Logging could be done in a few ways:

• The tool could keep track in a ToolsDB table and provide an interface to display the data
• The tool could add a comment to a phabricator task designated for tracking these actions
• The tool could create and resolve a task tagged with the acl*userdisable project

The second option would be technically easiest to implement, but would not provide any search features beyond ctrl+F in-page searching. The 3rd option is close to as easy as the first and would allow more search features. Both the second and third options would allow people who were interested to receive email notifications of actions via built-in phabricator features.

The tool could add a comment to a phabricator task designated for tracking these actions

Wikipedia managed that way for years. ;) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Block_log

I think that would be enough.

Option 1 looks good. If too much work, what about a page on Wikitech, the same way the Server Admin Logs work? A never-to-be-closed task is something I don't really like to be honest. Thanks.

In T200856#4467400, @MarcoAurelio wrote:

Option 1 looks good. If too much work, what about a page on Wikitech, the same way the Server Admin Logs work?

Yeah, that's possible. https://wikitech.wikimedia.org/wiki/Tool:Phab-ban/Log would probably be a good place to put it.

Mentioned in SAL (#wikimedia-releng) [2018-09-16T16:26:23Z] <Hauskatze> phabricator: Account https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/p/Ponani/ disabled by me due to vandalism | T200856

In the absence of official logging feature: Disabled https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/p/Mr.deVega/ for vandalism (If someone think it is fine to restore access pls do)

Disabled https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/p/Yyn1312/ for vandalism on trust-and-safety board (and I see vandalism on his SUL account).

Disabled https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/p/SokoteZaman for spamming (looks like autogenerated) security bugs without responding to the questions.

Disabled https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/p/Vandofschool/ for spamming (see also SUL)

Publicly log account disable actions taken using the https://tools.wmflabs.org/phab-ban/ tool.

@MarcoAurelio: Is there an actual real problem that would get solved by logging, or is this more of a theoretical "Any actions should be logged" task?

In T200856#5687411, @Aklapper wrote:

Publicly log account disable actions taken using the https://tools.wmflabs.org/phab-ban/ tool.

@MarcoAurelio: Is there an actual real problem that would get solved by logging, or is this more of a theoretical "Any actions should be logged" task?

This has been started in the aftermath of https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikitech-l/2018-August/090484.html, which triggered quite an outrage of Wikitech-l, I believe. See also: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Topic:Uikcu1emvmw6e4z8 . There are quite some reasons why this is logged.

In T200856#5687479, @MGChecker wrote:

This has been started in the aftermath of https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikitech-l/2018-August/090484.html, which triggered quite an outrage of Wikitech-l, I believe. See also: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Topic:Uikcu1emvmw6e4z8 . There are quite some reasons why this is logged.

I did not requested this due to @MZMcBride's block. I feel in MZ's case this would not have helped much. The Phabricator account disable log, which is visible to admins only, does not record any reason why an account was disabled, because the UI does not offer such an option. Even if the logs were public MZ would have found that her account was disabled but not why.

In T200856#5687411, @Aklapper wrote:

@MarcoAurelio: Is there an actual real problem that would get solved by logging, or is this more of a theoretical "Any actions should be logged" task?

This task is aimed to create some sort of audit because those who are part of acl*userdisable are using a shared Phab admin account (not via the UI but via an OAUth tool, but still). In the (hopefully unlikely) case someone from acl*userdisable goes rogue and start disabling accounts, do tool admins or others know who misused the tool so they can take action against them? If that is publicly logged or logged only to tool admins I'm rather indiferent at this stage, but there should be some sort of audit, internally if you want it, as to when and by whom an account was disabled using the shared PhabBanBot account.

Disabled https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/p/Jose.licon.359/ for spamming

Disabled https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/p/Vutting/ for vandalism

Since there is no proper logging for adding users to acl*userdisable either, note: I've added @Billinghurst, can be trusted with this, and would have been helpful for them to have it

There is, see https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/project/manage/3442/ :)

In T200856#6079253, @Aklapper wrote:

There is, see https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/project/manage/3442/ :)

I mean with log comments

My link shows log comments. Or maybe I have no idea what "log comments" are. Or who needs them and why.

In T200856#6079372, @Aklapper wrote:

My link shows log comments. Or maybe I have no idea what "log comments" are.

A reason for the change?

Or who needs them and why.

Not sure

In T200856#6079374, @RhinosF1 wrote:

A reason for the change?

Personally I don't care about reasons. I trust people who can disable accounts that they have their reasons.

Plus you brought up adding people to the group which allows disabling user accounts. Do you really expect me to explain why I trust another user and give them such rights?

In T200856#6079379, @Aklapper wrote:

In T200856#6079374, @RhinosF1 wrote:

A reason for the change?

Personally I don't care about reasons. I trust people who can disable accounts that they have their reasons.

Fully agree, it’s probably also blantantly obvious within a 30s for most cases as well.

Disabled https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/p/Jdub252/ for vandalism
Disabled https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/p/Fred.231084/ for vandalism
Added @jeena to acl*userdisable to be able to stop such vandalism in the future
Added @AndyRussG to acl*userdisable to be able to stop such vandalism in the future

Disabled https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/p/Hong090/ for spam

Disabled https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/p/Ramtin0071/ for vandalism

Disabled https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/p/Jace0411/ for nonsense creations and per global lock of SUL account

@taavi Now that the source has been migrated over to gitlab, Would you like to migrate your earlier diffusion patchset over?