Hello, everyone.

I'm writing with information about the Ombuds Commission (OC), the small group of volunteers who investigate complaints about violations of the privacy policy, and in particular concerning the use of CheckUser and Oversight tools, on any Wikimedia project for the Board of Trustees. I apologize for the length of the announcement. :)

The application period for new commissioners for 2023 recently closed. The Wikimedia Foundation is extremely grateful to the many experienced and insightful volunteers who offered to assist with this work.

This year’s OC will consist of ten members, with a one-member advisory team who will guide the new commission and also, if necessary, fill in in the event that the OC is unable to act due to incapacity or recusal.

I am pleased to announce the composition of the 2023 OC: Regular membersAGK < https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=AGK%3E

AGK has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2008. He is primarily active on English Wikipedia, where he has been an administrator, Checkuser, and Oversighter and has served as an Arbitrator. AGK served on the Ombuds Commission in 2020 and 2021. AGK has been appointed for a 2-year term on the Ombuds Commission. Ameisenigel < https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=Ameisenigel%3E

Ameisenigel has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2015. He is primarily active on German Wikipedia, where he served as an Arbitrator from 2020 to 2022, and on Wikidata, where he is an administrator. He is also active as a translation admin in several projects. Ameisenigel speaks German and English. He has been on the Ombuds Commission since 2021 and has been appointed for a 1-year term this year.

Bennylin < https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=Bennylin%3E

Bennylin has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2004. He's primarily active on Indonesian and Javanese Wikiprojects, where he's sysop in 6 of them, Checkuser in Indonesian Wikipedia, bureaucrat in Indonesian Wiktionary, and also active in Commons, Meta, Wikidata, and MediaWiki. He has previously served as a global Steward. He speaks Indonesian, English, Javanese, Chinese and some Spanish. This is Bennylin's first year on the Ombuds Commission and he has been appointed for a 2-year term. Daniuu https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=Daniuu

Daniuu has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2019. They are primarily active on Dutch Wikipedia, where they are a sysop and member of the Arbitration Committee. They are also a global sysop and focus on counter-vandalism work. Daniuu speaks Dutch and English. This is Daniuu's first year on the Ombuds Commission and they have been appointed for a 2-year term. Emufarmers < https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=Emufarmers%3E

Emufarmers has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2005. He is a Metapedian who primarily edits the English Wikipedia; he is also a bureaucrat and sysop on MediaWiki.org, and has provided software support to many third-party, non-Wikimedia wikis over the years. He has served as a VRTS administrator since 2015. He served on the Ombuds Commission from 2019-2021. He has been appointed for a one-year term on the Ombuds Commission. Faendalimas < https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=Faendalimas%3E

Scott Thomson, user:Faendalimas, has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2006. Based in Brazil, he is a taxonomist and evolutionary biologist and his main editing interest is reptiles and amphibians. He is most active on WikiSpecies, where he is a bureaucrat, Checkuser, and administrator. Faendalimas speaks Portuguese and English. He has served on the Ombuds Commission since 2021 and has been appointed for a one-year term this year. JJMC89 https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=JJMC89

JJMC89 has been contributing to Wikimedia projects since 2015. He is primarily active on the English Wikipedia, where he has more than 300,000 edits and is an administrator and bot operator, and Commons. He also serves as a tool administrator on UTRS. He speaks English. He has been on the Ombuds Commission since 2021 and has been appointed for a 1-year term this year. MdsShakil < https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=MdsShakil%3E

MdsShakil has been contributing to Wikimedia projects since 2019. He is active on Bengali Wikipedia, Bengali Wikibooks, Wikidata and Commons. He is an administrator on Bengali Wikibooks and serves as a global renamer and global rollbacker. He speaks Bengali and English. This is MdsShakil's first year on the Ombuds Commission and he has been appointed for a 2-year term. Minorax https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=Minorax

Minorax has been active on Wikimedia projects since 2019. They are a Metapedian who is active on a large number of projects, including Commons, where they have over 400,000 edits, English Wikipedia, and Meta, where they are a Checkuser. They are also a global sysop. Minorax speaks English and Chinese. This is Minorax's first year on the Ombuds Commission and they have been appointed for a 2-year term.

Renvoy https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=Renvoy

Renvoy has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2014. He is primarily active on Ukrainian Wikipedia and Wikidata. He is an administrator on Ukrainian Wikibooks and serves as a global rollbacker. Renvoy speaks Ukrainian, Russian, English, and Polish. This is Renvoy's first year on the Ombuds Commission and he has been appointed for a 1-year term.

Advisory memberZabe < https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=Zabe%3E

Zabe has been contributing to Wikimedia projects since 2018. They primarily edit Wikidata and Mediawiki, where they are an administrator. In addition, Zabe works on the Mediawiki software. Zabe speaks German and English. Zabe has been on the Ombuds Commission since 2022. The advisory member term length is one year. Steward-Observer

New in 2023, we are appointing a Steward-Observer to serve as a liaison between the Ombuds Commission and the Stewards. The Steward-Observer is a non-voting, advisory role. The Steward-Observer was nominated by the Stewards and is appointed by the Wikimedia Foundation to a one-year term. This year's Steward-Observer is… Vermont https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=Vermont

Vermont (they/them) has been contributing to Wikimedia projects since 2016. They have been a steward since February 2022, and previously a global sysop and rollbacker. Vermont is an administrator and checkuser on Meta-Wiki and the Simple English Wikipedia, and formerly volunteered on the UCoC Phase 2 and Revisions drafting committees.

Departing members

Please join me in thanking the following volunteers who are leaving OC, who have given substantially of their time to serve the commission: Érico <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=%C3%89rico

Érico has been editing Wikimedia projects since 2010. He edits primarily on Portuguese Wikipedia, where he is a bureaucrat, checkuser, and administrator, and Commons, where he is an administrator. He has, in the past, also served as an oversighter and a global sysop. He has created about 1,700 new articles and has made over 270,000 edits in several projects. Érico can communicate in Portuguese and English. 2022 was Érico's first year on the Ombuds Commission.

Galahad https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=Galahad

Carlos, currently editing as user:Galahad, has been contributing to Wikimedia Projects since 2009. He is a member of Wikimedia Venezuela and a founding member of Wikimedia Small Projects User Group. He primarily contributes to Spanish-language projects including Spanish Wikipedia and Spanish Wikivoyage. He has been an administrator and bureaucrat of Spanish Wikivoyage since 2013. He speaks Spanish and English. He has served on the Ombuds Commission since 2019. Infinite0694 < https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=Infinite0694%3E

Infinite0694 has been contributing to Wikimedia projects since 2011. She edits primarily on Japanese Wikipedia, where she is a bureaucrat, administrator, Oversighter, and Checkuser, as well as on Meta, where she is an administrator. Infinite0694 speaks Japanese, English, and German. 2022 was Infinite0694's first year on the Ombuds Commission. Mykola7 https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=Mykola7

Mykola7 has been contributing to Wikimedia projects since 2018. He is primarily active on Ukranian Wikipedia, where he is an administrator and Checkuser. He speaks Ukranian, Russian, and English. 2022 was Mykola7's first year on the Ombuds Commission. Olugold https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=Olugold

Olugold has been contributing to Wikimedia projects since 2020. She is a librarian and a member of the Igbo Wikimedia User Group. She edits primarily on English Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Igbo Wikipedia. She speaks English, Hausa, Igbo, and Nigerian Pidgin English. 2022 was Olugold's first year on the Ombuds Commission.

Udehb https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=Udehb

Udehb has been contributing to Wikimedia projects since 2018. He edits primarily on Wikidata and is also active in the movement, including organizing Wikidata Justice Nigeria https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikidata_Justice_Nigeria. He is a member of the Igbo Wikimedians User Group and serves as the IG-WIKIDATA-HUB coordinator, of which he is the founder. Udehb speaks Igbo and English. 2022 was Udehb's first year on the Ombuds Commission.