Wikipedia:Autoblock
 | To have an autoblock on your account lifted, please follow these instructions, but note that the instructions only work if you are able to edit your talk page while autoblocked. If you cannot edit your talk page, use the Unblock Ticket Request System instead. |
An autoblock is an automatic block of an IP address. Autoblocks are the result of an attempt to edit Wikipedia from an IP address recently used by a blocked user.
Each time a user account edits Wikipedia, the IP address from which the edit was made is saved and logged to the server (this log is accessible only by a very small number of trusted users, called checkusers). If a user account is blocked from editing with the autoblock option enabled, the IP address that was last used by the account to edit Wikipedia will become autoblocked. In addition, if a user account that is currently blocked with the autoblock option enabled attempts to edit Wikipedia using a different IP address, that IP address will also become "autoblocked". This is done in order to prevent the blocked user from logging out of their account and editing Wikipedia anonymously, or attempting to edit Wikipedia by logging into a sockpuppet user account.
While this function works well to prevent bad-faith edits and abuse by currently-blocked users, it is common for innocent users who have done nothing wrong to become caught by an autoblock and hence unable to edit Wikipedia as a result. If this situation happens to you, simply request an unblock and an administrator will review the situation and respond.
Requesting an unblock
Innocent users who find themselves accidentally caught in an autoblock may request an unblock using one or more of the following methods:
- Adding the {{unblock-auto}} template to their user talk page to obtain the attention of an administrator (see this page for further instructions)
- Directly contacting the administrator who applied the initial block by sending them an email using the "Email this user" link located on their user page
- Joining the #wikipedia-en-unblock connect Wikipedia IRC channel on Libera Chat and requesting an unblock there
- Submitting an unblock request using the Unblock Ticket Request System
Unblocking an autoblocked user account
If an innocent user account is accidentally caught in an autoblock, an administrator can remove the block by:
- Reviewing the list of current blocks on Special:BlockList and searching for the user account. This is a case-sensitive search.
- Identifying the Autoblock ID (shown as a #xxxxx number) that is associated with the autoblock. If searching for the autoblock using an Autoblock ID, be sure to include the "#" character.
- Unblocking the Autoblock ID (#xxxxx number) by clicking the "remove block" link. It is located next to the expiration timestamp in the block list entry for the particular autoblock.
Note that once the autoblock is cleared, the block entry for that user's account will no longer appear in the list.
If the user has posted the blocked IP on-wiki as part of their unblock request, consider whether there is a need to redact this information for security or privacy reasons using revision deletion or suppression.
Messages
Block message
When a user is unable to edit due to an autoblock set, they will see the following message:
This account has been automatically blocked on Wikipedia.This does not affect your ability to read Wikipedia pages.
This is because someone using this internet address or shared proxy server was blocked. The ability for all users on this IP address to edit pages has been automatically suspended to prevent abuse by the blocked party. Innocent users are sometimes caught in an autoblock.
Most people who see this message have done nothing wrong.
Some kinds of blocks restrict editing from specific service providers or telecom companies in response to recent abuse or vandalism, and affect other users who are unrelated to that abuse. See below if you do not believe you have done anything wrong.
The account YOUR ACCOUNT has been automatically blocked by THE BLOCKING ADMIN for the following reason(s):
REASON
This block will expire on THE EXPIRATION DATE. The block ID is BLOCK ID.
Even when blocked, you will usually still be able to edit your user talk page, as well as email administrators and other editors.
What does this mean?
As on many websites, Wikipedia administrators occasionally block accounts and IP ranges that are deemed responsible for or related to problematic activity. You may be an innocent victim of collateral damage, whereby a block of some other activity has accidentally caused your account to be unable to edit pages. If your editing access has been blocked by mistake, it will be reactivated very quickly, as soon as you let an administrator know of the problem. The box above gives the information you will need.
- What is a block?
- A block is a measure used to protect Wikipedia from possible improper use, or modification in breach of editorial policies. Once a block has expired, they become history unless problems reoccur. Blocks can be applied to a user account, an IP address, or a range of IP addresses. A number of automated features identify unblocked usage which apparently should be blocked; these are known as autoblocks and can be quickly rectified if incorrect.
- Most common causes of an autoblock
- The typical cause of an autoblock is because your IP address or network is either the same one used by another blocked account, or the software believes your account or IP address is connected to another blocked account. Due to the nature of some Internet service providers, automatic blocks may inadvertently affect people other than the person who the block was intended for.
Rectifying an autoblock
Unblock request
If you are unjustly affected by this block, please copy the following text and paste it to the bottom of your user talk page:
{{unblock-auto|2=<nowiki>REASON</nowiki>|3=THE BLOCKING ADMIN|4=BLOCK ID}}
Once you have followed the instructions above, an administrator will be alerted to your unblock request, and will respond shortly in order to review the block.
If this is a problem that affects you repeatedly, we encourage you to contact your Internet service provider or IT department, and ask them to contact Wikimedia's XFF project about enabling X-Forwarded-For HTTP headers on their proxy servers. This will reduce the chances of you being affected by future automatic blocks.
Alternative option
You will usually receive a faster response by posting the {{unblock-auto|2=<nowiki>REASON</nowiki>|3=THE BLOCKING ADMIN|4=BLOCK ID}} template onto your user talk page, as described in the instructions above. If you need help, however, you can submit a request to the Unblock Ticket Request System by clicking on "submit an unblock request" below. Make sure to include the block ID number shown in the box above.
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Even though requests sent to the Unblock Ticket Request System are viewable only by administrators and trusted volunteers, under no circumstances should you send anyone your account's password, or reveal it to anyone else—even if you're asked to do so.
This system exists for the purpose of reviewing blocks only—any request to make edits to articles on your behalf will be disregarded. Correspondence containing legal threats, personal attacks or rudeness are likely to be ignored and may result in having your current block extended.
Other useful links: Blocking policy · Information on automatic blocks · Help:I have been blocked
Log messages
If the term autoblock disabled is displayed within a user's block message or block log entry, the "autoblock" option was not enabled when the block was applied to the particular account. This means that only the user account was blocked; other users who are editing through the same IP address as the blocked account will be able to do so as normal and without restriction.
The default option when applying a block on a user account is to have autoblocking of the user's IP address enabled; it will usually not explicitly state that autoblocking was enabled in the user's block message or block log entry. To disable the default autoblocking option when applying a block to an account, administrators must manually untick the checkbox next to option that says "Autoblock any IP addresses used".
How it works
Bad article creation bot.
His vandalism caused harej to accidentally autoblock the entire Wikiconference NYC 2009. English Wikipedia ArbCom member Kirill Lokshin looks on with disapproval.
Below is an example of an autoblock in action:
- Bob's account, "User:Bob", is blocked from editing for one week and with the autoblock option enabled. Bob was editing from their "User:Bob" account using the IP address 192.0.0.1.
- Bob stays on IP address 192.0.0.1, logs out of their "User:Bob" account, and attempts to edit anonymously. Bob will not be able to do so, because IP address 192.0.0.1 is autoblocked.
- Bob stays on IP address 192.0.0.1, but now attempts to edit Wikipedia by logging into another (sockpuppet) account, "User:Bob 2", which is not currently blocked from editing. Bob will not be able to do so, because IP address 192.0.0.1 is autoblocked.
- Bob then moves to the IP address 192.0.0.2 and attempts to edit both while logged out and from their sockpuppet account "User:Bob 2". Bob will still not be able to do so, because IP address 192.0.0.2 is autoblocked after their attempts to edit from IP address 192.0.0.1.
- This chain of autoblocking will continue until the block that was applied to the "User:Bob" account expires (after one week).
When an autoblock occurs, other users may become autoblocked as the result of a block applied to another user account, who was probably using the same IP address. This makes it possible for other user accounts to become autoblocked even though they have personally done nothing wrong. This situation is referred to as "collateral damage".
Below is an example of an autoblock resulting in collateral damage:
- User:Alice, an administrator, blocks User:Bob for one week and with the autoblock option enabled. Unknown to Alice, Bob edited Wikipedia using an ISP and from a dynamic IP addresses (such as for use at home or within a university, public library, company or organization, etc.).
- Charlie, who also uses the same ISP as Bob, becomes assigned with the same IP address that was last used by Bob. Charlie then signs on to Wikipedia using their User:Charlie account and attempts to edit.
- Charlie is unable to do so and receives an autoblock message as a result. Charlie doesn't understand what an autoblock is, why they are unable to edit Wikipedia, and then angrily demands to know why Alice has blocked them.
It is important for users to understand that administrators do not set autoblocks directly; once they have blocked a user account with autoblocking enabled, autoblocks are set automatically by the MediaWiki software as a result of the initial block. Autoblocks do not appear in administrators' block logs, and administrators are not notified of any subsequent autoblocks that are applied or any users who become caught within an autoblock later. This is a necessary consequence of Wikipedia's privacy policy to keep the IP addresses of logged in users private. So, while the IP address responsible for each edit is recorded by the MediaWiki software, this cannot be accessed, even by administrators and even when the user is blocked.
The only circumstances in which user account and IP address information may be viewed and associated with one another are after certain policy violations have occurred, and done so in order to investigate those violations and take appropriate action as a result. These circumstances, along with the relevant policies regarding the association of this data is detailed on the Wikipedia checkuser policy page. Even then, access to the Checkuser tool that allows the viewing of this information is highly restricted, and granted only to a small group of trusted users. It is not accessible by administrators in general.
Cookie block
When a user is blocked with the autoblock option enabled, a cookie will be created and set on the blocked user's browser for tracking purposes. The cookie block helps to assure that the user will still be unable to edit Wikipedia even after logging out of their account and after moving to a new IP address. When the cookie is set and a user attempts to edit a page on Wikipedia, the MediaWiki software will load the original block specified in the cookie and prevent the user from making the edit. This function does not, however, create an autoblock for the new IP address. That only happens if the user logs into their original blocked account and attempts to edit. This form of tracking is dependent on the user's browser retaining the cookie information, and hence will not work for all blocked users in all situations. The cookie block feature is intended to provide a small extra level of protection against blocks being circumvented.
Disabling autoblocking
When a block is issued for a user account, autoblocking the user's IP address is enabled by default, except for common dynamic IP ranges, such as those used by many residential ISPs. A list of such automatically exempt IP ranges can be found at MediaWiki:Autoblock whitelist.
Administrators can disable autoblocking at the time of blocking a user account by unticking the checkbox next to the "Autoblock any IP addresses used" option on the block function page. After a block is placed with autoblocking enabled, it can be fixed later by modifying the user's block. This should typically not be done unless doing so is deemed to be absolutely necessary.
Automatic reset
There is an internal autoblock expiry time variable, which is set to 24 hours, meaning that autoblocks that are automatically applied will only last for that amount of time and will expire afterwards. However, in the case where the IP address is allocated dynamically (such as those used by many residential ISPs), this has the potential to unintentionally affect a significant number of other users before the original block expires. So in the case of an indefinite block, autoblocks may continue to be set by the software and for weeks or even months after the initial block has been set. Autoblocks may also continue to trigger for older indefinite blocks that predate when the autoblock exemption whitelist and the option to disable autoblocking was implemented as a feature.
Since 2012 (MediaWiki version 1.20.0), manually removing the original account block will automatically remove every auto block that was created as a consequence of that original block. If the original block merely expires, any autoblocks that are implemented as a result will not be immediately removed automatically.
Ipblocklist
When IP addresses are autoblocked, they will appear in Special:Ipblocklist (but not in the administrator's block log) with a special mask that prevents the IP from being seen. Autoblocks register on Special:Ipblocklist and in the banner available to the blocked user, with the name of the admin that set the original block. However, the administrator is not notified when an autoblock has been placed or if a user becomes caught within an autoblock later.
Tips
- It is helpful for all users involved in an unintentional autoblock to remain patient and remember that it is the MediaWiki software, not the administrator whose name appears on the block message or block log, that is directly responsible for applying any autoblocks.
- It is equally important for all administrators to check Special:Ipblocklist regularly and remove all autoblocks from a particular user if more than two autoblocks are set in rapid succession following an account block with the option enabled.
- If more than two IP addressess become autoblocked within seconds or minutes of each other, it is a good indication that the IP address that was originally autoblocked is allocated dynamically by the ISP, hence the resulting autoblocks afterwards are very likely to be collateral damage.