Elite Dangerous Wiki:Protection policy
| This page documents an Elite Dangerous Wiki policy. It explains when editing and other page actions may be restricted. Substantive changes should be discussed with the community. |
| This page in a nutshell: Keep pages open to constructive editing. Where protection is needed, use the least restrictive level and a proportionate duration. Editors who cannot edit a protected page can still propose changes on its talk page. |
Page protection restricts editing, moving, creation or file replacement to editors with the appropriate permissions. It helps prevent disruption and protects shared components whose alteration could affect many pages. Protection does not endorse the current wording or give an editor an advantage in a dispute.
For protection or unprotection requests, see Project:Requests for page protection. For proposed changes to a protected page, use its talk page. Current restrictions can be checked through the page information and protection log.
Overview of page protection
Protection type
Protection can apply independently to different actions:
- Editing restricts changes to page content.
- Creation restricts creation of a particular page title.
- Moving restricts renaming a page.
- Uploading restricts replacement of an existing file.
Protecting a file's description does not, by itself, protect its binary from replacement. A move-only restriction does not prevent otherwise permitted edits.
Protection level
The editing levels used here are semi-protection, extended confirmed protection, template protection and full protection. Each requires different editing permissions, as summarised below. The familiar names do not import Wikipedia's arbitration decisions, offices or administrative processes.
Protection duration
Protection may expire at a specified time or remain in place indefinitely. Administrators should choose a duration proportionate to the problem and remove or reduce protection when it is no longer needed. Indefinite protection remains open to review.
Pre-emptive protection
Protection is generally reactive rather than pre-emptive. Exceptions include high-risk pages, widely used templates and modules, the site interface, important policy and licensing pages, and persistent abuse where the need for protection is established. Ordinary articles, help pages and community discussions should remain editable unless there is a specific reason to restrict them.
Protection is not a substitute for blocking a disruptive editor. Use the least restrictive level that addresses the problem rather than preventing constructive editing unnecessarily.
Requesting protection
Any editor may request protection, a different level or unprotection at Project:Requests for page protection or on the relevant talk page. Explain the problem and provide examples. An administrator should review the evidence, choose an appropriate level and duration, and record a clear reason in the protection log.
An editor who cannot edit a protected page can propose an uncontroversial change or seek consensus on its talk page. An editor with the necessary permission can then make the agreed change. Protection does not normally extend to talk pages.
Summary table
The table describes page-level editing restrictions. All site-wide editing rules and account permissions still apply. In particular, an absence of page protection does not itself enable anonymous editing or account creation.
| Level | Who can edit | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| No page protection | Anyone otherwise permitted to edit by the site's settings. | Ordinary articles, help pages and community discussions. |
 Semi-protection
|
Autoconfirmed editors, administrators and other groups with the semi-protected editing permission. | Persistent disruption by new or unregistered editors; selected important public-facing pages. |
 Extended confirmed protection
|
Editors with the extended-confirmed editing permission and administrators. | Disruption that semi-protection has not addressed, or cases where that level would be unsuitable. |
 Template protection
|
Template editors and administrators. | High-risk or widely used templates, Lua modules and shared styles. |
 Full protection
|
Administrators. | Serious disruption, particularly high-risk pages or a temporary pause in a content dispute. |
Pending changes is a separate review mechanism. Interface protection follows the software's built-in permissions. Neither should be confused with the editing levels in this table.
Protection types
Edit protection
Edit protection restricts changes to page content at the selected level. Protection during a content dispute should encourage discussion, not settle the dispute in favour of the protected version. An administrator involved in the dispute should ask an uninvolved administrator to act.
Creation protection
Creation protection prevents unauthorised creation of a particular title, for example after repeated recreation of an inappropriate page. It does not prevent creation of unrelated pages. See protected titles.
Move protection
Move protection restricts renaming a page. It can be set independently of editing protection, with its own level and expiry. Move-only notices are not grounds for restricting edits to the page's content.
Upload protection
Upload protection restricts replacement of an existing file. It is separate from editing the description page and does not make the file private.
Protection levels
Pending changes
Pending changes allows eligible editors to submit changes while holding changes that require review on selected pages. It is a review mechanism rather than a replacement for page protection. It may be appropriate for persistent disruption on relatively infrequently edited pages, but should not be used to settle a content dispute. Page protection and the site's registration and editing settings continue to apply independently.
Semi-protection
Semi-protection prevents edits by unregistered editors and registered accounts that are not autoconfirmed. On this wiki, automatic eligibility requires an account at least four days old and at least ten edits. Administrators and other groups with the semi-protected editing permission can also edit these pages.
It may address persistent disruption by newer editors and protect important public-facing pages without reserving them to administrators. Editors who do not qualify can propose changes on the page's talk page.
Extended confirmed protection
Extended confirmed protection permits editing by editors with the extended-confirmed editing permission and administrators. Automatic eligibility requires an account at least 30 days old and 500 edits.
Use it when semi-protection has been ineffective or would be unsuitable. Extended-confirmed permission is separate from template-editing permission and does not, by itself, allow editing of template-protected pages.
Template protection
Template protection permits editing by template editors and administrators. It is intended for widely used or high-risk templates, Lua modules and their shared styles, where a mistake or malicious edit could affect many pages.
Autoconfirmed or extended-confirmed status alone does not grant template-editing permission. Documentation is protected separately when necessary. Protecting a template does not automatically protect its documentation, sandbox or test cases.
Full protection
Full protection permits editing by administrators. It may address serious disruption or particularly high-risk pages, or temporarily pause a content dispute when a lesser level will not suffice.
Administrators must not edit a fully protected page to gain an advantage in a dispute. Use the talk page to seek consensus. Uncontroversial or consensus-backed changes may be made by an appropriately authorised editor.
Cascading protection
Cascading protection extends full protection to included pages. Use it sparingly because it can affect many pages. It is not enabled automatically when a template or module is protected. Where possible, protect the specific shared components that need protection instead.
Interface protection
MediaWiki's built-in permissions restrict changes to the site interface. Interface messages require the appropriate interface-editing permission, while site JavaScript and CSS require interface-administrator permissions. These restrictions apply without an additional page-protection setting.
Protection by namespace
Articles and discussion pages
Ordinary articles and discussions should remain open to constructive editing wherever possible. A protected article does not normally need a protected talk page. Keep a route available for editors to discuss the content and request changes.
Templates, modules and documentation
Widely used templates and modules may need protection because their output appears on many pages. Assess documentation separately. A protection notice shown through a template's documentation may describe the parent template; an explicit notice applying to the documentation requires a separate setting.
Sandboxes and test cases
A protected template or module does not automatically require protection of its sandbox or test cases. Keep these available for testing unless there is a specific reason to restrict them.
Protection notices and logs
A protection template is an indicator, not an access control. Adding it does not protect a page, and removing it does not remove an existing restriction. Notices should match the actual protection shown in the page information and protection log.
The padlock on a protected page identifies its restriction. Notices included only as documentation examples do not indicate that the example page itself needs protection. Administrators should check the intended target and action before applying a restriction.
See also
Attribution
This policy is adapted from Wikipedia:Protection policy; see its contributor history. Its rules and processes are adapted for this independent wiki.