FT2 accuses Arbcom Options

[Peter Damian]

A long question to Coren from FT2 here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Arb...Coren/Questions , accusing Arbcom of 'gaming' the elections this time last year.

Actually he is right, as I have pointed out elsewhere http://wikipediareview.com/index.php?showtopic=34246 .

An arbitrator has just emailed me to say that he found the whole thing problematic all along (yes but why didn't you say so at the time).

This post has been edited by Peter Damian: Mon 28th November 2011, 7:55am

[Peter Damian]

We know that Arbcom successfully forced FT2 to stand down exactly this time last year at the last elections. Risker was behind that.

However, I don't know much about what happened in January, March and May of this year, months which FT2 specifically refers to in his diatribe.

An arb wrote to me on 4th February this year "the bullets are loaded for the symbolic wiki-execution of FT2 and all that he stood for in the next few weeks, for one thing ... he needs to be publicly booted out by Arbcom, and publicly refused appeal by Jimbo and co, to show that Wikipedia is serious about setting its house in order."

Why the 'execution' never happened I didn't find out. I suspect FT2 convinced them that he really did have senior support in WMF for his earlier actions, and they backed off. What a mess.

[gomi]

Why the 'execution' never happened I didn't find out. I suspect FT2 convinced them that he really did have senior support in WMF for his earlier actions, and they backed off. What a mess.

Isn't it possible that FT2 threatened to release (even more) detrimental information about Arbcom if they did ban him? Honestly, I can't keep this while FT2 thing straight without a scorecard. I'll have to go back and review the threads.

[that one guy]

Why the 'execution' never happened I didn't find out. I suspect FT2 convinced them that he really did have senior support in WMF for his earlier actions, and they backed off. What a mess.

Isn't it possible that FT2 threatened to release (even more) detrimental information about Arbcom if they did ban him? Honestly, I can't keep this while FT2 thing straight without a scorecard. I'll have to go back and review the threads.

I'm confused myself as to why he got booted off ArbCom to begin with.

[Peter Damian]

Why the 'execution' never happened I didn't find out. I suspect FT2 convinced them that he really did have senior support in WMF for his earlier actions, and they backed off. What a mess.

Isn't it possible that FT2 threatened to release (even more) detrimental information about Arbcom if they did ban him? Honestly, I can't keep this while FT2 thing straight without a scorecard. I'll have to go back and review the threads.

I'm confused myself as to why he got booted off ArbCom to begin with.

He resigned on 15 January 2009 after an RfC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Req...for_comment/FT2 in which he was implicated of lying.

But that is a separate issue. Here is the story surrounding his current complaints. On 13 September 2008, FT2 sent an 'Anvil' email to a prolific sockpuppeteer. It contained some bloodcurdling threats, including contacting his wife's employers, his parents, other people, with some really embarrassing information. He copies Cary, Vandenberg, Aphaia, Jpgordon, Rlevse, David Gerard, and Thatcher. He references this in the diatribes linked to above.

The sockpuppeteer lost his job. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

A year passes.

In August 2009, the sockpuppeteer sent the 'Anvil' email to Thatcher, who copied it Cool Hand Luke.

CHL sat on it for a bit (don't know why), but finally published on the Arbs mailing list in Feb 2010. CHL says : “Reading his explanation, it sounds like *Heart of Darkness*. FT2 is Agent Kurtz way up the river, operating beyond any civilized control or oversight. We executives in Amsterdam just have no idea what it's really like out there, and we cannot judge him for his acts.” Coren disagrees, but the other Arbs are horrified.

Hersfold says “Even if he was acting on behalf of the Foundation, does that excuse what reads as threats and blackmail? With all the crap we keep having to deal with from Usher and Amorrow - some of which has directly impacted two members of our Committee already - I'm certainly not willing to condone such behavior, no matter who rubber-stamps it.

Coren “Not unlike Jimmy, I think this was a reasonable attempt at giving him an "out". (Jimmy defended FT2's actions, although at the same time denied ever being consulted about them. Wise man).

CHL to Coren: “If you are telling me that you *supported *the use of blackmail (in the casual sense, although I'm not certain than it was not blackmail in the legal sense as well), then I severely question your judgment.” “Even if FT2 had to prove that he had [the sockpuppet's] number, the overt threats were entirely surplus, and his demands were far beyond what was necessary to protect our project. "

The committee does nothing.

Nov 24 2010: FT2 emails Arbcom about his election statement. “I would appreciate if any arb could double check I haven't included any factually incorrrect or misleading statements or significant factual omissions.” This is one of the mails that FT2 is referring to in the diatribes linked above.

The arbitrators wonder why they didn't do anything 10 months before and cast around for reasons to stop FT2 getting a seat in the election. Risker drafts a notice that summarises the issue.

I'm not sure what happened then, but I think Risker then emailed a bureaucrat (WJBScribe) to use another nasty piece of information about FT2, forcing him to resign. I emailed Risker a couple of times but she replied, saying "If I say anything, you will publish it on Wikipedia Review". Well, of course I will, that's all part of public disclosure and transparency. That's what Wikipedia Review is for. Are you suggesting I keep your dirty little secrets?Why would I?

In January 2011 I got a series of emails from different arbcom members saying that FT2 was about to be publicly executed and stripped of all honours, site-banned etc. It was strongly suggested that I would be unbanned after this.

However, as usual, nothing happened.

This post has been edited by Peter Damian: Mon 28th November 2011, 10:17pm

[Ottava]

It was strongly suggested that I would be unbanned after this.

However, as usual, nothing happened.

I think this is a common tactic. I don't really know why a few Arbs do it - perhaps they are getting our hopes up, or are merely doing it to manipulate us and have us do their dirty work.



By the way, entrenched admins on Wikipedia use the threat to harass co-workers, family, etc. all the time. A Horse got banned for contacting a school, yet FT2 clearly does far worse. SB Johnny also did quite a lot and no one cared. It is all about who is part of what group. Wonderful stuff. WR should be proud of giving such a Wiki insider and abuser moderator status. They should top it off by giving FT2 that status also.

This post has been edited by Ottava: Mon 28th November 2011, 11:00pm

[Somey]

...SB Johnny also did quite a lot and no one cared. It is all about who is part of what group. Wonderful stuff. WR should be proud of giving such a Wiki insider and abuser moderator status.

We are proud, actually, since apparently the only person he did that to was you!

Anyway... in retrospect, the language FT2 used to try and intimidate you-know-who into giving up his Wikipedia-related activity once and for all certainly does seem over the top. But I personally recall that it didn't seem quite so over-the-top at the time, and even I thought that it had to be tried, in the same way that you have to try telling your neighbor you're going to call the cops on his teenage son who's been trying to kill your dog before you actually call them.

It pains me to say this, but if I really fault FT2 for anything here (other than being a Wikipedia mucky-muck in the first place), it's not that he got nasty with Poetguy - it's actually that he explicitly stated at the time, including in the e-mail itself, about his willingness to accept the consequences on Wikipedia (and elsewhere) of his having sent such a strongly-worded e-mail to Poetguy. And now he's quite clearly reneging on that statement and that willingness. It doesn't really surprise me, but I suppose it's a bit disappointing, even coming from him.

[Cla68]

The effectiveness of FT2's tactics with Poet____ aside, ArbCom's reaction to it shows a certain lack of knowledge, consistency, and skill at dealing with personnel issues. I think the WMF needs to spend some of its greatly expanded budget and hire some professional adult supervision for Wikipedia's administration. I mean professional and competent, not Jimbo.