Wikipedia:Open proxies - Wikipedia
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Policy on open proxies
"WP:PROXY" redirects here. For "proxying" edits for other users, see
WP:PROXYING
If you have received a message that you are blocked from editing as an open proxy, please see
this help page
For reporting suspected open proxies or investigating unblock requests from addresses blocked as proxies, see
Wikipedia:WikiProject on open proxies
This page documents an English Wikipedia
procedural policy
It documents various processes by which the English Wikipedia operates.
Shortcuts
WP:PROXY
WP:PROXY
WP:NOP
WP:NOP
This page in a nutshell:
Because of the potential for abuse and technical limitations on the MediaWiki software,
open proxies
may be blocked from editing for any period at any time.
This page provides information about the use of
open proxies
to read and edit the English Wikipedia.
Note that if you see a block message and if you are on an
Apple device
or
Microsoft Edge
, it may be because you have enabled
iCloud Private Relay
or
Microsoft Edge Secure Network
, respectively.
Policy
See also:
Wikipedia: Blocking policy § Open or anonymous proxies
, and
Wikipedia:Blocking IP addresses § Open proxies
Open or anonymizing proxies
, including
Tor
as well as many public
VPNs
, may be blocked from editing for any period at any time. Legitimate users may be affected, though they are not the intended targets and may use proxies until those are blocked. No restrictions are placed on
reading
Wikipedia through an open or anonymous proxy.
Proxies are left open due to deliberate or inadvertent configuration or because
crackers
have changed the configuration. Non-static
IP addresses
or hosts that are otherwise not permanent proxies should typically be blocked for a shorter period of time, as eventually the IP address will likely be transferred or dynamically reassigned, or the open proxy closed. Once closed, the IP address should be unblocked.
To maintain project security, administrators reviewing blocks involving open proxies should not unblock the IP address or range in question unless they are sure that there is no longer a functioning open proxy at that location. For assistance with this, administrators are encouraged to list the IP address/range at
Wikipedia:WikiProject on open proxies/Requests
for review.
Rationale
Although Wikipedia encourages anyone in the world to contribute, open proxies are often used abusively.
MediaWiki
, the wiki software that powers Wikipedia, depends on IP addresses for administrator intervention against abuse, especially by unregistered users. Open proxies allow malicious users to cause disruption that is more complicated to stop.
Editors who need to use proxies
This policy causes difficulty for editors who may need to use open proxies for security reasons or to circumvent
censorship
. Editors in countries where
Wikipedia is censored
, such as
China
, should read the
Advice to users using Tor
to bypass restrictions like the
Great Firewall
. Editors who have a demonstrated need to edit through proxies or Tor may request the
IP block exemption flag
, which allows editing from blocked IPs. See
IP block exemption § Used for anonymous proxy editing
for more.
CheckUser
Whether an account has been using open proxies, determined by
CheckUser
, may be considered when evaluating
suspicions of sockpuppetry
or other abuse. If an account appears to be using open proxies to circumvent policy, the account may be blocked.
See also
Wikipedia:Sockpuppetry
WikiProject on open proxies
m:Editing with Tor
This policy is based on the global
No open proxies
policy.
WikiProject on closed proxies
(somewhat defunct)
Wikipedia:IP block exemption
Category:Open proxies blocked on Wikipedia
External links
WikiEn-l: "Anonymous proxies (was Re: Desysop Morwen)"
Tim Starling
15 February 2004
WikiEn-l: "Anonymous proxies (was Re: Desysop Morwen)"
Jimmy Wales
16 February 2004
WikiEn-l: "Anonymous proxies (was Re: Desysop Morwen)"
Jimmy Wales
16 February 2004
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