Editing Encyclopedia:Username policy (section)

== Inappropriate usernames ==
{{policy shortcut|WP:IU}}
This section lists the types of usernames that are considered inappropriate. The same criteria also apply to [[Wikipedia:Signatures|signatures]].

These lists are not necessarily exhaustive. [[Wikipedia:What "Ignore all rules" means#Use common sense|Use common sense]] in applying these rules; a username containing a word that may seem offensive in one context may have a very different, more benign meaning in another. For guidance on how to deal with inappropriate usernames if encountered, see {{slink||Dealing with inappropriate usernames}} below.

=== Disruptive or offensive usernames<span id="Offensive"></span><span id="OFFENSIVE"></span><span id="Disruptive"></span><span id="DISRUPTIVE"></span> ===
{{policy shortcut|WP:ATTACKNAME|WP:DISRUPTNAME}}
'''The following types of usernames are not permitted, and will be immediately blocked upon discovery''', because they are '''disruptive''' or '''offensive''':
*Usernames that are likely to offend other contributors or cause disruption to productive Wikipedia processes or discussions, or make harmonious editing difficult or impossible to achieve; e.g. by containing profanities, or referencing highly contentious events or controversies.<ref>Note that some valid strings of characters may coincide with profanities or offensive words, like "shit" in [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?search=Indian+intitle%3A%2F%5B%5E+%5Dshit%2F&title=Special:Search&profile=advanced&fulltext=1&ns0=1 some Indian names] or "porn" in [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?search=German+intitle%3A%2F%5B%5E+%28%5Dporn%2F+-pornography+-pornographic+-Thai&title=Special:Search&profile=advanced&fulltext=1&ns0=1 some German] [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?search=Thai+intitle%3A%2F%5B%5E+%28%5Dporn%2F+-pornography+-pornographic&title=Special:Search&profile=advanced&fulltext=1&ns0=1 and Thai] names. When addressing these potential [[Scunthorpe problem]]s, administrators should [[Wikipedia:What "Ignore all rules" means#Use common sense|use common sense]] and [[Wikipedia:Assume good faith|assume good faith]]. [[User:AmandaNP/UAA/Blacklist]] notes some common sources of false positives; looking up a username or its components in a search engine may also be helpful.</ref>
*Usernames that are blatantly profane, violent, threatening, or sexually explicit, or that advocate or encourage any such behavior (including acts that are deemed by most societies as either extremely immoral, criminal, or illegal).
*Usernames that deliberately offend, dehumanize, attack, demean, disparage, discriminate, or support or advocate any such behavior toward any race, religion, gender, sexual identity, sexual preference, political affiliation, or social group or status, or imply the intent to do so. Examples include:
**Usernames that contain discriminatory attacks, racial slurs, or pejorative terms
**Usernames that praise highly contentious people, groups (also known as "[[Hate group|hate groups]]"), or events—''future, past, or present''—that currently allocate, have allocated, or plan to allocate efforts or resources toward afflicting direct discriminatory, social, physical, or emotional harm toward those who identify as part of any of these groups.
*Usernames that contain or imply [[Wikipedia:No personal attacks|personal attacks]], or imply the intent to personally attack, [[Wikipedia:Harassment|harass]], or [[Wikipedia:Responding to threats of harm|threaten]] other Wikipedia editors.
*Usernames that appear intended to disrupt legitimate Wikipedia discussions and processes by provoking negative emotional reactions from other editors (also known as "[[Troll (slang)|trolling]]").
*Usernames that show or imply the intent to [[Wikipedia:Vandalism|vandalize]], [[Wikipedia:Disruptive editing|disrupt]], or engage in bad-faith edits or behaviors that are [[Wikipedia:Here to build an encyclopedia#Clearly not being here to build an encyclopedia|clearly not intended to help build, expand, or grow the encyclopedia]] in a positive or collaborative manner.

'''These accounts, upon their discovery, should be immediately blocked by administrators''', and consideration should be given, with appropriate judgment, if the username should be redacted from any logs or edit revisions - especially if they're grossly offensive or destructive in nature, and likely to offend many editors. Note that usernames that are inappropriate in another language, or that represent an inappropriate name with misspellings and substitutions, or do so indirectly or by implication, are still considered inappropriate.

==={{Anchor|BLPABUSE}}Usernames with libelous, contentious, or non-public information===
<!--Don't remove [[Template:Anchor|anchor template]] (or edit the name within their doubled, curly brackets).-->
{{see also|Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons#Remove contentious material|Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons#Usernames}}{{policy shortcut|WP:BLPABUSE}}
'''The following types of usernames are not permitted, and will be immediately blocked upon discovery''', because they '''violate highly important and serious Wikipedia policies''':

* Usernames that contain contentious or disparaging statements about another person (whether they be another editor, a notable [[Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons|living or recently deceased person]], etc). 
* Usernames that are clearly libelous, contain blatantly false or disparaging statements or accusations about another person, or constitute blatant violations of Wikipedia's policy on the [[Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons|biographies of living people]].
* Usernames that contain any non-public, private, or personally identifiable information about another person,<ref name="libelnote">The username is considered a violation of this policy, and the creation of the account considered an attempt to [[Wikipedia:Harassment#Posting of personal information|disclose non-public or personally identifiable information]] about another person, regardless of the legitimacy of the information shared and whether or not the information was correct.</ref> or contain any other information that would be deemed appropriate for suppression by an [[Wikipedia:Oversight |Oversighter]]; e.g. usernames that state what the password to the account (apparently) is.

'''These accounts, upon their discovery, should be immediately blocked by administrators'''. If such usernames are libelous or contain information that is usually suppressed (such as disclosure of non-public personal identifiable information about another editor, or blatantly libelous statements made about a [[Wikipedia:Notability|notable]] living person), the username should be [[Wikipedia:Oversight|suppressed from all logs by an Oversighter]] to protect Wikipedia and the subjects involved from any kind of negative fallout or harm as a result of the account or username creation. Requests for removing attack usernames from logs should be reported to the [[WP:Stewards|global Stewards]] team for evaluation and private removal from all WMF projects. This can be done either via [[WP:IRC|IRC]] in the {{channel|wikimedia-stewards}} channel or via email to the stewards VRT queue at {{Nospam|stewards|wikimedia.org}}.

=== Misleading usernames ===
{{Anchor|misleading}}
{{policy shortcut|WP:MISLEADNAME}}
'''The following types of usernames are not permitted''' because they may be '''misleading''' in a way that disrupts the project:
*Usernames that impersonate other people (see {{slink||Real names}} and {{slink||Similar usernames}} below).
*Usernames that give the impression that the account has [[WP:User access levels|permissions]] that it does not have; e.g. by containing the terms [[Wikipedia:Administrators|{{!xt|administrator}}]], [[Wikipedia:Bureaucrats|{{!xt|bureaucrat}}]], [[m:Stewards|{{!xt|steward}}]], [[m:CheckUser policy|{{!xt|checkuser}}]], [[m:Hiding revisions|{{!xt|oversight}}]], or similar terms, such as {{!xt|admin}}, {{!xt|sysop}}, or {{!xt|moderator}}.
*Usernames that imply that the account has explicit ownership of certain articles, content, or topic areas, or that they have any kind of "power", "command", "control", or "authority" over other editors, or that a different level of accountability and application of Wikipedia's [[WP:PG|policies and guidelines]] should be enforced (such as implying that certain policies do not apply to them).
*Usernames that could be easily misunderstood to refer to a "bot" (which is used to identify [[Wikipedia:Bot policy|bot accounts]]) or a "script" (which alludes to automated editing processes), unless the account is of that type; such as {{!xt|ABC Bot}}, {{!xt|XYZ script}}.
*Usernames that give the incorrect impression that the account is officially affiliated with the [[Wikimedia Foundation]]; e.g. {{!xt|Foo (WMF)}}, {{!xt|Bar (Wikimedia Foundation)}}
*Usernames that resemble IP addresses (as these are expected to designate non-logged-in users), timestamps, or other names which would be confusing within the Wikipedia [[Wikipedia:Signatures|signature]] format.
*Usernames that appear similar to naming conventions used by community administrative processes, such as those starting with ''Vanished user'' (see [[Wikipedia:Courtesy vanishing]]).

For accounts with usernames that are in this category, you should [[WP:AGF|assume good faith]] in cases where the username could be interpreted ambiguously. For example, a new user whose career is as a sysop might include that in their username, unaware of the policy prohibiting it. An attempt to discuss the username policy and concern with the user, and a request that they change their username should typically be attempted before considering further action. In cases where the violation of policy or the user's intent is clear, or likely created in bad faith, you should exhibit the use of [[WP:USE|common sense]] and  fair and level-headed judgment when determining the appropriate action to take. These clear violations should be reported by following the instructions on [[Wikipedia:Usernames for administrator attention]].

=== Promotional usernames<span id="Company/group names"></span> ===
{{policy shortcut|WP:ORGNAME|WP:CORPNAME|WP:SPAMNAME|WP:PROMONAME}}
{{redirect|WP:ORGNAME|the convention for organization names|Wikipedia:Naming conventions (companies)}}
{{see also|:Category:Wikipedians who are indefinitely blocked for promotional user names}}

'''The following types of usernames are not permitted''' because they are considered '''promotional''':
* Usernames that unambiguously represent the name of a company, organization, website, product, musical group or band, team, club, creative group, or organized event (e.g. {{!xt|TownvilleWidgets}}, {{!xt|MyWidgetsUSA.com}}, {{!xt|TrammelMuseumofArt}}, {{!xt|OctoberfestBandConcert2019}}). However, usernames that ''contain'' such names are sometimes permissible; see {{slink||Usernames implying shared use}} below. (Usernames which represent the subject of a biographical article are not considered promotional; see {{slink||Stage names}})
* [[Email address]]es and [[Uniform Resource Locator|URL]]s to domains or websites (especially if they promote a commercial web page) and don't simply identify a person. Although usernames that only contain ''plain'' domain names ''on their own'' (those that do not include the [[Top-level domain|top-level domain]], such as <code>.com</code>, <code>.net</code>, <code>.co.kr</code>, etc. at the end) are sometimes acceptable (such as when the purpose is simply to identify the user as a person), they are inappropriate if their primary purpose is to advertise, promote, sell, gain support, or increase the attention or user-base audience of any person, company, market, product, channel, website, or other good or service. This includes any kind of websites that function in order to generate any kind of income or revenue for the owner. Examples include Patreon links or links to pages asking for donations, or revenue-generating click-thru links to vendors. All pages that are built or designed in one or more of these manners should be considered a commercial web page, and hence considered inappropriate for a username.

A user who ''both'' adopts a promotional username ''and'' who engages in [[Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not#ADVERTISING|inappropriate advertising or promotional]] edits or behaviors – especially when made to their own user space or to articles about the company, group, or product – can be [[Wikipedia:Blocking policy|blocked]] from editing Wikipedia, and are often blocked much sooner than users who engage in only one of the two behaviors. In such cases, administrators should examine the user's edits to decide whether or not to allow them to create a new username. If there is evidence that the user would continue to edit inappropriately under a new username, the blocking administrator should enable the "[[WP:Autoblock|autoblock]]" and "prevent account creation" block settings. Otherwise, the user should be offered the opportunity to create a new account or have their current username changed. Before taking action, any disagreements as to whether a particular username is acceptable or not should be discussed at [[Wikipedia:Requests for comment/User names]] ''first''.

=== Usernames implying shared use ===
{{policy shortcut|WP:ISU}}
{{See also|Wikipedia:Sockpuppetry#Role accounts}}
Because Wikipedia's policy states that user accounts cannot be [[#Shared accounts|shared]] between more than one individual, '''the following types of usernames are not permitted''' because they imply '''shared use''':
*Usernames that unambiguously represent companies or groups are not permitted (these also fall under {{slink||Promotional usernames}} above). For example, {{!xt|ABC Inc}} or {{!xt|XYZ Foundation}} or {{!xt|Foo University}}.
*Personal usernames that imply shared access, such as {{!xt|Jack and Jill}}, are not permitted.
*Usernames that are solely the names of posts, positions, roles, or job titles within organizations, such as {{!xt|Secretary of the XYZ Foundation}}, are not permitted, as such posts or positions may be transferred or held by different persons at different times.
:*However, usernames ''are'' acceptable if they contain a company or group name but are clearly intended to denote an individual person, such as {{xt|Mark at WidgetFactory}}, {{xt|Jack Smith at the XYZ Foundation}}, {{xt|FacebookFanatic87}}, etc.

Remember that [[Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not#ADVERTISING|promotional]] editing is not permitted, regardless of any account's chosen username. The [[Wikipedia:Conflict of interest|conflict of interest guideline]] advises all users to exercise caution if editing articles about businesses, organizations, products, or other subjects that they are closely connected to. If you choose to edit articles that are in any way related to your company or group, you will need to carefully follow Wikipedia's [[Wikipedia:Conflict of interest#Advice for editors who may have a conflict of interest|advice on editing with a conflict of interest]].

=== Non-script usernames ===
{{policy shortcut|WP:NOEMOJI|WP:NONSCRIPT}}
'''The following types of usernames are not permitted''' due to the difficulty with some web browsers in viewing non-language Unicode characters:<ref>Decided after an [[Special:PermanentLink/808918433#RFC about disallowing non-language characters in usernames|2017 RfC]]</ref>
* Usernames that contain [[emoji]].
* Usernames that are considered to be [[emoticon]]s or otherwise "decorative".
* Usernames that use any non-language symbols. This includes:
**Symbols and characters unrelated to the [[list of writing systems]].
**Symbols and characters that are on the block lists at [[Unicode symbols]].

Note that this restriction does '''not''' apply to signatures, which are governed by Wikipedia's policies on the use of [[Wikipedia:Signatures|signatures]].

=== Confusing usernames ===
{{policy shortcut|WP:UNCONF}}
Some usernames appear problematic without fitting clearly into any of the above categories. This is often the case with confusing or extremely lengthy usernames, which are highly discouraged but which are not so inappropriate '''on their own''' as to require action.

Confusing usernames can often be a red flag for other problems. An editor with a confusing username or signature may be blocked sooner than usual for other inappropriate behavior, such as disruption or vandalism, if their confusing username contributes to the disruption.

=== Exceptions ===
Some usernames that appear to be in breach of this policy have been allowed to stand by consensus because they were created before a change in the policy that would now prohibit such names ''(see [[grandfather clause]])''. If you find an apparently problematic username being used by a long-standing editor, it is likely that the matter has been discussed before. Please search that user's talk page (and archives if applicable), ''and'' the archives of the [[Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard|administrators' noticeboards]] and [[Wikipedia:Requests for comment/User names|requests for comment on usernames]], before deciding to take action as described [[#Dealing with inappropriate usernames|below]].