Wikipedia talk:Bot policy
This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Bot policy page. |
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![]() | This is not the place to request a bot, request approval to run a bot, or to complain about an individual bot
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Wikipedia is not prepared for a possible bot attack
I have a feeling that because anybody can make a (unathorised) bot, I believe that at some point there will be user(s) that will program a bot to spread true shit all over the project, and messing up all over and possibly spreading a virus. I think that the bots have a too low security level, and if a bot account ends up in the hands of a clever vandal, we may be faced with a major problem. I think we should take more care about the safety of our bots, to prevent possible abuse. MikeNicho231 (talk) 21:28, 19 November 2010 (UTC)
- The last bot that started misbehaving was blocked 5 minutes into its edits. Unauthorised bots (which are just regular accounts/anon edits) show up on watchlists/recent changes so their edits will be highlighted very soon. Bots cannot spread malicious software directly as MediaWiki software prevents that. Currently bot operator is required to have sufficient edits, list enough function details, and run a trial before having their bot approved. What additional measures do you suggest we take? — HELLKNOWZ ▎TALK 21:40, 19 November 2010 (UTC)
- A bot malfunctioning is not a major issue, as long as it does not behave in any malicious way. What IS concerning, is the risk of a human being programming a bot to behave in a way that may disrupt the whole Wikipedia. A person with some insight in computing will have little problem to do this. I want Wikipedia to improve bot safety in such a way that even the slightest deviation from the intended purpose of the bot causes the bot to be blocked from further work until it has been solved. MikeNicho231 (talk) 21:50, 19 November 2010 (UTC)
- While the bot policy does not say "slightest deviation", a bot would be blocked if it performed a task it is not approved for. How do you propose to monitor the bot operation? — HELLKNOWZ ▎TALK 21:56, 19 November 2010 (UTC)
- An automated script that should prevent any change to the bot tasks. If a bot is programmed into vandalising, spreading malicious software, or if an admin bot is programmed into deleting lots of pages, blocking users, and such, it could be very harmful to the whole community. 83.109.104.4 (talk) 09:03, 20 November 2010 (UTC)
- While the bot policy does not say "slightest deviation", a bot would be blocked if it performed a task it is not approved for. How do you propose to monitor the bot operation? — HELLKNOWZ ▎TALK 21:56, 19 November 2010 (UTC)
- A bot malfunctioning is not a major issue, as long as it does not behave in any malicious way. What IS concerning, is the risk of a human being programming a bot to behave in a way that may disrupt the whole Wikipedia. A person with some insight in computing will have little problem to do this. I want Wikipedia to improve bot safety in such a way that even the slightest deviation from the intended purpose of the bot causes the bot to be blocked from further work until it has been solved. MikeNicho231 (talk) 21:50, 19 November 2010 (UTC)