Protection policy

This policy describes when and how pages on Wikipedia may be protected from editing or moves. Protection restricts some or all editors from performing certain actions in order to prevent vandalism, edit warring, disruption, or other policy violations. Protection is a preventive tool, not a punitive measure.

Purpose

Prevent or reduce ongoing disruption that cannot be handled by less restrictive means.
Stabilize pages during high-visibility events or editing disputes.
Safeguard critical interface pages, high-use templates, and system messages.
Enforce legal or privacy considerations when required by the Foundation.

Principles

Minimal necessary restriction: choose the lowest level and shortest duration that is effective.
Transparency: clearly state the reason, scope, and duration in the protection log and edit summary.
Temporary by default: permanent protection is exceptional (e.g., high-risk templates).
Content-neutral: protection is not used to favor a viewpoint in a content dispute.

Protection levels

Wikipedia supports several protection levels for edit and move actions. The names below are illustrative; local configurations may vary.

Full protection: Only administrators can edit. Used for pages under heavy edit warring, highly visible policies, or sensitive templates.
Extended-confirmed protection (ECP): Only extended-confirmed editors can edit. Often used for articles subject to long-term, persistent disruption.
Semi-protection: Only autoconfirmed users can edit. Used to deter drive-by vandalism and IP abuse.
Pending changes protection: Edits by new or unregistered editors are subject to review before becoming visible to readers.
Move protection: Restricts page moves to specified user groups (often autoconfirmed or administrators).
Upload protection: Restricts overwriting or uploading of specific files.
Template and interface protection: High-risk templates may be template-protected; MediaWiki interface pages may require interface administrator rights.

Common use cases

Vandalism and long-term abuse (LTA).
Edit warring or repeated reverts.
High-traffic topics tied to breaking news or current events.
Biographies of living persons (BLP) subject to repeated defamation.
Highly transcluded templates, modules, and documentation.
Disruption from sockpuppetry or canvassing.

What protection is not

Not a tool to win content disputes.
Not a substitute for discussion, consensus, or dispute resolution.
Not a reward or punishment.

Requesting protection

Post at Wikipedia:Requests for page protection (RFPP), providing:

 * Page name and type of protection requested (edit, move, pending changes, duration).
 * A concise rationale with diffs showing the problem.
 * Any steps already taken (warnings, semi-protection attempts, dispute resolution).

For emergencies (e.g., ongoing BLP violations), contact an administrator or use real-time venues as locally defined.

Applying protection (administrators)

Select the least restrictive option that addresses the issue.
Set a reasonable duration; indefinite protection should be explained.
Add a clear protection summary and a brief note on the talk page when appropriate.
Consider whether partial protection (namespaces, sections) or title blacklisting is more suitable for specific issues.

Notifying editors

Leave a notice on the article talk page and, if practical, on the talk pages of involved editors.
Use standard templates to indicate protection status on the page:

 * {{pp}} — generic protection banner with reason parameters.
 * {{pp-vandalism}}, {{pp-dispute}}, {{pp-blp}}, {{pp-move}} — reason-specific variants.

For talk page notices, use {{uw-protect}} variants as appropriate.

Marking protection

Place a banner at the top (optional but recommended for transparency). Example:

{{pp|small=yes|vandalism=yes|expiry=2025-12-31}}

Parameters vary by template; see {{pp}} documentation.

Review and unprotection

Protection should be periodically reviewed, especially for temporary cases and current-event topics.
Anyone may request unprotection at Wikipedia:Requests for page protection with a rationale and evidence of reduced risk.
Administrators should lift protection when no longer necessary or adjust the level if circumstances change.

Pending changes

Pending changes (PC) allows edits by new or unregistered users to be reviewed before display.
PC is not a content review; it checks for obvious problems (vandalism, policy breaches).
See Wikipedia:Pending changes for reviewer roles, levels, and workflows.

Biographies of living persons (BLP)

BLP issues may justify temporary protection or heightened scrutiny.
Consider semi-protection, ECP, or pending changes when repeated defamation occurs.
See Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons.

High-risk templates and modules

Frequently transcluded or interface-affecting templates may be template-protected or fully protected.
Document rationale on the template’s /doc page and talk page.
For Lua-backed templates, consider protecting the module as well. See Wikipedia:Lua.

Interface and MediaWiki pages

Edits to [[MediaWiki:]] pages affect site-wide messages and UI.
Only interface administrators should edit high-risk interface pages.
Follow accessibility and localization best practices, and document changes.

Move protection and title stability

Use move protection during naming disputes or when pages are targeted by move vandalism.
Title changes for high-profile pages should follow discussion and consensus (e.g., requested moves).

Cascading protection

Cascading protection on a page protects all templates and files transcluded by that page (where supported).
Use sparingly; ensure you understand the transclusion tree to avoid over-protection.
See Help:Cascading protection.

Enforcement

Violating protection may result in blocks or other sanctions.
Administrators should act consistently, explain actions, and avoid conflicts of interest.
Logs: All protection and unprotection actions are recorded in Special:Log/protect.

Dispute resolution

Protection does not resolve content disputes.
Direct parties to Wikipedia:Dispute resolution, Wikipedia:Consensus, and talk page discussion.
Consider page restrictions under Wikipedia:Arbitration Committee remedies where applicable.

Abuse and review

Misuse of protection (e.g., protecting a page to support a viewpoint) is prohibited.
Concerns may be raised at Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard or other review venues.
Repeated misuse may lead to administrative sanctions or desysop procedures as per local policy.

Templates and tools

Page banners: {{pp}}, {{pp-vandalism}}, {{pp-dispute}}, {{pp-blp}}, {{pp-move}}, {{pp-semi-indef}}
User warnings: {{uw-protect}}, {{uw-tempabuse}}
Requests and workflows: Wikipedia:Requests for page protection, Special:ProtectedPages, Special:WhatLinksHere/Template:pp
Logs and reports: Special:Log/protect, Special:Log/stable

Common mistakes

Using full protection when semi-protection or pending changes would suffice.
Leaving pages protected indefinitely without periodic review.
Failing to document the reason and duration in the log and talk page.
Protecting pages to win content disputes rather than de-escalate them.

Wikipedia:Protection policy