If you locate any unwritten rule that should be clarified, use the talk page to make a proposal
In the context of wiki communities, blocking is defined by Fandom as the prevention of an user, either a registered account or through their IP address, from editing a wiki.
Blocking is performed by site bureaucrats and administrators and occasionally Fandom Staff, as a consequence of actions not limited to vandalism, spamming, trolling, disruption in order to prevent further damage to the wiki as well as to enforce its policies.
The duration of the blocks is proportionate to the grievousness of the damage performed to the site. A block may reduced upon a successful block appeal or on Staff discretion; otherwise, blocks are to be fully served until its expiration.
Reasons for Blocking
- Inserting false information: One of the most common reasons for blocking an user is the addition of information that is false, inaccurate, incorrect, speculative, or can just be described as "fanon" or "headcanon".
- False information: Any and all information not coming from official or trusted sources added to articles is or can be considered false, at least until otherwise proven. Its addition to articles, either by not following the policies on style and information, article creation or content, adding it to incorrect articles, or creating incorrect articles merely to add something is grounds for a block.
- Fanon: Fanon, fan theories or headcanon, no matter how widespread they are, are not allowed on this wiki's articles. Addition of fanon should almost always have a warning, either by a general announcement or done so personally, prior to blocking. Once the warning has been made once, re-addition of fanon is grounds for a block.
- Edit-warring: Edit-warring is the action of two or more editors constantly reverting one another's edits. Engaging in edit-warrning in order to insert false information despite good faith editors undoing it is also grounds for a block. As explained in many policies across the wiki, if you think that the information you added is correct and has been removed, the course of action is not just re-add it and start a discussion in the edit summary, but rather to discuss it with the editor who removed it. If necessary, ask an admin or moderator to mediate.
- Vandalism: Vandalism is the epitome of the insertion of false information with bad faith, with the only purpose of lowering the quality of the wiki and/or disrupting the functioning of the community. Vandalism and its bad faith is usually grounds for indefinite bans.
- Category spam: Creation of categories and insertion not allowed or plainly bypassing the policy regulating its creation is also a form of false information, as it is information that does not belong to a category within the wiki's system.
- Copyright violations: Violations of copyrighted material is information that does not belong to the wiki and goes against Fandom's Terms of Use and Service. Either text plagiarized from other articles within the wiki without proper attribution, text taken from outer sources or images taken from illegal screenings of movies, are grounds for a very severe block.
- Empty pages: Empty pages with no content, without format, or even without an introduction go directly against the policies for article creation, and therefore, the content of the article itself is considered to be false to the principles of the kind of information that belongs to the wiki. The creation of an empty article so that others can fill it out is not a valid excuse for its creation.
- Multiple reversions: Ignoring text warnings and/or going against policies, including Manual of Style, which subsequently result in an editor's recent "contributions" all being rightfully reverted, might result in a short-term block or a partial block. Users who have edited for over six months and still make "contributions" that go against policies that result in said contributions being reverted, who do not display any inclination towards abiding by policies and Manual of Style despite warnings and guidelines, are also eligible to be blocked. Editors who have been blocked consistently for multiple reversions, who continue to showcase zero attempts to rectify their editing style, may receive an extended or permanent block.
- Removing content from pages
- Removal of information: The removal of information has two main variants: A "good faith" one, with erroneously removing correct information under the thought it was incorrect, and a "bad faith" one, which would be analogous to adding false information. While the first one should lead to a warning first and only a block in case it is recurring or persistent, the second one may result in the editor being blocked from editing that page. Further infractions will be considered tantamount to vandalism and will result in a general severe block.
- Blanking pages: Blanking a page, removing all of its content, is ground for an indefinite block. Even if the page is going to be marked for deletion, the page should not be blanked under any circumstance, as it helps speed up the deletion process.
- Removal of warnings: Removing official warnings made by administrators or moderators in message walls is not allowed, as warnings are meant to stay in the history of walls.
- Spamming links to external sites: Links to external sites within articles are not allowed, with a few exceptions. Obvious spam to external malicious sites are grounds for an indefinite block.
- Intimidating behavior/harassment
- Disruption: Disruption of the wiki and its proper functioning, via changing comments, misleading or malicious edits, not following policies and procedures, excessive drama, trolling, etc. can lead to a block, with its length based on the severity of the disruption.
- Harassment: The harassment of other users via excessive or abusive on their message walls, profanity and insults, threats, hounding their edits or discussions, and other instances that may be perceived as harassment, lead to an often indefinite block.
- Personal Attacks: Users perceived as attacking other editors are usually given a "cool-off ban". If the attack also includes one of the instances considered as harassment, that ban's length is usually longer. All instances currently defined as personal attacks are subject to a very extended or indefinite ban.
- Inappropriate language: While language in articles are not censored, for instance profanity uttered in television shows and movies that the wiki covers, editors should be respectful in their choice of wording when communicating with other users or Staff. The usage of slurs will result in a block. Harmful language and/or rhetoric that an editor is using in public social media accounts may also result in a block at the discretion of the administrators.
- Doxxing: Doxxing refers to the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information about an editor without their consent. Doxxing an editor on the wiki is grounds for an infinite block.
- Abusing multiple accounts: Sockpuppeting, which refers to using another account to bypass a block done to the first account, is not allowed by Fandom's Terms of Use. If caught, sockpuppeting leads to an indefinite block on the sockpuppet account, and in most cases, an increase on the block given to the original account, especially if the edits performed by the alternate account follow the same pattern that led to the initial block (usually edit-warring, harassment or disruption).
- Unacceptable username: Accounts created with an inappropriate name, either be it in terms of user impersonation/insult, or general rudeness/obscenity is also grounds for a no-warning infinite block.
Block Appeals
- If you are blocked or banned and want to appeal it, please use your message wall on this Wiki. If your block prevents you from using this wiki's Message Walls, please contact an administrator from this Wiki on their wall on the Fandom Community Central Wiki.
- If you are blocked/banned on this Wiki, it is NOT appropriate to follow any Staff Member (or any user involved with the block/ban) anywhere other than Community Central to protest. This will result in your block being extended here.
- If you are blocked/banned on another Wiki, do not follow the blocker here to complain. This may result in a block being given on this wiki as well.
Blocks on Other Wikis
Administrators reserve the right to block a user because they have been blocked on another wiki within the Fandom network. There are some reasons to apply this right:
- An user could be involved in a "rolling" attack on Fandom wikis, in which they vandalizes a series of wikis.
- An user could have demonstrated a pattern of behavior at another site that is plainly in violation of the rules of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki.
- An user's fight with another user on another wiki might be threatening to "spill over" onto our wiki.
Of course, being blocked on another site does not automatically mean that an user is going to be blocked here. Sometimes administrators on other sites act with haste or malice. Administrators from the Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki will review each situation on a case-by-case basis.