To identify a likely Wikipedia bot edit, check the editor’s account and bot flag, inspect the revision’s diff, then compare the change with the bot’s task and approval record. On English Wikipedia, a bot name or flag is a clue—not proof that a particular edit was authorized or correct. A mistake or policy violation also does not, by itself, prove deliberate vandalism.
How to check a suspected bot edit
- Find the revision. Open the article’s View history page. Note the editor identifier, timestamp and edit summary for the change you want to inspect. Wikipedia’s page history help explains how revisions and their accompanying details appear.
- Open the diff. Select the change to compare it with the previous revision. The older version appears on the left and the newer version on the right; inserted and removed material is marked. Read the changed text in context, including references and any affected sections. The diff help page cautions that comparisons are imperfect: moved or rearranged text can appear as a deletion and an insertion.
- Check the account and operator. A bot account often has “Bot” in its name. English Wikipedia expects bot accounts to identify the bot and human operator on the user page; the interface may also show a bot flag. Treat these as identification clues, not a guarantee that the edit was within the bot’s approved scope.
- Find approval for the specific task. Read the account’s user page and its bot approval request, or BRFA. English Wikipedia requires approval for logged bot actions, with approval for each task. Compare the BRFA’s described work and operating conditions with the actual edit. Approval to perform one task is not blanket permission for unrelated edits. The English Wikipedia bot policy describes limited exceptions, including very low-volume testing on test pages and non-disruptive automation confined to an operator’s own userspace.
- Compare the summary with the result. An edit summary such as “typo fix” or “reverted vandalism” is the editor’s explanation, not independent proof. Check whether the diff actually matches the summary and the approved task.
What legitimate automation should look like
English Wikipedia’s bot policy expects bots to be useful and harmless, avoid unnecessary resource use, work on tasks with consensus, follow policy and provide informative edit summaries. The bot’s user page and approval request should explain the task and whether it is automated or manually assisted, along with its schedule or rate. Operators are responsible for their bots’ edits and for repairing damage caused by incorrect operation; bot trials are typically monitored.
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These are evidence to examine, not a mechanical trust score. An approved bot can malfunction, and an account that resembles a bot may not be one. Check the current account page and approval record before making a firm claim about a particular edit.
Distinguish an error, a policy violation and vandalism
Describe what you can establish: what changed, its effect, the bot’s stated task, whether you found approval for that task, and whether the operator responded. Under English Wikipedia’s vandalism policy, vandalism involves deliberate intent to obstruct or defeat the project’s purpose. A harmful result or an edit outside approved conditions may be a serious concern, but neither alone establishes that deliberate intent.
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Automated safeguards can also produce false positives. English Wikipedia’s edit filter policy describes filters that can log, tag, challenge, warn about or disallow edits, and recommends testing and minimizing false positives before restrictive use. A filter action by itself does not prove that the targeted editor acted abusively.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to report a concern
- Ordinary malfunction or complaint: Contact the operator on the bot account’s or operator’s talk page. Include links to the article, revision and diff, and explain the specific problem. The bot policy advises assuming good faith for ordinary problems.
- Approval or broader community concern: Consult the bot noticeboard and the policy’s reexamination process when appropriate. The Bot Approvals Group can grant or revoke approval, remove or assign the bot group, or impose operating conditions.
- Immediate article damage: Preserve the revision and use Wikipedia’s ordinary article-repair and community processes. A questionable automated edit is not automatically vandalism.
The English Wikipedia bot policy states: “The operation of unapproved bots, or use of approved bots in ways outside their approved conditions of operation, is prohibited and may in some cases lead to blocking of the user account and possible sanctions for the operator.” Whether a specific edit falls into that category depends on its evidence and applicable approval conditions.
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