"WP:JIMBO" redirects here. For Jimmy Wales' userpage, see User:Jimbo Wales. For the encyclopaedia article, see Jimmy Wales.

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This is an information page, describing the current state of affairs on the English Wikipedia as regards Jimmy Wales.

Due to his central and vital role in the founding of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales holds a special role in the governance of the project. This authority is used on an ad hoc basis: it is exercised when other decision-making structures are inadequate or have failed in a particular situation. As a general principle, Wales has been unwilling to act in contravention of community consensus or a decision made by the Arbitration Committee.

Wales' role on Wikipedia is continually changing. In the earliest days of Wikipedia, Wales was the sole person able to ban editors from the site. In recent years, his direct involvement in the running of the site has decreased considerably. Many of his recent actions as an independent editor within the project have met with controversy.^[specify]

Wales holds one of seven active seats on the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees, the ultimate authority over all Wikimedia projects. His current term is set to expire in December 2009, and the Board may continue one-year renewals of his seat through the approval of a majority of Trustees.

Contents 1 Software and policy changes 2 Arbitration Committee 2.1 Contingencies 3 Mediation Committee 4 Blocking users 5 Removal of rights 6 See also 7 Notes

[edit] Software and policy changes

Wales has, in the past, instructed Wikimedia's system administrators to implement software changes that constitute de facto Wikipedia policy changes. For instance, in December 2005, in response to the Seigenthaler incident, Wales removed the ability of unregistered users to create new pages on the English-language Wikipedia. This change was proposed as a "test", but has been in place ever since.

In January 2009, in response to criticism over inaccurate information added to Wikipedia's Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd articles, Wales wrote an open letter to the "Wikimedia Foundation", calling for the flagged revisions software feature to be activated. Wales has solicited community input on this issue, and has apparently not yet formally submitted the request to the Board.

[edit] Arbitration Committee

The members of the Arbitration Committee are appointed by Wales, following a voting procedure. He retains the authority to overrule or dissolve the Committee; when the Committee was founded in 2004, he said that he expected to exercise this right "basically never". In June 2008, Wales once again asserted his intention to overrule the Committee where he deems it necessary, but added that he did not expect that would ever come about. This was in tension with a previous statement by Wales made in April 2007:

Here, let me by decree in this very instant make the following binding pledge upon myself:
In the event that the ArbCom makes a ruling against me, overturning any decision I have made in my traditional capacity within Wikipedia, the ArbCom's decision shall be final.

In January 2009, Wales stated that he did have the constitutional authority to remove sitting arbitrator FT2. In September 2009, Wales declared that wanted his role to appoint Committee members following the December 2009 elections to be "purely ceremonial".

To date, where the Committee's decisions have contradicted his own, Wales has deferred to them.^[specify]

[edit] Contingencies

In June 2009, Wales confirmed:

In case of my untimely death or inability to perform my capacities, the ArbCom is hereby authorized to figure out what to do, subject to ratification with a 50%+1 vote of the community. In the interim between them coming up with a ratified proposal, the status quo is to be considered as much as possible. I will amend this succession plan from time to time upon the recommendation of the ArbCom and Community, until such time as we figure out a more long-term and binding way of dealing with it.

[edit] Mediation Committee

The original members of the Mediation Committee were appointed by Wales in December 2003, at the same time as the original Arbitrators were selected. Since these original appointments, no further selections have been made; rather, editors who wish to join the MedCom file an application to join, which is then discussed by the Committee's existing members. The Chair of the Committee then closes the discussion as directed by the consensus of the Committee.

All nominations are subject to the final approval of Wales, although he rarely comments on nominations and has never overturned a consensus of the Committee. Jimbo continues to hold a subscription to the private mailing list of the Mediation Committee, Mediation-en-l.

[edit] Blocking users

As an administrator on the English Wikipedia, Wales has the technical ability to block editors. However, in August 2009 he decided to permanently renounce these powers.

[edit] Removal of rights

Wales retains the technical ability (as he was at one point given the unique permissions flag of "founder" and as a steward) to remove user rights. Wales has not invoked this power often, and his most recent removals of admin rights have provoked varying amounts of controversy.^[1]

The question of whether the English Wikipedia community can remove Wales' administrator or steward status has not yet arisen.^[2] The Arbitration Committee has historically been reluctant to act outside their established powers, so it is likely only the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation would have the authority to enact the community's will. Whether they would be willing to do so is unknown, and would likely depend on the surrounding circumstances. It is possible that in such an event Wales himself would opt to honor the community's wishes by voluntarily resigning his powers.

[edit] See also

• User:Jimbo Wales/Statement of principles
• Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Arbitration Committee

[edit] Notes