Wikipedia:Responding to threats of harm

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


If you see a threat of physical harm (including self-harm):

1. Treat all claims seriously
2. Contact the Wikimedia Foundation
  • Immediately email emergency@wikimedia.org with details of the threat. Alternatively, if your Wikipedia account has email enabled click here: Message the emergency team.
  • These contact methods are for threats of physical harm (including self-harm) only. For other concerns, see Wikipedia:Contact us.
  • Provide the exact name of the page where you saw the threat and the time that you saw it (including the URL to the page or a diff link with the edit is a better way).
  • 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.[1]
  • 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.
3. Contact Wikipedia administrators privately
  • Use email, IRC, Discord, or other low-visibility methods, not high-traffic noticeboards or popular talk pages.
  • If in doubt, the primary method is to use IRC and join the #wikipedia-en-revdel connect channel. To do this quickly and using your browser, click here: Join IRC channel.
  • If you need to find an administrator who's active on Wikipedia right now, you can use this tool to locate one.
  • Even if you are an administrator, notify other administrators.
  1. ^ Per WMF request June 7, 2023 -- see [1].

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@wikimedia.org; stay off high-traffic noticeboards.

External links