Anonymize Recent Changes

IP addresses on RecentChanges were an attempt to protect folk against identity theft and let users know their IPs were being tracked. Unfortunately, it now appears they're being used to auto-delete users's posts, which is worse. It wouldn't be hard to simply stop adding IPs to RecentChanges, enabling real anonymity here to those who DontSign. Is there a downside to this?

Sometimes you want to track changes made by a single individual, such as spam. This is not a compelling reason of its own, but it is one reason.

Most times, you want to identify your changes since you are proud of what you have contributed and want to indicate to those who read pages that you have had something to say on a topic. Anonymizing RecentChanges would remove this. -- DonaldNoyes

You claim that anonymizing RecentChanges would remove your attribution somehow. But you can provide the attribution yourself by signing your contributions.

I made the point that the connection of the page having been changed with the identity of the page changer would be removed. (before and without having to read the page) This would serve the needs of those who are interested in reading pages first which have been modified by those who do not choose to be anonymous. Perhaps there could be a page called AccountableChanges and another called AnonymousChanges. I would choose to read the first group and if I had time I might sample the second. -- DonaldNoyes

AnonymousChanges is already the situation on NewRecentChanges and QuickChanges. You still use the plain old RecentChanges?

Not still, always! It still illustrates who is changing what, not the how much plus or minus. It brings up the page as it is. It shows the UserName, or IP of the changer. It provides the raw information needed to construct the AccountableChanges and the AnonymousChanges and the meaningful and useful RecentlyChanged.

I use the plain old RecentChanges too. Useful to zoom in on multipage spams done by single IpUsername. Otherwise I would have to look at all changes to see if updates are spams. -- dl

...or you could just do what everyone else does and look for several edits with the same large positive diff size on NewRecentChanges. I think that was the whole idea behind NewRecentChanges anyway.

Already doing that. But I have come across several situations of small diff spams which would be missed by the above method.

This proposal is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The solution to the recent vandalism is OpenProxy defenses. -- EarleMartin

Also along the lines of LessIsMore with RecentChanges, see PersonalWatchList.

Or you could use (in addition) the SmallestFederatedWiki

CategoryWikiSecurity