THC Science

As an editor on Wikipedia, you have a choice: You can let everyone know who you are by using your real name. Or you can make your edits with a pseudonym, hiding your true identity, and keeping it to yourself.

Remaining anonymous is your right. But there are ways in which your identity can be revealed, even if you do not wish. In other words, on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog, unless you tell them you are.

For example, if you are so proud of an article you created that you tell people you know in person, they may read the article, and from looking at your contributions, they can then learn what else you did on Wikipedia. It is very possible that you do not wish for these people (who could be your relatives, friends, or even your boss) to know about other edits you have previously made or that you plan to make in the future. So before you go and brag, you may wish to be aware of this.

You may also get to "know" other editors on Wikipedia (without knowing their true identities) if you work on a project or on many articles within a common area. These are people you may end up in deep discussions with. You may not want them to know about your other areas of interest.

Hiding such edits from your edit history is a legitimate use for having a second account.

Voluntarily sharing your identity

There are various ways in which you can share your identity with others if you do wish:

Your username: You can make your username your own name, or a name that will be directly tied into your own identity (at least to those who know you). Or you can use a pseudonym, making it one through which no one can determine who you are.
Your user page: You can provide information regarding your identity on your userpage. Or you may leave this out. You do not even need a user page if you do not wish to have one.
Discussions: Sometimes, there will be places within discussions where it'll be acceptable to reveal your identity. You are never under any obligation to do so. But this does occur.

Note that identity verification is required if you wish to become an oversighter or CheckUser; however, if you choose to become one, you'll send it through a private channel, and it will be destroyed upon receipt & verification and will not be shared with anyone outside the Wikimedia Foundation.

Details of your identity

There are various details of one's identity that may be kept secret, but may be revealed by one's editing patterns.

Gender/Race/Religion/Ethnicity: There is no need to reveal one's gender, race, religion, or ethnicity. But by looking at one's edit history, the articles one has edited may be those of interest to members of a particular group.
Geographic location: There is no need to reveal where you live. But it is pretty common for people to make at least some edits to articles pertaining to the area where they live, and to have familiarity with these subjects. In order to avoid revealing where you live, if you wish to edit articles pertaining to your locality, create a separate account for this purpose or edit a variety of locality articles.
Interests: If you edit articles pertaining to a particular interest, particularly a place where you live or an unusual hobby, someone who knows you may be able to detect your writing style and specialized interests and determine you made these edits.

IP editing

Many people refer to IP editing as "anonymous editing." But in reality, IP editing is less anonymous than registering a username. IP addresses in many cases can be traced to an exact location. On the other hand, if you create an account and edit under that, your IP address will be hidden from most users (though it can be obtained by a certain few users only if warranted).

A tool called WikiScanner enables the IP address used for any IP edit to be traced to an approximate location. In some cases, it has been used to determine that edits to an article about a company have been made from the company itself, which is often a conflict of interest.

This news story describes how WikiScanner was used to reveal that thousands of Wikipedia edits were allegedly made from the offices of various government agencies on taxpayer-funded time.

External links

The Real Name Fallacy – The Coral Project

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 Remaining anonymous is your right. But there are ways in which your identity can be revealed, even if you do not wish. In other words, [[on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog]], '''unless''' ''you'' tell them you are.
-Education
-A native of Saginaw, Michigan, John Forsyth holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree in economics from Michigan State University.
-Career
-John Forsyth is Chairman and CEO of Wellmark, Inc. Wellmark is the largest health insurer in both Iowa and South Dakota and issues or pays health benefit claims for more than 2 million Iowans and South Dakotans. Before joining Wellmark, Forsyth served in a variety of executive roles over a 26-year career with the University of Michigan. In 1985, he was named president and CEO of the University of Michigan Health System, one of the largest and most prestigious health systems in the nation.
-Forsyth joined Wellmark as CEO in August 1996 and was named chairman in 2000. During his tenure, he has repositioned Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield as a health improvement company dedicated to serving the people of Iowa and South Dakota. Under his leadership, Wellmark has achieved exceptional operating efficiencies and results. As testament, Wellmark’s administrative costs and rates now rank among the lowest in the nation.
-Believing that the extensive health care data maintained by Wellmark can be a powerful catalyst for action to improve community health, Forsyth has transformed the company's sharing of appropriate information with community leaders, policymakers, customers, and others. Complementing this approach, the company is currently on a journey to build a sustainable health care system by reducing the rate of increase in medical expenses and reducing the average rate increase to the level of the Consumer Price Index (CPI). A significant component of this work includes improving the well-being of all Iowans. Forsyth is a leader in the effort to make Iowa the Healthiest State. This effort has a significant emphasis on changing the environment in which Iowans live, work and play.
-The Wellmark Foundation, under Forsyth’s leadership, focuses its philanthropic activities on health improvement and community wellness for all Iowans and South Dakotans. Through the BluesCare Giving employee philanthropy program, The Foundation awards approximately $1.5 million annually to nonprofits through employee volunteer hour designations and matching gifts. In addition, the Foundation has funded more than 500 grants to Iowa and South Dakota organizations totaling more than $22 million since the Foundation was formed in 1991.
-Forsyth served on the Detroit Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago board of directors from 1992–1996 and was Chair from 1995–1996. In April 2000, at Governor Tom Vilsack’s request, Forsyth led a state-wide task force on teacher compensation, which resulted in precedent-setting changes to teacher pay in Iowa. In April 2003, he was named by Governor Vilsack to the Iowa Board of Regents, and served as president of the board from April 2004 to January 2005.
-Forsyth has served as president of the Federation of Iowa Insurers and is a member of the Iowa Business Council, serving as chair of that organization in 2004. In September 2003, he was elected to the board of directors of Baxter, International, Inc., and in May 2004 was named chair of the compensation committee, a position he holds to date. In July, 2015, he was named to the Baxalta Inc. Board of Directors and chairs their compensation committee. He is a member of the National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) board of directors, and served as chair from 2008–2011. In 2008, he was named to the initial board of directors of the Association of American Medical Colleges, (AAMC) and chaired their investment committee. In 2011, Forsyth became the first public member to sit on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Radiology Foundation. Forsyth served, and continues to serve, on numerous committees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, and from November 2013 to November 2015 served as chair of that board.
-In October 2010, Forsyth joined the REACH (Realizing Education and Career Hopes) Board, which is a college program for students with learning and cognitive disabilities that is affiliated with the University of Iowa, serving on that Board for three years. He has also chaired the board of directors of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, United Way of Central Iowa, and the Variety Club Annual Telethon. In November 2008, Forsyth served as co-chair of the NAACP Des Moines Branch’s 33rd Annual Freedom Fund Banquet. Under his leadership, Wellmark has received the 2008 Better Business Bureau Integrity Award, the 2009 Sioux Empire Society for Human Resource Management Workplace Excellence Award, the 2010 Greater Des Moines Partnership Diversity Award, and the 2010 NAACP Merit Employer Award. In 2011, Forsyth was a recipient of the Diversity Journal CEO Leadership in Action Award, and in 2017 he was inducted into the Iowa Insurance Hall of Fame.¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿
 For example, if you are so proud of an article you created that you tell people you know in person, they may read the article, and from looking at your contributions, they can then learn what else you did on Wikipedia. It is very possible that you do not wish for these people (who could be your relatives, friends, or even your boss) to know about other edits you have previously made or that you plan to make in the future. So before you go and brag, you may wish to be aware of this.

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Revision as of 11:32, 3 October 2017

Voluntarily sharing your identity

Details of your identity

IP editing

See also

External links

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