Requests for Comment/Global user rights

Global rights of Stewards and Sysadmins
I'm concerned that it appears Stewards and Sysadmins have the technical ability to evade/override local wiki restrictions. A couple examples of this include the global ability to view private abuse filters, edit the user interface, edit abuse filters, and perform basic sysop tasks without the sysop right.

Abuse filters are marked as private for a reason - which is that no one except local sysops/crats is supposed to be able to see them. Editing filters should never be done globally, as this would be interfearing with operations, period. Being able to edit the user interface isn't really appropriate either, as this should be left to the bureaucrats/founders of the local wiki.

In the event of cross-wiki vandalism, Stewards have the 'userrights' permission, which means that they can assign any local userright that they need temporarily in order to clean up the mess someone may have left behind. It's not really technically necessary to have this permission in addition to uneditable global group permissions that override (or at appear to be capable of overriding) local permissions and restrictions.

Proposal 1
The current global user groups will be left as is, with no changes whatsoever being made to them.

Comments
Per the reason for opening this RFC in the first place. Amanda (talk) 19:30, 29 December 2016 (UTC)

Proposal 2
A new custom Miraheze extension will be developed, that allows global user groups to be edited locally on individual projects by non-Stewards, but yet does not destroy the entire global group elsewhere (I know this is complicated and likely won't happen for a while even if it were to pass).

Comments
I personally would not chose this route, mainly because of the complications and the time-consumming efforts. However, it would be one possible way to resolve the issue. Amanda (talk) 19:30, 29 December 2016 (UTC)

MT7 (talk) 04:30, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

Proposal 3
The global groups of Stewards and Sysadmins will be edited to remove any permissions that could be used on a local wiki that typically would require sysop, bureaucrat, or other elevated rights. This includes but is not limited to the rights listed in the introduction of this RFC.

Comments
I would be in favor of this, since Stewards have the ability to assign all local rights to themselves anyway. Amanda (talk) 19:30, 29 December 2016 (UTC)

Not for sysadmin. It may be redudant userright. MT7 (talk) 04:28, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

Proposal 4
Both proposals 2 and 3 above will be implemented.

Comments
I personally think that this is a little too much. Amanda (talk) 19:43, 29 December 2016 (UTC)

Proposal 5
Proposal 1 will be implemented, but local communities will be allowed to create their own policies regarding the use of global user rights. These local policies would override global policies just on that one wiki, and Stewards and Sysadmins would be expected to act within the line of that local policy, even if it contradicts global ones. The exceptions would be legal issues or serious cross-wiki vandalism that has no other way to be cleaned up.

Comments
Wouldn't mind seeing this, but would prefer to see one of the other more straightforward proposals. Amanda (talk) 19:47, 29 December 2016 (UTC)
 * This is probably the most basic and feasible of the proposals involving change, so while it is not exactly completely straightforward, I'm going to support this one the strongest. Amanda (talk) 00:10, 30 December 2016 (UTC)

My current understanding of global permissions is that they are only used in two cases: No more, no less. Also, global policies are there to prevent abuse of the services at a local level, the abuse of which may result in termination of services under the new ToS. I don't think giving individuals the option to ignore these policies as they see fit is wise. Finally, the RfC we closed not to long ago decided the global scope of Stewards. This RfC would void that part of the RfC, and I sincerely doubt consensus has changed on in such a short period of time. -- Void  Whispers 04:57, 30 December 2016 (UTC)
 * 1) There is consensus for the action on the local wiki,
 * 2) There is a technical/legal reason that supersedes any local policies (such as ToS 9).
 * I like this, so steward can't abuse on local wiki. MT7 (talk) 05:47, 30 December 2016 (UTC)