it a while back it was several months out of date.--The Count of Monte Cristo ^Parley 03:51, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

How uber sad are some people?

This is the ultimate in plaigerism from the Counter terrorrist unit from 24. I am surprised wikipedieia hasn't been sued of it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.67.170.243 (talk • contribs)

...says the vandal who made this edit. IrishGuy ^talk 20:01, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Joning

Hi, i just wanna know how to join. Killswitch Engage

Just add yourself to the list on the main page, and/or put a userbox on your userpage :). SB_Johnny | ^talk 11:49, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

IRC authentification

How does this work, exactly? --SB_Johnny | ^talk 11:49, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Randallrobinstine is back

I just though I should let you know that Randallrobinstine has resumed sockpuppet vandalism.--67.67.217.220 03:50, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

Anonymous bot?

user:203.217.13.143 appears to be a bot that is removing links to specific sites, especially, for some reason, http://www.crystalinks.com . --Eliyak T·C 19:36, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

official imprimateur

I'm concerned that CVU gets an "official" look-and-feel from having these two logos work in the official project logos. I had to go halfway down the page before I ever saw a disclaimer that it is not an official arm of the Wikimedia Foundation, and having their name and logos at the top of your page certainly could lead some to question this... I'm sure you're tired of hearing this, but was there ever a response to Wikipedia_talk:Counter-Vandalism_Unit/Archive_4#Trademark.2Fcopyright_vio from The_Cunctator? -- nae'blis 20:38, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

I agree. These logos should, at the very least, not be saying "Wikimedia Foundation", regardless of trademark law. —Centrx→talk • 20:05, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

And is this project related to Meta or other Wikimedia projects? I think having just the left one with the Wikipedia logo, without the "Wikimedia Foundation" text, would be best. —Centrx→talk • 03:36, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

Will vandals will be allowed to remove legitimate warnings from their talk pages?

Despite the outcome of Wikipedia:Removing warnings poll, whether vandals will be allowed to remove legitimate warnings from their talk pages is presently being discussed, again. Please share your thoughts on this matter at Wikipedia talk:Centralized discussion/Removing warnings John254 22:45, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

This is absurd - we have NEVER allowed polls conducted within what is essentially a wikiproject to set sitewide policy, especially when there was substantial objection - 9 people when the "consensus" option had 19 votes - to even trying to determine consensus that way. Phil Sandifer 19:57, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

I explained how I construed the results of Wikipedia:Removing warnings poll in great detail here. Note that some users gave conditional comments that depended on whether the warnings being removed were vandalism warnings , so the substance of each comment must be considered. Furthermore, the Wikipedia:Removing warnings poll was not "conducted within what is essentially a wikiproject" -- it was generally publicized in the centralized discussion template, requests for comment, and the header for WP:AIV, in addition to the Counter-Vandalism Unit's project pages. Finally, in the templates for deletion debate for the warning removal templates, there was a strong consensus to retain the templates, and, by extension, the policy which authorizes their use. John254 22:51, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

Did it get mention on the mailing lists? Village pump? The weekly what's going on? You ran a sparsely advertised poll for under a week. And deletion debates - particularly ones that gather only 13 votes - are not adequate gagues of sitewide consensus. Compare the participation in this poll to, say, Wikipedia:Trolling poll, which was held two years ago, when the site was appreciably smaller. Or Wikipedia:Three revert rule enforcement. Consider also a longstanding taboo against voting (And remember - RFA is not a vote as such. It's a poll used as a tool for what actually picks administrators, which is bueraucrats). This is not how you form policy. Simple as that. Phil Sandifer 23:06, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

Restoring language prohibiting the removal of legitimate warnings that has been present in Wikipedia:Vandalism for months is not "forming policy" -- it's merely maintaining existing policy that was eliminated against consensus. After the removal of policy language prohibiting the removal of legitimate warnings that has been in Wikipedia:Vandalism for nearly 3 months [4], it is incorrect to insist that the restoration of this language amounts to "forming policy". John254 14:40, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

It has been disputed, added, removed, and clarified since January, when it went in as an example, you're right. There's never been a clear consensus of support for the blanket classification of removal of warnings as vandalism. -- nae'blis 17:46, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

WoW's page up for deletion

Just so that everyone here knows about this - the page Wikipedia:Long term abuse/Willy on Wheels is up for deletion, discussion can be seen here: Wikipedia:Miscellany for deletion/Wikipedia:Long term abuse/Willy on Wheels 2. If you have any thoughts on this discuss them there.--Konstable 04:50, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

Putting CVU up for Deletion

Before you laugh me out the door, I'm going to nominate the Counter-Vandalism Unit for a deletion discussion, on the grounds that it glorifies the fight against vandalism, and thus glorifies vandals by association. Witness the countless attacks on this page by vandals over the last few months. They're like moths to a flame, and perhaps it's time to put out the flame. If you disagree with me, please feel free to do so on the deletion talk page that I will create. Please take this seriously, and do not attempt to remove my deletion notice out of hand without considering the facts of the case. Dr Chatterjee 00:59, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

The CVU should not be Deleted! It is an Needed Project! Æon ^{Insanity Now!}_EA! 02:22, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

• Do you have any evidence that those who vandalize the CVU page vandalize other articles/pages when otherwise they would not have? --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · e@} 03:26, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

• Taking your proposal seriously, I still fail to see a reason. Ginkgo100 summed up one of my concerns, but the other is that the value that this project brings to the community in general (a central place for those interested in pro-actively preventing vandalism) versus that of being a lightning rod for vandalism needs to be compared. By extension, it could be argued that because the project's existence attracts vandals, the project's existence makes it easier to identify and deal with vandals; with that logic, the project's existence becomes extremely beneficial to the entire Wikipedia project, albeit in an unexpected manner. (sorry if that didn't make sense; I'm tired, but wanted to throw in my two cents before heading off to bed) EVula 05:55, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

• This has been debated in the past and the reality is vandalism will continue to occur whether this page exists or not. The only main difference will be that there will be less coordination with other vandal-patrollers and available online resources. I don't see the need for deletion and would rather encourage promotion of groups like this in order to let others know that there are actually people on wiki who are trying to raise the bar on the articles, not bring them down. --LifeStar 15:32, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

• Each time the CVU page is vandalized, a real Wikipedia article is saved from vandalism. I would actually say that the CVU vilifies vandals, as opposed to just ignoring them. No, I'd rather see my own user page deleted than this one. --Chodorkovskiy ^(talk) 16:32, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
  • I Agree with all above (I have also worn myself out aruging for it in the MfD) Æon ^{Insanity Now!}_EA! 18:20, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
  • I agree completely with Chodorkovskiy; I'd rather see his user page deleted than this one, too. EVula 15:26, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

Speedy Reversion Tool in Common Use

I have had to revert due to vandalism but the procedure was somewhat long, especially because I had nothing to automatically create a description for the reversion. I have seen many reversions that have the format "(Reverted edits by XXX to last version by XXX)" so I am just wondering if there is a tool for non-admins that creates this tag and makes the process faster. "Godmode-lite" looks like something that would work, but any input is greatly appreciated. If this is the tool that makes the tag, how does one use it? I couldn't find much data on this topic, so I apologize for asking if this information is somewhere else on wikipedia.

I'm very interested in revision software too. I have tried using Vandal Fighter witch is great for finding vandalised articles but it dose not have a revision tool and I have applied for VandalProof but I think my number of edits are too low. Dose anyone have any advice or suggestions. Zippokovich 20:49, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

I have it! use the popups tool

Zippokovich 21:24, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

Logo problem

The current CVU logo flagrantly violates the policy on such matters: [5]. Is there an explicit exemption? If not, those logos need to be deleted stat. Phil Sandifer 04:04, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

Also, note that the existing permission (A note on Angela's talk page) is contingent on the lack of a policy on the logo, which now exists, so it doesn't apply. Phil Sandifer 04:06, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

Note there are comments above, at #official imprimateur, on this very issue, but no one involved with this "unit" responded. Even if there weren't an issue with Wikimedia logos or trademarks, these official-looking images absolutely do not belong here. —Centrx→talk • 04:26, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

So... ummm... official answer on this? Because I'm going to delete soon otherwise... Phil Sandifer 04:01, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

The fact that Angela is aware of the Counter-Vandalism Unit's logos [6] and has not deleted them appears to imply permission for their continued use. If you believe that these logos are inconsistent with Wikipedia's logo policy, I suggest that you contact her to request deletion, rather than speedily deleting them yourself. We don't need to unnecessarily create more entries in Wikipedia:Deletion Review. Furthermore, given the extensive efforts of members of the Counter-Vandalism Unit in RC patrol to protect the integrity of Wikipedia, it might be more appropriate to thank the members of the Counter-Vandalism Unit than to speedily delete their project page and quibble about the Counter-Vandalism Unit's logo. John254 22:45, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

The fact that Angela, several months ago, when different policies were in place, did not delete the images does not imply a permission that continues after the policy directly changes. Furthermore, the idea that your efforts to clean up RC patrol - something that was being done perfectly well before you came along - somehow gives you a pass to have copyright violation logos that serve no purpose is absurd, and frankly more destructive than vandalism, which would continue to be reverted even if the CVU were deleted and all its members left Wikipedia. I mean, thanks for your efforts, but don't mistake yourself for being necessary. Phil Sandifer 22:48, 31 August 2006 (UTC)