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Wikipedia:Requests for comment/User names

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If you believe someone has chosen an inappropriate username under Wikipedia's username policy, you may list it here. However, before listing the user here, please consider contacting the user on his or her talk page and bring their attention to the problem and Wikipedia:Changing username. Names that are offensive, inflammatory, impersonating an existing user, or asserting inappropriate authority will generally be permanently blocked by admins.

Be aware that usernames are subject to specific criteria which differ from controls and guidelines regarding other forms of self-expression on Wikipedia. Please ensure you are familiar with the username policy before commenting on a username.

This page is for bringing attention to usernames which may be in violation of Wikipedia's username policy. Before listing a username here, consider if it should be more appropriately reported elsewhere, or if it needs to be reported at all:

Do NOT post here if:

  • the user in question has made no recent edits.
  • you wish to have the block of a user reviewed. Instead, discuss the block with the blocking administrator (see also Wikipedia:Blocking policy § Unblocking).

Before adding a name here you MUST ensure that the user in question:

  • has been warned about their username (with e.g. {{subst:uw-username}}) and has been allowed time to address the concern on their user talk page.
  • has disagreed with the concern, refused to change their username and/or continued to edit without replying to the warning.
  • is not already blocked.

If, after having followed all the steps above, you still believe the username violates Wikipedia's username policy, you may list it here with an explanation of which part of the username policy you think has been violated. After posting, please alert the user of the discussion (with e.g. {{subst:UsernameDiscussion}}). You may also invite others who have expressed concern about the username to comment on the discussion by use of this template.

Add new requests below, using the syntax {{subst:rfcn1|username|2=reason ~~~~}}.

Tools: Special:ListUsers, Special:BlockList


Tools  : Special:Listusers, Special:Ipblocklist

New listings below this line, at the bottom, please. Add a new listing.


Username is illegible in English: (google translator translates it as consumer (?): [1]). This username would get mixed up with any other Arabic username; it's impossible to type it in; and worse, the text reads right to left, which makes it nearly impossible to navigate around (you should have seen how long it took me to type it into the subject/headline bar). No reason user couldn't come up with better/more Latin characters for username. Patstuarttalk|edits 05:51, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Not "consumer" the way we usually mean it. Maybe "The Assimilator" (ooooh, scary). Not that it matters. Just saying. Abu-Fool Danyal ibn Amir al-Makhiri 15:39, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I am wondering from where you got the translation Abu-Fool. المستهلك means simply a consumer. -- Szvest - Wiki me up ® 15:44, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
My mistake. I really don't trust Google (esp Beta), and nothing came up under al-mustahlak for me, so I just went for istihlak. I defer to anyone who actually knows arabic. Abu-Fool Danyal ibn Amir al-Makhiri 15:52, 25 January 2007 (UTC) bitter to have been pwned by Google [reply]
I gave the wikilink above: if you click it, google beta will translate the word. However, it would be nice if someone who knew Arabic would translate the word for us, and give any conontation (I find the name consumer to not be something I would normally see). Patstuarttalk|edits 16:06, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I am a native arabic speaker Pat. There's no connotation whatsoever related to مستهلك. -- Szvest - Wiki me up ® 16:16, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Fair enough. Like like Lethaniol, or Starblind (though those names probably mean something, but we just don't know). Patstuarttalk·edits 16:21, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Ohh, i remember Starblind's case :) But what about Lethaniol? -- Szvest - Wiki me up ® 16:31, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Disallow Incomprehensible for users, especially as you said, to navigate. ShadowHalo 06:10, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Disallow whatever this is...--Wizardman 06:25, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Disallow. Not all devices and browsers are compatible. I have problems seeing the username while using my MDA. Asteriontalk 07:39, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment was going to saw disallow for the obvious reasons stated above - but please see discussion on use of Japanese characters above here. Surely if we allow Japanese characters then we have to allow Arabic like (not sure if this is Arabic), under single user login. Cheers Lethaniol 07:57, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
    • A few comments: First, single-user login is going to disallow us to make any disallowments that are across space, so I'm not sure we can worry about it. Second, yamaguchi has been grandfathered in, because he has an old username that came before the policy went into effect. Third, Yamaguchi is distuinguishable from other users because he his name is mostly Latin characters. And fourth, Japanese is written left-to-right, unlike this name. Cheers. Patstuarttalk|edits 08:09, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Allow I can copy and paste the name into the url, or any search box, or wikibutton and it seems to work, with single login coming I cannot bring myself to disallow this. I would suggest a Latin transliteration into the user's signature possibly. HighInBC (Need help? Ask me) 14:40, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Allow Many editors are contributing with no problems despite havin non-latin user-names [2]. I see no probition anywhere to make arabic or any other "right-to-left" language treated differently than other non-latin names. The sugeestion that a username would be allowed if it where "mostly Latin" is off-base because it is now impossible to register a name which mixes fonts from different character sets to prevent the impersonations that were happening previously.--BirgitteSB 15:06, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Allow as per HIBC and Birgitte. See also User:刻意 and User:Fnfd/ユーザーボックス. -- Szvest - Wiki me up ® 15:33, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment - you'll have to pardon me if I'm a bit entrenched on this issue - for some reason it just seems to set off my buttons. So, please here me out on this one. We don't allow confusing usernames (e.g, Asd;flkjas;ldkfjas;dlfkja;sdlkfj) because they're precisely that: they can confuse the user. However, I've seen no arguments here which state that this case is any better than this rubbish username I just listed. Let me, in this context, address every argument I've seen so far:
  • First, single-user login is going to disallow us to make any disallowments that are across space, so I'm not sure we can worry about it.
    • Well, with single-login, our hands will be tied in all situations anyway. If an user with the name User:JihadAgainstTheJewishInfidels comes along, and it's OK in their native language, then we're stuck with it. In other words: unless we're going to use this argument for every username we come across, it makes no sense. Let's deal with it on a case-by-case basis for now.
  • I can copy and paste the name into the url
    • Yes, with considerably more difficulty than is necessary, and considerably more difficulty than with my rubbish username. There's no reason that regular editors should regularly have to spend 15-20 seconds to highlight one username when instead, the original user could have just gotten an easier name.
  • I would suggest a Latin transliteration into the user's signature possibly.
    • Yes, and anybody with an Arabic name could come along and copy the signature, and no one would know the difference (consider the recent case of User:Starblindy). Which is precisely the reason we disallow confusing usernames. Though I must agree; if we must have this username (which we mustn't), the user should use a Latin transliteration. But may I point out a slippery slope? Once we allow the username, no one will enforce the sig requirement anyway. And when that happens, what will be of users like myself that see a bunch of blocks on our computer when we go home (can I tell the difference between ᝣᝤᝥ and ᝵᝷᝸ ? See [3]).
  • I see no prohibition anywhere to make arabic or any other "right-to-left" language treated differently than other non-latin names.
    • There is a prohibition against usernames which "may be confusing", and this seems to certainly fall under that category.
  • The suggestion that a username would be allowed if it where "mostly Latin" is off-base because it is now impossible to register a name which mixes fonts from different character sets to prevent the impersonations that were happening previously.
    • No disagreement; I was just stating that the case was different with Yamaguchi, as I believe I'm seeing a tendency to make (what I believe to be) a false comparison to him.
  • And finally, to add some arguments:
    • If a user refuses to use a non-Latin sig (and believe me, it will happen if we aren't firm in requiring it): how are we going to refer to a person (or even tell the difference unless we click on the userpage?). Imagine, if I were addressing a specific person, I would have to go find their signature, copy it (with all the detail that involves), and paste it, just to make a reference.
    • Also: let me point out what the point of having a username is: 1) to have an individual login and 2) to help distinguish us from each other. Which is exactly why confusing logins are not allowed.
    • In all, is it really worth going through all this hastle, just so that a user has the right to use a difficult username, when a non-Latin one would have been just as easy? OK, that's all I have to say. Patstuarttalk|edits 15:46, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Allow. There is nothing in the username policy that would prohibit this username. Since when have we taken it upon ourselves to create policy without concensus? In case no one has bothered to actually read it, the policy says "If your name is written in a non-Latin script, consider providing a transliteration in your signature". It doesn't say "Non-latin usernames are prohibited." Kaldari 18:20, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Disallow. Wikipedia:Username#Names with non-Latin characters gives good reasons for avoiding such User names; many users will see them as strings of boxes (and cutting and pasting those won't achieve anything, I believe). --Mel Etitis (Μελ Ετητης) 22:51, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
    Just to clarify, in line with what I say below, and in response to BirgitteSB's kindly intervention: if he places a transliteration in his signature, then I'd be happy to allow retention of his current User name. --Mel Etitis (Μελ Ετητης) 15:15, 26 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Allow per Kaldari. ~Crazytales (IP locations!) 13:17, 26 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
    And the point that I raised, concerning what Wikipedia:Username#Names with non-Latin characters says? --Mel Etitis (Μελ Ετητης) 14:10, 26 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
But it says that If your name is written in a non-Latin script, consider providing a transliteration in your signature. So it is possible to keep your non-Latin username while transliterating the signature. -- Szvest - Wiki me up ® 14:22, 26 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, transliteration of the sig seems to be enough for me, with single login coming. Also, I am pretty sure you can still copy and paste characters that you cannot display. HighInBC (Need help? Ask me) 14:48, 26 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
It might be enough for me if he did offer a transliteration, but he doesn't. I've added my voice to a request that he does. I've also contacted him by e-mail to let him know what's happening, and to ask him to alter his signature. --Mel Etitis (Μελ Ετητης) 14:55, 26 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I've just sent him an email asking him to take action and transliterate his signature according to the policy. -- Szvest - Wiki me up ® 15:26, 26 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Allow. Frankly, I'm stunned by some of the arguments that I just read. The ethnocentric belief that a non-Latin username is comparable to "rubbish" and insistence on using a broken browser are not valid reasons to require someone to change an innocuous username that violates no policy (and will become common when SUL is implemented, rendering this discussion essentially moot). I especially take issue with the ludicrous suggestion that "JihadAgainstTheJewishInfidels" might be "OK in [someone's] native language." Give me a break! —David Levy 19:17, 26 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I'm afraid that you're reacting without having read the comments properly. First, the "rubbish username" was the example that PatStuart used, not the User name we're discussing here, ands he was pointing out that the two are just as difficult to distinguish for most if not all non-Arabic speakers. Secondly, a browser not set up to read every language is not broken; indeed, text-based browsers, and those used by blind and partially sighted users, are often either incapable of reading Arabic, or do so only with great difficulty. Thirdly, the example "JihadAgainstTheJewishInfidels" was clearly not meant to be taken literally or seriously. I might add that ethnocentricity doesn't come into it, as the use of Latin characters is common to a wide range of ethnicities, nationalities, cultures, etc. I don't agree with all of PatStuart's points, but I think that they need to be responded to, not reacted to. --Mel Etitis (Μελ Ετητης) 19:28, 26 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
1. You didn't read my comments properly. I objected to the claim that the username in question is comparable to "rubbish." (I didn't state that it actually had been referred to as "rubbish.")
2. Any browser that fails to render non-Latin text is broken in my book. Regardless, the forthcoming implementation of SUL means that any current attempt to prohibit such usernames is moot.
3. The "JihadAgainstTheJewishInfidels" example was far too absurd to even make a point via exaggeration. It's simply irrelevant to the matter at hand.
4. "Ethnocentrism" is "a tendency to view alien groups or cultures from the perspective of one's own" [6]. The fact that numerous cultures share roughly the same alphabetical perspective has no bearing on the treatment of those from cultures that do not. —David Levy 21:20, 26 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Other comments

As a result of this discussion, I have proposed that transliterations of non-latin usernames be required, for various reasons. See the discussion at WP:USERNAME here. pschemp | talk 18:40, 26 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Wasn't sure where to post this one. The user probably has an improper username. Also, his only edits so far have been to fill his userpage with photographs of nude women and his talkpage with userboxes that read "I love porn". Chances of any valid contributions to the community seem low. Can someone look into it? WJBscribe 19:41, 26 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I must say, this User obviously LOVES naked women, but unfortunately, some of the pictures are of women in chains, which I think should be removed: I don't like to see women chained up. All the other pictures, however, seem fine to me. As for the Username...that could be seen as offensive. Disallow the Username, but can we keep the pictures? :) Acalamari 20:12, 26 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Blocked (username and troll) and userspace deleted. Cbrown1023 21:13, 26 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

LOL, can't this kind just be blocked on sight? Why even post here? 146.186.44.199 21:19, 26 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I've previouly blocked this user as Booooohhhaaya (talk · contribs), since the name was nonsensical. However he's now chosen User:Catholicdefender2222 as his new username. Since it both features a religious term as well as a possible bias, I'm asking if this name can be a valid WP username --wL<speak·check·chill> 21:41, 26 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Honestly, I wouldn't have blocked the first one. Disallow this one and let him use the first one. It isn't totally nonsensical. pschemp | talk 22:05, 26 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]