Elite Dangerous Wiki:Protection policy
This page sets out the wiki's protection policy. It adopts the principles of Wikipedia's protection policy for this independent community. Protection is a safeguard against disruption, not an endorsement of a particular version.
Principles
Administrators should use the least restrictive protection that will address the problem, give a clear reason in the protection log, and choose a duration proportionate to the disruption. Protection is not a substitute for blocking a disruptive editor. It should not be used to win an editing dispute or to give one side an advantage. An administrator involved in a content dispute should ask an uninvolved administrator to act. Discuss the underlying content on the relevant talk page.
Protection is generally reactive rather than pre-emptive. Exceptions include high-risk pages, widely used templates, the site interface and persistent abuse where the need for protection is established. Remove or reduce protection when it is no longer needed. An editor may request protection, a change in level or unprotection on the page's talk page or at Project:Requests for page protection. An administrator should review the evidence and record the decision.
Protection levels
- Pending changes lets editors submit changes but holds changes by new users for review on selected pages. Use it for persistent disruption on relatively infrequently edited pages, not as a way to settle a content dispute. See Project:Pending changes.
- Semi-protection prevents edits by accounts that are not confirmed or autoconfirmed. It may address persistent disruption by newer users. Autoconfirmation requires an account at least four days old and at least ten edits.
- Extended confirmed protection permits edits by editors with the extended-confirmed permission or another appropriate permission. Automatic eligibility requires an account at least 30 days old and 500 edits. Use this when a lower level has been ineffective or would be unsuitable.
- Template protection limits editing to template editors and administrators. It is for high-risk templates and modules where accidental or malicious changes could affect many pages.
- Full protection limits editing to administrators. It can be used for serious disruption, high-risk pages, and to pause a content dispute where 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.
- Move, creation and upload protection restrict the corresponding action. Apply these independently when the problem relates to that action. Cascading protection extends full protection to included pages and must be used sparingly because it can affect many pages.
The padlock on a protected page identifies the active restriction. Page and protection logs contain the details and expiry. A lock is an indicator, not a substitute for an actual protection setting. Editors can propose changes on the protected page's talk page; a suitably authorised editor may make an uncontroversial change or one supported by consensus.
Scope and access
The community standards and pending changes policy apply alongside this page. This site currently restricts anonymous editing and public account creation; pending changes therefore applies to eligible registered editors under the current access settings.
This policy is adapted from Wikipedia:Protection policy; see its contributor history. Wikipedia-specific offices and processes do not automatically exist on this independent wiki.