Commons:Checkusers

This page explains the role of checkuser (sometimes called "CU") on Wikimedia Commons.

There are currently 3 checkusers on Commons.

If you want to request checkuser help, please post at Commons:Requests for checkuser or alternatively make a private request to any checkuser by email. In an emergency, and if no Commons checkuser is immediately available, please contact a steward.

Checkusers as of March 2025 [+/−]

Number of checkusers: 3

Elcobbola, en, de
Jameslwoodward, en, fr-1 (bureaucrat)
Krd, de, en-3 (bureaucrat)

What is a checkuser?

Checkusers are highly-trusted administrators with the technical ability to see private data for a user, such as their IP address. This is done to determine whether a user is misusing multiple accounts (multiple undisclosed accounts all controlled by the same editor that are used for fraudulent, deceptive, or otherwise disruptive purposes are normally referred to as sockpuppets).

Checkusers are technically able to:

Determine from which IPs a user has edited or done a logged action or password reset on the Wikimedia wiki;
Determine the edits, logged actions and password resets on the Wikimedia wiki of a specific IP (even when logged in);
Determine whether the user being checked has sent an email using MediaWiki interface to some other user.

The tools are typically used to fight vandalism, to check for sockpuppet abuse, and to limit disruption of the project. Such abuses may have to be dealt with blocks performed by checkusers themselves. The use of the checkuser tools and release of the private data is limited by the Meta CheckUser policy, the WMF Privacy policy and the WMF access to nonpublic data policy. CheckUser actions are logged, but for privacy reasons the logs are only visible to other Checkusers. Because of this, Commons must always have no fewer than two checkusers, for mutual accountability.

How do I become a checkuser?

First, read Commons:Checkusers/Howto.

When you are ready, make your request using the box below, replacing Username with your own user name.

For greater visibility, all requests made here are transcluded onto the central Commons:Requests and votes page.

Voting

Please note any registered user may vote here although those who have few or no previous edits may not be fully counted. It is preferable if you give reasons both for Support votes or Oppose ones as this will help the closing bureaucrat in their decision. Greater weight is given to argument, with supporting evidence if needed, than to a simple vote.

Requests for CheckUser rights

watch

When complete, pages listed here should be archived to Commons:Checkusers/Archive.

Please read Commons:Checkusers before posting or voting here. Any logged in user may vote although those who have few or no previous edits may not be fully counted.

The Squirrel Conspiracy

Vote

The Squirrel Conspiracy (talk · contributions (views) · deleted user contributions · recent activity (talk · project · deletion requests) · logs · block log · global contribs · CentralAuth)

Scheduled to end: 18:20, 19 March 2025 (UTC)

Dear community,

today I would like to nominate The Squirrel Conspiracy as checkuser for Commons.

Squirrel is an experienced admin in good standing, and active in CU related areas.

They have agreed in private to accept the nomination, and will add some details later.

Thank you, yours, --Krd 18:20, 5 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for the nomination. I’m pleased to accept.

I’ve been an editor for just over 15 years (since September 2009), and I’ve been an admin from 2012-2015 and from 2020-present.

I do a grab-bag of admin tasks; mainly processing speedy and revision deletion requests, closing DRs, and monitoring the admin noticeboards to help with anti-spam and anti-vandalism efforts. I’ve filed a fair number of CU requests as a result of those efforts. Outside of admin tasks, I upload images from open access journals and do a lot of cropping borders.

Elcobbola has been inactive since October and Krd does a huge amount already (#1 by count of admin actions over the last 12 months, a huge amount of VRT work, and is the more active of the two remaining CUs), so I’ve volunteered to help share some of the CU workload. I’m familiar with how IP ranges work from taking a Security+ cert course last year, and I'm on the project pretty much daily.

I think that’s everything. Happy to answer any questions.

The Squirrel Conspiracy (talk) 18:27, 5 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]