User:DannyS712/RfC

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RfC: Allow administrators to "update" block logs

Should administrators be granted the technical ability to add log-only entries to user block logs?

Background

In the 2016 community wishlist, some users expressed a desire for the ability to add log-only entries to user block logs. See m:Community Wishlist Survey 2016/Categories/Admins and stewards#CW2016-R058. I have written the code to allow this, but first such a feature needs to be "approved" by the community on one of the WMF wikis, to demonstrate that it is desired.

This RfC is not about allowing sysops to record individual warnings or other such comments, but merely to replace the current use of very short blocks with comments. Per Wikipedia:Blocking policy#Recording in the block log, Very short blocks may be used to record, for example, an apology or acknowledgement of mistake in the block log in the event of a wrongful or accidental block, if the original block has expired.. Additionally, per Wikipedia:Blocking policy#Recording in the block log after a "clean start", The Checkuser should then consider adding short blocks to the new account to denote each entry in the user's old account log..

The effect of this change would be allowing administrators to add such comments to the block log, without actually blocking the user for any duration. Any discussion regarding expanding the scope of such log entries should take place later, if at all.