To have an autoblock on your account lifted, please followthese instructions, but note that the instructions only work if you are able to edit your talk page while autoblocked. If you cannot edit your talk page, use theUnblock Ticket Request System instead.

Anautoblock is an automaticblock of anIP address. Autoblocks are the result of an attempt to edit Wikipedia from an IP address recently used by a blocked user.

Each time a user edits Wikipedia, the IP address from which the edit was made is logged (this log is accessible only by a very small number of trusted users, calledcheckusers). If a blocked user attempts to edit, the IP from which they are editing is "autoblocked", to prevent their switching to editing anonymously or under asockpuppet username.

It is possible for innocent users who have done nothing blockworthy to be blocked from editing by an autoblock. If this happens to you, simplyrequest an unblock and an administrator will review the situation.

Users who find themselves autoblocked accidentally may request an unblock by one or more of the following methods:

1. Posting the{{unblock-auto}} template on their talkpage to obtain the attention of an administrator (see{{autoblock}} for further instructions)
2. Contacting theadministrator who issued the initial block and requesting an unblock, by sending them an email with the "Email this user" option at that admin's userpage
3. Going to the#wikipedia-en-unblock^connectIRC channel onLibera Chat
4. Submitting a request to theUnblock Ticket Request System

If a user is autoblocked, an admin can clear the autoblock by:

• Reviewing the list atSpecial:BlockList, and searching for the user's account name.This is a case-sensitive search.
• Identifying the #xxxxx number that is associated. If searching on this number, be sure to include the "#"
• Unblocking the #xxxxx by clicking the "unblock" link

Note that once the autoblock is cleared, the user's account name will no longer appear in the list.

If the user has posted the blocked IP on-wiki as part of the request to be unblocked, consider whether there is a need to remove this information for privacy/security reasons, usingrevision deletion.

An example of autoblock in action:

1. Bob's account "User:Bob" is blocked for a week with autoblock enabled. Bort was using IP address 192.0.0.1.
2. Bob stays on IP address 192.0.0.1 and attempts to edit both logged out and from their unblocked account "User:Bobby". They can not do so as IP 192.0.0.1 is autoblocked for 24 hours.
3. Bort moves to IP address 192.0.0.2 and attempts to edit both logged out and from their unblocked account "User:Bobby". They can not do so as IP 192.0.0.2 is autoblocked for 24 hours.
4. This will continue until the "User:Bob" account is unblocked after a week.

When an autoblock occurs, users may be autoblocked as the result of a block onanother user, who was probably using the same IP address. So a different user may end up blocked, even though they have personally done nothing wrong. This is referred to as "collateral damage". Example:

1. User:Alice, an administrator, blocks User:Bob for 24 hours. Unknown to Alice, Bort uses an ISP that usesdynamic IP addresses (such as at home, at university, at a library, at a company, etc.), and an autoblock was enabled at the time of the block.
2. User:Charlie, who also uses the same ISP, and is currently assigned the IP address last used by Bob, signs on to Wikipedia.
3. Charlie receives a "You have been blocked" message, doesn't understand what an autoblock is, and angrily demands to know why admin Alice has blocked him.

It is important for users to understand that administrators do not set autoblocks; once they have blocked a user with autoblocking enabled, autoblocks are set by the MediaWiki software. Autoblocks do not appear in administrators' block logs, and the administrators are not notified of them. This is a necessary consequence of Wikipedia's privacy policy, to keep logged-in users' IP addresses private. So while the IP address responsible for each edit is recorded by the MediaWiki software, this cannot be accessed, even by administrators and even when the user is blocked.

The only circumstances in which a user may be associated with an IP address, are certain policy violations detailed by thecheckuser policy; even then, access to the Checkuser tool is granted only toa small group of trusted users, not administrators in general.

When a block is issued, autoblocking is usually turnedon by default, except for common dynamic IP ranges, such as those used by many residential ISPs. A list of such automatically exempt IP ranges can be found atMediaWiki:Autoblock whitelist.

Administrators can disable autoblocking at the time of blocking a user, by unchecking the checkbox. Once an "enabled" block is placed, it can also be fixed by modifying the user's block, but this should not be done unless absolutely necessary.

When IP addresses are autoblocked, they appear inSpecial:Ipblocklist (but not in the admin's block log) with a special mask that prevents the IP from being seen. Autoblocks register onSpecial:Ipblocklist and in the banner available to the blocked user, with the name of the admin that set the original block. However, the admin isnot notified that an autoblock has been placed.

• It is helpful for all involved to remain patient and remember that it is the software, not the administrator who is unfortunate enough to have their name appear on the block, that is responsible for the autoblock.
• Equally important is for admins to checkSpecial:Ipblocklist regularly, and unblock all autoblocks from a particular user if more than two autoblocks are set in rapid succession.
• If more than two IPs are autoblocked within seconds/minutes of each other, it is a good indication that it is a dynamic IP pool and the blocks are collateral damage.

• Wikipedia:New admin school/Blocking

Tɛmplet:Wikipedia accounts