Wikipedia:SOS
If you see a threat of physical harm (including self-harm):
- 1. Treat all claims seriously
- Many threats are empty, but leave that evaluation to Wikimedia Foundation staff.
- If you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency services.
- 2. Contact the Wikimedia Foundation
- Immediately email
emergencywith details of the threat. Alternatively, if your Wikipedia account has email enabled, click here to message the emergency team.
wikimedia.org - These contact methods are for threats of physical harm (including self-harm) only. For other concerns, see Wikipedia:Contact us.
- Provide the exact name or URL of the page where you saw the threat, the time that you saw it, and your time zone. Or (if you know how) provide a diff link.
- This address is monitored around the clock. Staff will typically acknowledge your email immediately. (Check your junk folder.)
- Because of recent (2023) technical issues: if you don't hear back within one hour, forward your email to
ca.wikimedia.org
- Because of recent (2023) technical issues: if you don't hear back within one hour, forward your email to
- Do not email other Wikimedia Foundation addresses, or telephone the Wikimedia Foundation, as this creates confusion.
- Staff will take appropriate action, such as tracing locations and contacting authorities.
- Immediately email
- 3. Contact Wikipedia administrators privately
- Use email, IRC, Discord, or other low-visibility methods, not noticeboards or talk pages.
- If in doubt, the primary method is to use IRC and join the #wikipedia-en-revdel channel. To do this quickly and using your browser, click here: Join IRC channel.
- If you need to find an administrator who is active on Wikipedia right now, you can use this tool to locate one.
- Even if you are an administrator, notify other administrators.
Advice for administrators
- Threats of suicide or other self-harm require discretion on the question of blocking but generally, specific threats should be removed (with a thoughtfully worded edit summary) and revision deleted, pending oversight.
- Threats against others should be met with blocking (generally including removal of talk page access) and possibly blocking email as well. Such threats should be blanked; consider applying revdel as well.
- Request oversight (suppression) of any post containing personal information.
- If in doubt, email the office at
emergency; stay off high-traffic noticeboards.wikimedia.org
External links
- A behind the scenes look at the Wikimedia Foundation’s emergency response system, User:Mdennis (WMF), September 22, 2014
- Threats of harm – global guidance from Meta-wiki