Wikipedia:Functionaries

This is an information page. It is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines; rather, its purpose is to explain certain aspects of Wikipedia's norms, customs, technicalities, or practices. It may reflect differing levels of consensus and vetting.

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Functionaries are users who perform specialized roles and have privileged technical access on the Wikimedia projects. Examples include users with CheckUser or Oversight access, as well as current and past members of the Arbitration Committee. Functionary access must be authorized by the Arbitration Committee or the Wikimedia Foundation, and requires that the user sign the confidentiality agreement for nonpublic information. This is in contrast to users who are administrators, bureaucrats, or members of the Bot Approvals Group; these are 'community' positions.

Functionaries whose permissions and responsibilities are confined to the English Wikipedia are under the jurisdiction of the Arbitration Committee. These functionaries include:

• Current members of the Arbitration Committee
• Former members of the Arbitration Committee
• Other users to whom the Arbitration Committee has granted CheckUser or Oversight permissions

Functionaries are held to a higher standard of behavior than non-functionaries, especially in issues related to their area of responsibility. Users who demonstrate a lack of judgment in an area related to their special access may have their status as functionaries revoked, whether or not an explicit abuse of their privileged access has occurred. As functionaries have a high profile within the project and are the face of Wikipedia both to its editors and to the wider world, it is damaging to the integrity of the encyclopedia as a whole if these users are repeatedly embroiled in controversy. Functionaries may be removed from their position by the Arbitration Committee.