There are three main circumstances where the IP address block exemption flag can be given:
- An editor who is unfortunately affected by a block intended to prevent vandalism or disruption. After being given the flag, they will then be able to edit without being affected by any IP address blocks.
- An editor in good standing editing anonymously when they can demonstrate the need.
- For one of the reasons above, an editor in good standing needs to edit from an IP or range that is globally blocked, but is primarily interested in editing the English Wikipedia.
These are handled differently, due to the additional safeguards involved for open proxy usage.
Used to bypass an IP address range block Hard IP address range blocks are used to prevent persistent disruption from temporary accounts and
sock-puppets within an IP address range. An editor with a credible editing record who would be affected by this measure may be exempted from the block at administrative discretion, allowing them to edit uninterrupted through the IP address range block.
The conditions for granting this are that:
- the editor's normal (non-proxy) IP address will be disrupted by an IP address block placed on a range they usually edit on, through no fault of theirs. (This may be confirmed via autoblock or CheckUser)
- the editor agrees never to misuse the exemption to edit through a blocked anonymizing proxy (this may be checked), and,
- when the block ends, or ceases to be an issue for the editor, the exemption will be removed by any administrator.
In addition,
IP block exemption may also be given by an administrator without a request, to prevent good-faith editors being affected by a hard IP address range block. The editor should be informed that in order to prevent vandalism, a block has been applied to their IP address range, and they have been exempted from it. They should clearly be recommended to read this section, and especially that the flag may be removed if used to edit via a blocked proxy. (See
tags and templates below.)
Who may requestA user affected by an IP address block that is unrelated to their editing and that prevents them editing with a logged-in account.
How to requestRequest IP address block exemption through the
Unblock Ticket Request System.
You must ask from your registered account. Requests posted to the user talk page of the IP address will be automatically declined. Administrators granting this right may sometimes need to consult a
CheckUser to confirm the problem, or may wish to obtain further review by posting the request onto an administrative list or page for discussion if unfamiliar with the case.
Used for anonymous proxy editing Editing via an anonymous proxy, including open proxies and VPN services, can be easily abused. In this case, IP block exemption is granted only to trusted users. Examples of editors who may reasonably request an exemption include users who show they can contribute to the encyclopedia, and existing users with a history of valid non-disruptive contribution.
However, many users are known to access through open proxy unknowingly due to settings configured in their internet browser. Before you apply for IP block exemption (which may take time and is not guaranteed to be granted), you should check the internet connection preference of your browser and change it to no proxy access. This includes opt-in services such as
Apple iCloud Private Relay.
Note that avoidance of checkuser, or specific checkusers, is not usually considered a sufficient reason – concerns over checkusers should be discussed with the
Arbitration Committee or the
ombuds commission.
Who should requestAn editor who demonstrates a need and can be trusted not to abuse the right.
How to requestEmail the checkuser VRT team at checkuser-en-wp
wikipedia.org ensuring your email includes your username, or contact a CheckUser directly, explaining why you need to edit via anonymous proxies. Administrators who are contacted through other means may need to consult a checkuser to confirm the problem.
Relationship with global IP block exemption The local IP block exemption on the English Wikipedia allows editors to edit from any IP address, even if it is subject to a global block. The global IP block exemption permission does not allow a user to edit if there is a local hard block in place. It may be appropriate to grant editors local IP block exemption to edit through global blocks if they predominantly plan on editing the English Wikipedia and they do not have experience on other projects.
Conversely, it is not always appropriate to grant editors with global IP block exemption the local permission if they would not otherwise qualify for it based on this policy.