Screencap of a chat leak in the SCP Wiki Staffchat Discord regarding the incident, courtesy of the SCP Staff Chat Leaks Twitter account.

The 2021 SkipIRC Ownership Change was a controversial transfer of administration rights for the SCP Wiki’s Internet Relay Chat (IRC) network that occurred on September 21, 2021, implemented without community consultation and resulting in disputed policy changes and appointments of contentious figures to positions of authority.

In September 2021, the SCP Wiki’s Internet Relay Chat (IRC) network, known as “SkipIRC,” underwent a transfer of ownership. Staff member LilyFlower announced this change on the O5 Command forums on September 22, 2021, stating the handover had occurred the previous day and included appointments of new IRC network operators.^[1]https://archive.fo/pnGyK The stated purpose of this transfer was to improve the “determent of trolls and abusive users on the network.”

By November 2022, several individuals who gained positions of authority through this transition have been subsequently banned or blacklisted from the SCP Wiki staff.^[2]https://skipirc.miraheze.org/wiki/SkipIRC_Staff^[3]https://www.containmentfiction.net/wiki/the-cerastes-incident/#Aftermath It should be noted that SkipIRC staff operates independently from the SCP Wiki staff.

Controversies

Procedural Concerns

The ownership transfer generated controversy for several reasons:

1. The perceived dishonest manner of implementation^[4]https://archive.ph/EHd72
2. Lack of community input or prior announcement^[5]https://archive.ph/ObTyO
3. Concerns about potential changes to SkipIRC under new management^[6]https://archive.li/XrBsW#selection-1401.0-1411.46^[7]https://archive.fo/5Nr2O^[8]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-14204425/announcement:skipirc-ownership-change-and-new-network-operat#post-5090533

SCP Wiki staff and the new owner attempted to reassure users that the average user experience would remain unchanged.^[9]https://archive.ph/pnGyK#selection-1277.0-1277.67^[10]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2203.0-2203.193^[11]https://archive.ph/ObTyO

Policy Changes

Despite these assurances, in October 2021, new SkipIRC owner Kufat announced multiple policy changes via Twitter and the SkipIRC Miraheze, including:

1. Disciplinary measures for causing mental distress to others
2. Prohibition of sharing chat logs without explicit consent from all participants – particularly notable as this policy emerged during a period when leaked chat logs were causing significant public relations damage to SCP Wiki staff^[12]https://skipirc.miraheze.org/wiki/Main_Page^[13]https://archive.li/UD5eu^[14]https://archive.ph/8X3YU^[15]https://archive.ph/MJGcT^[16]https://archive.li/V6dnT^[17]https://x.com/scp_staff_leaks

The chat log policy faced significant criticism on Twitter^[18]https://twitter.com/MTBade/status/1446500298566950926^[19]https://twitter.com/MTBade/status/1446501487765385227 and in Staffchat,^[20]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-14351967/october-2021-recap#irchar ultimately leading Kufat to rescind it.^[21]https://archive.md/VOUeM^[22]https://archive.li/OaDd1^[23]https://archive.li/JAhfz A proposed minimum age limit change was also abandoned due to external factors.^[24]https://archive.li/yftVz

Users expressed dissatisfaction with implemented changes, which were subsequently discussed in SCP Wiki staff chatrooms.^[25]https://archive.ph/4E24Q^[26]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-14351967/october-2021-recap#irchar Critics noted inconsistencies in the new owner’s statements, which initially claimed his role would be primarily maintenance-focused but later indicated broader interventions.^[27]https://archive.ph/UDSmN#selection-1183.0-1183.94^[28]https://archive.fo/6IBC8#selection-2181.0-2181.59^[29]https://archive.ph/k6q7M#selection-1951.0-1951.27^[30]https://archive.fo/4E24Q#selection-2233.0-2233.60

Personnel Concerns

Several individuals appointed to positions of authority within SkipIRC were controversial figures:

1. DrMagnus was appointed as network administrator despite having previously resigned amid political pressure and partial responsibility for The Cerastes Incident. At least one user left the IRC due to his appointment.^[31]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2179.0-2179.66
2. MalyceGraves had faced pseudo-disciplinary action in June 2021 for dismissive comments about community reform requests during the 2021 Town Halls, referring to them as “bitching.”^[32]https://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-14132401/non-disc-record-malycegraves
3. Kufat, the new SkipIRC owner, had resigned from his SCP Wiki staff position in August 2021 following the implementation of Staffchat Recaps.^[33]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-14173172/leaving, archive^[34]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-14126208/staffchat-recaps-part-2:the-recapening^[35]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-14119169/staffchat-recaps#post-5005085 He personally appointed DrMagnus as network administrator.^[36]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2155.496-2155.645

Privacy and Ethics Concerns

Users expressed discomfort with new network staff members having access to private information (IP addresses, email addresses) through admin privileges, particularly given Kufat’s history of reporting perceived opponents to their internet service providers with the intent of triggering retaliatory action or censorship.^[37]https://archive.md/9hJhS#selection-2283.76-2283.97^[38]https://archive.md/9hJhS#selection-2283.80-2283.97^[39]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2321.0-2321.69 These actions were sometimes based on political differences.^[40]https://archive.ph/KZWXN#selection-1347.0-1347.209

Kufat denied any conflict between his past activities and new responsibilities.^[41]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2571.0-2599.322 Staff members defended the appointments based on trust, while supporters claimed that access to IP addresses would only be utilized in cases of trolling or illegal activities.^[42]https://archive.ph/ObTyO^[43]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2203.0-2203.516^[44]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-3345.0-3345.208

Timing and Context

The ownership change coincided with a series of leaked chat logs from IRC channels and Discord that criticized SCP Wiki Staff.^[45]https://archive.fo/4Q3OF The transfer and new policies aligned with staff actions against those responsible for the leaks,^[46]https://archive.fo/hDWxg with one staff member describing the situation as “reactionary… and concerning” in Staffchat recaps.^[47]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-14351967/october-2021-recap#irchar The new ownership denied any causal relationship between these events.^[48]https://archive.li/pwuap

SCP Staff Response

Staff acknowledged communication shortcomings in handling the transfer but maintained that the change benefited the IRC and that expedited implementation was necessary due to chat staff shortages.^[49]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-14204425/announcement:skipirc-ownership-change-and-new-network-operat^[50]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2167.483-2167.590 They suggested improved handling of similar situations in the future.^[51]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2187.0-2187.267

Addressing specific criticisms:

1. On rapid implementation: “Unfortunately things moved much much quicker than anticipated and we cannot undo this. This Q and A opportunity is an attempt to mend that bridge.”^[52]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2131.0-2131.213
2. On closed-door decision-making: “I think it was felt that the network changes would not impact on chat staff much by those involved.”^[53]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2143.0-2143.99
3. On privacy concerns: “Personally I find every oper who has been appointed to have a stringent set of ethics around data protection, and the rules of the network. Kufat already displayed he was trustworthy when he was staff, I do not think that trustworthiness has changed.”^[54]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2203.193-2203.444

The new owner emphasized the limited nature of changes made to SkipIRC.^[55]https://archive.li/yftVz#selection-917.0-923.8

Staff repeatedly distinguished between SkipIRC and the official SCP IRC channels to mitigate concerns about site impact.^[56]https://archive.ph/VZgrQ^[57]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2711.0-2711.549^[58]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2167.0-2167.119^[59]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-14351967/october-2021-recap#irchar Some critics found this distinction unsatisfactory, and that it contradicted statements by the SkipIRC owner regarding similar platform relationships.^[60]https://archive.ph/nF9pu^[61]https://archive.ph/jPZUa

Regarding DrMagnus’ appointment, Kufat stated: “Let’s talk about DrMagnus for a bit. Pepole [sic] have made vague complaints about his being in a position of authority, but nobody has actually had the integrity to say “Hey Kufat, I don’t want Magnus on network staff because of the Cerastes incident.” So…”^[62]https://archive.fo/1w7g8#selection-2693.0-2693.251

Trivia

• As of November 2022, following the disciplinary conclusions of The Cerastes Incident, no changes have been made to SkipIRC’s ownership or personnel.^[63]https://web.archive.org/web/20250403191640/https://skipirc.miraheze.org/wiki/SkipIRC_Staff
• In April 2021, a Wikidot user attempted to compromise the IRC network by making three unsuccessful attempts to use administrator credentials belonging to “bluesoul” to gain operator status (“O” refers to IRC operator privileges). This was treated as an extremely serious security breach attempt, resulting in a permanent chat ban recommendation and escalation to the French SCP branch for potential site-wide ban, since the user was a member of the French community but not the main English site.^[64]https://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-14061675/ariannap