Wikipedia:Bots/Requests for approval/TrustMeImAIRobot

TrustMeImAIRobot

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Operator: TrustMeImAIRobot (talk · contribs · SUL · edit count · logs · page moves · block log · rights log · ANI search)

Time filed: 17:02, Tuesday, February 28, 2017 (UTC)

Automatic, Supervised, or Manual: Supervised

Programming language(s): Python (using mwclient)

Source code available: Nope, but if necessary, I can share it

Function overview: Updates football tables in Moldovan Football Leagues

Links to relevant discussions (where appropriate): -

Edit period(s): Few times a week (after games in league are played)

Estimated number of pages affected: 4 pages in all languages translated in

Exclusion compliant (Yes/No):

Already has a bot flag (Yes/No): No

Function details:

Bots logic is like this:

• check if the result table was updated on the official league web-site
• check if on the wiki-page last edit was made by me (by this bot)
  • if so: get the wiki-page data => generate new table with up-to-date scores => replace old table with the new one => commit to the server
  • if no, set the update status to Manual, which needs my intervention to see what's changed, to not harm

Discussion

I don't have a separate account, because i'm making changes as an IP-user. But making changes in tables was a time-consuming job, so I coded this bot (and created this account for him), to make the changes semi-automatically. There is my contact information in the bots User-Agent header, if any.

Thank You TrustMeImAIRobot (talk) 17:02, 28 February 2017 (UTC)

•  Note: This request specifies the bot account as the operator. A bot may not operate itself; please update the "Operator" field to indicate the account of the human running this bot. AnomieBOT⚡ 15:31, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

•  Note: This bot appears to have edited since this BRFA was filed. Bots may not edit outside their own or their operator's userspace unless approved or approved for trial. AnomieBOT⚡ 15:31, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

WP:BOTPOL requires that bots identify who operates them, and I'm not quite sure that giving your IP counts as identification for the purpose of this policy. I'm also not quite sure IP-operated bots is something the community is comfortable with, both for technical and security reasons. The main issue I see is that IPs change over time, and thus you might not see messages left on your talk page, and be able to comply with WP:BOTCOMM.

I'm not ready to unilaterally require you to register an account at this point, but I will let you know that it would save everyone a lot of trouble if you did (see Special:CreateAccount and WP:ACCOUNT). Also take note of the two notices left by AnomieBot above. Headbomb {talk / contribs / physics / books} 15:47, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

The bot page, User:TrustMeImAIRobot says this is operated by an IP user, bots need to be operated by registered users in order to maintain accountability for their edits. — xaosflux ^Talk 16:08, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

I have created an RFC on the issue Wikipedia talk:Bot policy#Are/should IPs be allowed to run bots?. Headbomb {talk / contribs / physics / books} 16:10, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

 On hold While operator eligibility is being discussed. — xaosflux ^Talk 16:40, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

To be honest, I am unsure how this would pass WP:BOTNOTNOW, even if it is decided that IPs can have bots. The user has <60 edits, most since start of year, and most to the same area. The task is very small-scoped, which is the only leeway to not apply BOTNOTNOW so strictly. But it's still a bot-flagged account with lots of grief potential. —  HELLKNOWZ  ▎TALK 16:44, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

One thing I'll say here (possibly in violation of WP:BEANS, but certainly in the spirit of WP:IAR) is that regardless of whether or not your bot ends up approved, if you update only 4 article a few times a week with an unapproved bot, no one would be able to tell if you're doing this with a bot or 'manually'. If your bot malfunctions, messages will be left on the IP's talk page the bot edits from, and if it misbehaves the IP will be blocked for vandalism or similar. You can test the bot by making it edit a WP:SANDBOX first, and once it behaves correctly, you can run it without approval. Unlike bot edits, those edits will be be patrolled, appear in everyone's watchlists, and you won't have access to higher-API limits, etc... Your potential to break things will be several restricted, but if you do break things you'll lose editing privileges (at least temporarily, but perhaps indefinitely depending on the severity of the issues).

So if you want to run such an unapproved bot from your IP, the onus is on you to make sure you get it right and no one can tell the difference between "human who occasionally updates things correctly" and your bot. Headbomb {talk / contribs / physics / books} 21:19, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

I've already got edit-ban on Chinese wiki for running unauthorized bot :) That's why I'm here 89.28.5.39 (talk) 09:00, 2 March 2017 (UTC)