Wikipedia:Guide to appealing blocks
This is an explanatory essay about the appealing a block guideline page. This page provides additional information about concepts in the page(s) it supplements. This page is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. |
Occasionally, a user will edit Wikipedia using the same IP address as another user who then becomes blocked. As a result, the first user will be shown a block message describing the other user's activity. If you receive a block notice about actions that you were not involved with, don't worry; stay calm. Simply ask for assistance as described below, and the matter will be investigated. |
This page in a nutshell: Understand in full the reasons of your block before requesting an unblock. Put all the relevant information in the unblock request, and only that. Keep your mind calm and assume good faith on the part of our experienced administrators. If your appeal is rejected, do not make a new one until you thoroughly understand the reasons. |
This is a guide to making unblock requests. Users may be blocked from editing by Wikipedia administrators to prevent damage or disruption to Wikipedia. Blocks are lifted if they are not (or no longer) necessary to prevent such damage or disruption.
You, as a blocked editor, are responsible for convincing administrators:
- that the block is no longer necessary because you understand what you are blocked for, you will not do it again, and you will make productive contributions instead; or:
- that the block was not necessary to prevent damage or disruption (i.e., that the block violates our blocking policy); or:
- that your conduct (under any account or IP address) is not connected in any way with the block (this can happen if a block is aimed at resolving a separate situation and you are unintentionally blocked as a result because you use the same IP range).
It also helps to clearly state your reasons for requesting an unblock because:
- If the background or reason isn't clear, your request may be declined out of hand.
- In complicated situations, the reviewing administrator may not read your whole talk page and all of your contributions. Relevant information not in your unblock request may be overlooked.
- If you make repeated invalid or offensive unblock requests, your talk page access may be revoked which makes it even more difficult to request unblocking.
To make an unblock request, copy the following text to the bottom of your user talk page: {{unblock|1=Insert your reason to be unblocked here ~~~~}}
. Don't forget to insert your own reason to replace "Insert your reason to be unblocked here". Its composition will be discussed below. If you find that you cannot edit your talk page, fill out the form at the Unblock Ticket Request System.
More technical and procedural guidance can be found at Wikipedia:Appealing a block.
Before you request unblock
It's important that you understand the reasons why the administrator blocked you before starting an unblock request. A block is not intended as punishment; it's meant to prevent you from making disruptive edits, either in good faith or as vandalism.
Don't ask questions within your unblock request; that's reserved to explain why you will not be a problem to the project, not to request clarifications about policy. Before requesting to be unblocked, you can ask the administrators that blocked you any clarification about their actions, and they're expected to answer them, though first you have to read the policies they have linked as the reason for the block. If you need to attract the attention of an administrator, you can write {{ping|UserName}} in your comment and they will get a notice, provided that you sign your edit with four tildes (~~~~).
What happens when you request unblock
It may help with your unblock request if you understand how they are reviewed, and by whom.
- When you save the unblock request to your talk page, it is automatically placed in a special category for administrator attention.
- Administrators are volunteers. Be patient. Any review will be carried out by an administrator other than the one who blocked you.
- An administrator reviewing your request will look at the reasons given for the block, and your unblock request, in light of relevant policies. The aim in each case is to reduce disruption, damage, and similar issues from affecting Wikipedia.
- They may, if they choose, leave a note for the blocking admin if they feel they need more information and put your request on hold. If they are considering unblock, administrative etiquette requires they inform the blocking admin and allow an opportunity to comment.
- Often you will find more than one user commenting on your block, or a mini-discussion happening. The administrator who blocked you may contribute, but any decision will be made by the reviewing administrator who takes all points made into account.
- If the reviewing administrator thinks it is necessary, or it is required by policy (such as community bans or equivalent), the reviewing administrator may open a thread at the administrative noticeboard for further comment.
- In some cases, unblock requests may require functionaries (such as CheckUsers or Oversights) to comment. They may also be forwarded to the Arbitration Committee if required.
- If your request is accepted, they will leave a templated response on your talk page and unblock. If it is declined, they will give their reasons in an edit to the request template.
- Verbose or undetailed appeals may not attract administrators to review. In these cases requests may be closed as {{decline stale}} if nobody decided to act within two weeks. Appeals that are brief and focused on the concerns of the blocking admin will help administrators decide more easily.
Composing your request to be unblocked
Try to make it as easy as possible for the reviewing administrator to see why your block is not or no longer needed. Be clear, using easily readable English. Administrators are volunteers, and may have limited time or patience for trying to find out what you mean to say. Write your request yourself; requests that appear to be written with an AI bot or chatbot are likely to be summarily rejected. The reviewer wants to hear from you, not an AI. Also, you should only have one open unblock request at a time for reviewing. Any new request you make while your existing one is still open will likely be procedurally declined.
Understand what you did and why you have been blocked
To effectively contest your block, you must understand the reason for it. Also, if the reviewing administrator concludes that the block was justified, you will not be unblocked unless the reviewing administrator is convinced that you understand what you are blocked for, and that you will not do it again.
You are informed about the block reason in two ways. First, the blocking administrator provides a brief reason that you will see when you try to make an edit. Second, the administrator may leave a message explaining your block on your user talk page. These messages should include the names or abbreviations of those of our site rules (the "policies and guidelines") that the blocking administrator believes you have violated.
Before you make an unblock request, you should attentively read the policies and guidelines named in your block reason. They are usually one or more from among the following: vandalism, sockpuppetry, edit warring, violating the three-revert rule, spamming, editing with a conflict of interest or having a prohibited username. You should also review the blocking policy. If you have read these pages and don't understand, then a first step might be to request a clearer explanation. Attempts to work with others and understand their concerns will be seen positively.
Give a good reason for your unblock
As a user requesting to be unblocked, it is your responsibility to explain why you believe your block violates Wikipedia's blocking policy or should otherwise be reversed. Specifically:
- State your reason for believing your block was incorrect or for requesting reconsideration. It is not enough if you just say that the block was "wrong" or "unfair", or another user violated a policy first. You must explain why it was wrong to block you, or why it should be reversed.
- Address the blocking administrator's concerns about your conduct (the reason given for your block). As explained above, you have been informed about the reason for your block. You must address this reason in your request. This means that you must either explain why the block reason is incorrect or not applicable to your conduct, or you must convince the reviewing administrator that you won't do it again.
- Give evidence. If you state that you did or did not do something, or that the blocking administrator is missing something important, please provide brief details and a link in the form of a differential edit ("diff") if possible, or other evidence showing that you don't (or didn't) do what the block reason states.
Stick to the point
- Be brief.
- Stay calm and civil. The use of profanities, ramblings, ALL CAPS SCREAMING and personal attacks will lead to the decline of your unblock request without further review of your edit history. The block duration may also be extended. You may also lose access to your talk page.
- Provide key information briefly. If a mistake has happened, show actual evidence or explain it (briefly). Don't make vague claims that cannot be checked, or allege conspiracies or bad faith unless there is clear good-quality evidence in the form of diffs.
- Focus on the concerns of the blocking admin and the situation going forward. Show that you understand the blocking administrator's concern and what they want you to do better. Blocks happen because the community has to prevent certain behaviors, and we want you to understand some things matter to us. If you show willingness to appreciate our concerns, discuss the incident in good faith, genuinely learn from mistakes, and show you can keep to the spirit of community policies, often that is all that's needed. If the community still doesn't agree and the block isn't lifted, you will be seen positively when it's over for showing maturity, accepting the outcome, and showing that you are willing to abide by consensus.
Do not make legal threats and do not resort to coercion
You are blocked because of concerns about actions that are a problem. Responding by threats or attempts that show gross lack of understanding makes it worse; it suggests you will not learn in the future.
If you have made a threat, or might make a threat, click 'show'.
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Genuine defamation, privacy breaches, copyright breaches, and misinformation, are taken very seriously. Gossip, unimportant information, and some private details may also be removed at times. Wikipedia has many ways of checking whether our policies or the law governing our website supports your position, and it fields many user teams for this purpose. We act very quickly in response to well-founded complaints. Often, however, people who think they have legal grounds for complaint actually don't according to the law that governs our content.
If you don't know what to do, then the email team is a very good starting point. Do not make threats, and do not ask or hire a lawyer to write — doing so is no more effective than a simple personal email and may get you blocked if your message appears to contain any kind of implied legal or other threat. If you did make a threat and were blocked, then taking it back is often a big part of being unblocked. A message to the effect of "I take back my threat and won't repeat it again; can anything be done to resolve this?" is a good approach. Ask for advice; don't shake a stick. |
- Don't treat your unblock request like a legal proceeding. As explained here, a ban or block is a revocation or suspension of your privilege to edit Wikipedia. Because we are owned by a foundation with bylaws, your freedom of speech does not prevent us from enacting and enforcing our own policies and guidelines. In order to prevent abuse, we may also check your IP address and other accounts using it.
- Don't threaten or imply legal action. Making a legal threat to get your way will almost always result in an immediate indefinite block since it conflicts with the principle of respecting consensus decisions, and also to prevent escalation happening here. Just don't go there: If your concern is valid, other channels are sufficient to address it; if not, then no channel will be sufficient.
- Do not offer to make a donation to Wikipedia. Equivalently, do not threaten to stop donating to Wikipedia. This will likely only serve to confirm that you still do not understand why your behavior is a problem. The administrators reviewing your block are volunteers and do not work for the Wikimedia Foundation; they decide appeals with the goal of minimizing disruptive editorial activity, and are not concerned with whether editors are supporting the encyclopedia monetarily.
- Do not threaten or imply retaliation. It will not help you in the slightest but rather will lead only to a more comprehensive block or an escalation to a ban.
Talk about yourself, not others
You are blocked because of what you did, not because of what others did. For this reason:
- Do not complain about other people, such as editors you may have been in a conflict with, or the blocking administrator. Disagreements with others should be addressed through dispute resolution after you are unblocked, but your unblock request is not the place for this. The only thing that your unblock request needs to address is why you did not in fact disrupt Wikipedia or why you will no longer do so. Unblock requests that contain personal attacks or incivility against others will be declined and may lead to being blocked from your talk page.
- Do not excuse what you did with what others did. Two wrongs do not make a right. An unblock request that just asks administrators to block another editor will be declined.
- Assume good faith towards others. The other editors who may have reported you, and the administrator who blocked you, and everybody involved, are not part of a diabolical conspiracy against someone half a world away they've never met in person, and an unblock request that presumes they are will probably not be accepted.
- Assume others have assumed (and will assume) good faith towards you. The blocking administrator will have tried to assume good faith on your part, as did any administrator who had reviewed previous requests, and the administrator who will review your current request. There is not much need to remind administrators to assume good faith, or to accuse administrators of failure to do so.
Agree to follow Wikipedia community customs
If you are blocked for something you did wrong, and especially if you are blocked for a long time, you are more likely to be unblocked if you:
- Admit to it. All your contributions to Wikipedia are logged. There is no point in denying something that you did do (or that other editors examining the record agree it is very likely that you did), because your edits can and will be checked. Even if they were deleted, all administrators, including the one who will answer your unblock request, are still able to see it.
- Give people a reason to trust you again. Promise, credibly, that you will stop doing whatever got you blocked. Earn back our trust by proposing improvements to articles or proposing firm steps you will take so the issue cannot happen again.
- Don't do it again. If you were blocked for an offensive statement or legal threat, do not repeat it in your unblock request. Even if you feel that your conduct did not deserve a block, evidently at least one administrator disagrees with you on that point. Assume that the reviewing administrator will agree with the block, and write your request in a way that cannot give further offense.
- Tell us why you are here. Say how you intend to help contribute to the encyclopedia after you are unblocked. The community portal and the task center contain ideas for helpful contributions.
If unsatisfied despite everything
In most cases, if others disagree with your request then it's best to accept it. Rarely, a situation may have become so heated or words exchanged, or there may be a genuine reason to worry that the blocking admin has misunderstood or is being extremely unfair. Do not "rant", "flame" or attack others even if you feel attacked yourself. It is the worst thing you can do.
If you have good cause for worrying, it is far better to check you have briefly and calmly made clear your concern and any evidence, and just ask for other independent opinions. Administrators asked to independently review a matter will come to it fresh – often more than one will respond – and may be able to explain or help. They will also consider whether or not the blocking admin appears to have acted reasonably, and what they think has to happen. If they disagree with you, then this can be useful reassurance that the initial view was not unreasonable.
Examples of bad unblock requests
Requests that look like the examples shown below are very likely to be denied. If made repeatedly, they may lead to your block being extended or removal of talk page access by either a change of block settings or your talk page being protected from editing.
Click SHOW to view some examples of bad unblock requests
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