How do you handle a Wikipedia page being locked or semi-protected?
Semi-protection blocks edits from new and unregistered accounts; full protection limits edits to administrators only. In both cases the article's Talk page stays open, so a disclosed-COI editor can still propose sourced changes for an uninvolved community editor to implement.
Wikipedia protects articles that have drawn repeated vandalism or edit warring, and the level of protection decides who can edit the article directly. The key point for disclosed-conflict-of-interest (COI) work is that protection never closes the Talk page or the edit-request workflow, it only changes who is allowed to make the edit through the protection.
| Semi-protection | Full protection | |
|---|---|---|
| Who is blocked | Unregistered users and very new accounts | Everyone except administrators |
| Who can still edit directly | Registered editors with a few days of edit history | Administrators only |
| Typical trigger | Persistent vandalism or anonymous disruption | Active disputes and edit warring |
| Talk page | Open | Open |
How edits still get made under protection
In every protection scenario the edit-request workflow continues to function:
- A disclosed-COI editor proposes the change on the Talk page, backed by reliable sources.
- An uninvolved community editor or administrator evaluates the request against policy.
- If accepted, the change is implemented through the protection.
Protection is sometimes the friend of disclosed-COI work: by shutting down hostile or low-quality edits, it removes changes that would otherwise have to be contested one case at a time.
Last reviewed: 19/05/2026
