2021 SkipIRC Handoff

 

 

The 2021 SkipIRC Handoff was a transfer of ownership of the SCP Wiki IRC (internet relay chat), also known as “SkipIRC”, that occurred in September 2021. 

On Sept 22, 2021 staff member LilyFlower announced on the O5 Command forums that a change of ownership had occurred with the SCP Wiki IRC server, which houses all SCP Wiki related IRC chat channels.^[1]https://archive.fo/pnGyK The change also saw the appointment of new IRC network operators. This change took place on September 21, 2021.

The change specified that the handoff “will allow for the better determent of trolls and abusive users on the network”.

 

The ownership change was mildly controversial.^[2]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-14351967/october-2021-recap#irchar General outcry was around the apparently dishonest manner in which the change occurred,^[3]https://archive.ph/EHd72 that no community input was sought or announcement initially made,^[4]https://archive.ph/ObTyO and that the SkipIRC would change under the new ownership.^[5]https://archive.li/XrBsW#selection-1401.0-1411.46^[6]https://archive.fo/5Nr2O^[7]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-14204425/announcement:skipirc-ownership-change-and-new-network-operat#post-5090533

To allay concerns, the SCP Wiki staff and the new owner of the SkipIRC stated that there would be no change to the average user experience as a result of the handoff.^[8]https://archive.ph/pnGyK#selection-1277.0-1277.67^[9]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2203.0-2203.193^[10]https://archive.ph/ObTyO

In October 2021, a month after the handoff, new SkipIRC owner Kufat declared via his Twitter and the SkipIRC Miraheze that multiple new policy rules would be enacted. These policies would include disciplinary action for anyone causing any mental distress to another, and the criminalization of sharing lines of chat from IRC channels that each participant in the captured dialogue did not give explicit consent to reproduce. ^[11]https://skipirc.miraheze.org/wiki/Main_Page^[12]https://archive.li/UD5eu^[13]https://archive.ph/8X3YU^[14]https://archive.ph/MJGcT^[15]https://archive.li/V6dnT The policy was debated on Kufat’s Twitter,^[16]https://twitter.com/MTBade/status/1446500298566950926^[17]https://twitter.com/MTBade/status/1446501487765385227 and in Staffchat.^[18]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-14351967/october-2021-recap#irchar The response was sufficient enough to cause Kufat to recant the chat log policy.^[19]https://archive.md/VOUeM^[20]https://archive.li/OaDd1^[21]https://archive.li/JAhfz Another proposal — a minimum age limit change — was ultimately scrapped due to external factors.^[22]https://archive.li/yftVz

After change were made, users expressed dissatisfaction, ^[23]https://archive.ph/4E24Q and the changes were addressed in the SCP Wiki staff’s chatrooms.^[24]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-14351967/october-2021-recap#irchar

These criticisms went largely unrecognized by the new ownership. For example, statements from the new owner are that his actions will predominantly be maintenance, while this is denied in later ones.^[25]https://archive.ph/UDSmN#selection-1183.0-1183.94^[26]https://archive.fo/6IBC8#selection-2181.0-2181.59^[27]https://archive.ph/k6q7M#selection-1951.0-1951.27^[28]https://archive.fo/4E24Q#selection-2233.0-2233.60

Additionally, several of the individuals who were given control over the SkipIRC were controversial figures. For example, DrMagnus was given the role of network administrator after months earlier quitting during political pressure and partial blame for The Cerastes Incident. At least one individual left the IRC chat over DrMagnus’ presence.^[29]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2179.0-2179.66 MalyceGraves was in June 2021 cited in a pseudo-disciplinary fashion for statements in another leaked chat, which referred to the complaints and community outcry for reform in the 2021 Town Halls as “bitching”. 

The user given ownership of SkipIRC, Kufat, had in August of 2021 resigned from his SCP Wiki staff position as a result of the initiation of Staffchat Recaps.^[30]https://archive.fo/zaX3I^[31]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-14126208/staffchat-recaps-part-2:the-recapening^[32]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-14119169/staffchat-recaps#post-5005085 Kufat was the one who assigned DrMagnus the network administrator role.^[33]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2155.496-2155.645

Individuals were uncomfortable with the ethics of users’ private information (IP address, email address per IRC admin/operator privileges) being accessible to the new network staff members ^[34]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2321.0-2321.69 while the  new owner of the SkipIRC had a history of reporting perceived enemies’ to their internet service providers with the intention of causing retaliatory action and censorship from the internet.^[35]https://archive.md/9hJhS#selection-2283.76-2283.97^[36]https://archive.md/9hJhS#selection-2283.80-2283.97 This use of users’ private information is at times based on political differences.^[37]https://archive.ph/KZWXN#selection-1347.0-1347.209 The new owner denied observing any conflict in these past activities and the new responsibilities given to him by way of the SkipIRC ownership.^[38]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2571.0-2599.322 In response to these ethical concerns, staff members argued in favor of the responsibility, based on trust.^[39]https://archive.ph/ObTyO^[40]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2203.0-2203.516 Supportive users claimed the unconsented-to use of IP addresses would only occur with trolling or illegal activities, and that far more information is given to entities over the internet on a regular basis. ^[41]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-3345.0-3345.208

The SkipIRC change occurred at the time of and seemingly in response to a series of leaked chat logs from IRC channels and Discord that were meant to criticize and reflect poorly upon the SCP Wiki Staff.^[42]https://archive.fo/4Q3OF The IRC change and new policy rules coincided with SCP Wiki staff action against the actors perpetuating the leaks,^[43]https://archive.fo/hDWxg and was described in Staffchat recaps by one staff member as “reactionary… and concerning”.^[44]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-14351967/october-2021-recap#irchar Any coincidence regarding these two having a chronological causation was denied by the new ownership.^[45]https://archive.li/pwuap

 

Staff’s response to the displeasure expressed by the change was that that the communication regarding the change could have been managed better, but it was nonetheless for the good of the IRC, and that the speed was necessary in that the chat staff was facing team shortage issues.^[46]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2167.483-2167.590 Staff also suggested that the situation would not be handled as poorly if it were to happen again.^[47]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2187.0-2187.267

In response to the criticism that the SkipIRC handoff occurred too quickly, a SCP Wiki staff representative wrote:

“Unfortunately things moved much much quicker than anticipated and we cannot undo this. This Q and A opportunity is an attempt to mend that bridge.”^[48]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2131.0-2131.213

In response to the criticism that the change was not discussed with anyone and occurred “behind closed doors”: 

“I think it was felt that the network changes would not impact on chat staff much by those involved.” ^[49]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2143.0-2143.99

In response to the discomfort of individuals having access to IRC users’ private data (IP address, email):

Personally I find every oper who has been appointed to have a stringent set of ethics around data protection, and the rules of the network. Kufat already displayed he was trustworthy when he was staff, I do not think that trustworthiness has changed.^[50]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2203.193-2203.444

In response to he changes made on the SkipIRC, the new owner noted how few there were.^[51]https://archive.li/yftVz#selection-917.0-923.8

On numerous occasions, staff/IRC representatives made the distinction between SkipIRC and the official SCP IRC channels that exist as a subset of it in order to defuse criticism that the ownership change could or would affect the site.^[52]https://archive.ph/VZgrQ^[53]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2711.0-2711.549^[54]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2167.0-2167.119^[55]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-14351967/october-2021-recap#irchar This argument was not satisfactory to some critics,^[56]https://archive.ph/nF9pu and is in contrast to observations made by the SkipIRC owner, regarding the same relationship on other platforms.^[57]https://archive.ph/jPZUa

In response to Kufat’s appointment of DrMagnus in a position of authority, he writes:

“Let’s talk about DrMagnus for a bit. Pepole [sic] have made vague complaints about his being in a position of authority, but nobody has actually had the integrity to say “Hey Kufat, I don’t want Magnus on network staff because of the Cerastes incident.” So…”^[58]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2693.0-2693.251

 

As of February 2022, no changes have been made to the SkipIRC’s ownership or personnel.