Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2006-09-05/Publicgirluk

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Sexual images spark debate

By Ral315, 5 September 2006

Five images uploaded by Publicgirluk led to debate over how appropriate the images were, and whether they were legal or not. In the end, the images were deleted and Publicgirluk was indefinitely blocked after Jimbo Wales suggested that she was trolling.

The images were uploaded in July and August, and were used in some of Wikipedia's articles on sexuality. However, concerns were expressed about the images. One concern was the legality of the images; to comply with United States law, including the Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act, "sexually explicit" images must be documented with proof that the subject of the photo was over the age of 18 when the photo was taken. The definition of "sexually explicit", and the Act itself, are vague, leading to an uncertainty over the photos.

Debate on the issue started on the administrators' incident noticeboard, but was moved to a separate page. Cyde suggested that Publicgirluk have a picture taken of herself, holding up a sign to prove that she was the person depicted in the photo. Later, Voice of All deleted four of the images on August 27. In a later post, Publicgirluk maintained that she was over 18, that the photos were of herself, and that she had permitted them to be used; but she refused to have a photo taken of herself to prove it, believing such a move insulting. As a result, she said she no longer gave permission for any of the images to be used and wished to no longer contribute to Wikipedia.

After the incident, Jimbo Wales commented on the incident, saying ""Publicgirluk" should have been indef blocked and the images speedied without so much as a how do you do.". As a result, and after further discussion on the issue, Publicgirluk was blocked indefinitely by Nandesuka. The block was removed for a short while, but reinstated by Dragons flight.

Also this week: — Everyking desysopped — Photo debate — 1,000 administrators — Board elections — Italian Wikipedia — Press coverage — News and notes — Features and admins — Technology report — Arbitration report