Global rename policy

The following page documents an official global policy. This page has been developed and approved by the community and its compliance is mandatory for all projects. It must not be modified without prior community approval.

A global account is a name linked to a single user across all Wikimedia wikis, with local accounts unified into a global collection. Previously, the only way to rename a unified user was to individually rename every local account. This was an extremely difficult and time-consuming task, both for stewards and for the users who had to initiate discussions with local bureaucrats (who performed local renames) on every wiki with available bureaucrats. The process took a very long time, since it's difficult to coordinate crosswiki renames among the projects and bureaucrats involved in individual projects.

This policy is intended to govern the use of the Global Rename function which was built to tremendously simplify this process. It can be used to rename a global account together with all attached local accounts.

This policy allows stewards and global renamers to rename a unified login account.

To be eligible for a global rename, the request must meet all of the following criteria:

• The new name is carefully selected. Frivolous, repeated, or inappropriate requests will be declined. The users will be advised if the name is known to violate a local policy, but the renamer may not be aware of all local policies. If a name violates a local policy, the local account may be blocked by administrators on the local wiki and the user will have to resolve such a conflict on the local wiki; possibly by requesting another (global) rename. This is of course the case both for users who registered with a violating name, and for users who were renamed to such a name.

• The old name is duly and visibly linked to the new name on any wiki where the user is active, or has a history of conflict or blocks.

• The user is not seeking the rename to conceal or obfuscate bad conduct.

• The new name is not registered on any wiki (a global rename is not technically possible if there are attached or unattached accounts associated with the target username).

Most global renames should be requested through the Special:GlobalRenameRequest interface on any wiki or at Steward requests/Username changes for more complex requests.

Any private requests can be directed to renamerswikimediaorg (wiki email form). If you are not sure how to properly format your request on the SRUC page, you can also email that address and we will rename your account that way. When requesting a rename by email, please ensure that you follow the advice above and include your current and desired username and onwiki confirmation.

There will be some requirement for usurpation of local-only accounts, and possibly global accounts. Such policy requirements will be dealt with separately, though are mentioned here for clarity. Currently, all decisions around usurpation are dealt with by stewards and global renamers on a case by case basis.

• Help:Unified login
• Global renamers
• Steward requests/Username changes
• MediaWiki documentation